Facilities Management Myths vs Reality: What Organisations Shouldn’t Get Wrong in 2026
Facilities Management has changed dramatically over the past decade, yet many organisations are still making decisions based on outdated assumptions. These misconceptions don’t just distort how FM is perceived; they actively increase risk, cost, and operational fragility.
In 2026, the gap between perception and reality is no longer harmless.
This article explores the most persistent myths surrounding facilities management and why letting them linger is increasingly dangerous.
Myth 1: Facilities Management Is Just Maintenance
Reality: Maintenance Is Only One Part of FM
Maintenance is a visible component of FM, but it is far from the whole picture. Good facilities management encompasses:
- Asset lifecycle planning
- Safety and statutory compliance
- Risk management
- Business continuity
- Performance enablement
- Energy and sustainability
When FM is reduced to “fixing things”, organisations overlook the strategic work that prevents failure in the first place.
Modern FM focuses less on repairs and more on prevention, foresight, and assurance. This is a defining feature of what good facilities management really looks like in 2026.
Read more: What Good Facilities Management Really Looks Like in 2026
Myth 2: Facilities Management Is a Cost Centre
Reality: Poor FM Is the Real Cost Centre
Facilities budgets are often scrutinised because their value is not always immediately visible. When FM works well, nothing goes wrong, and that success is easily taken for granted.
However, organisations that underinvest in FM typically experience:
- Higher emergencies spend
- Increased unplanned downtime
- Compliance failures
- Shortened asset life
Good FM stabilises costs by reducing volatility and avoiding crisis-driven expenditure. It does not eliminate cost but it makes it predictable, defensible, and proportionate to risk.
In 2026, treating FM purely as overhead is not cost control; it is cost deferral.
Read ‘The Cost Centre Myth Revisited’
Myth 3: Compliance Is Just Paperwork
Reality: Compliance Is an Operational Safeguard
Compliance failures rarely happen because documents are missing. They happen because systems, oversight, or maintenance have broken down.
Facilities management underpins compliance by ensuring:
- Assets are safe and fit for purpose
- Statutory testing is meaningful, not tick-box
- Evidence is accurate, accessible, and current
When compliance is treated as an administrative task, organisations expose themselves to enforcement action, reputational damage, and serious safety incidents.
This is why FM is inseparable from safety and compliance outcomes.
Myth 4: Technology Alone Fixes FM Problems
Reality: Technology Without Strategy Creates Noise
Digital systems, CAFM platforms, and dashboards are now commonplace. But technology does not equal maturity.
Without:
- Clear governance
- Defined outcomes
- Skilled interpretation
technology simply produces data, not insight.
Good FM in 2026 uses technology to support decision making, not to replace it. The strategy comes first; the systems enable it.
Conclusion: Why These Myths Persist – and Why They Matter
Facilities Management myths persist because good FM is often invisible when done well. But in 2026, the consequences of misunderstanding FM are too significant to ignore.
Organisations that continue to see FM as reactive, administrative, or purely cost-driven will struggle with risk, compliance, and performance.
Those that recognise FM as strategic infrastructure will be better prepared, more resilient, and more effective.
Read the full guide: What Good Facilities Management Really Looks Like in 2026
Questioning how your facilities management is really performing?
Speak to our team about what good FM looks like in practice and where outdated assumptions may be creating risk.
