Your ventilation concept lives in Excel and the proofs sit as PDFs in a folder? That holds — until it counts.
Excel and the PDF folder capture the essentials — until an audit, a review or a liability case demands the structured proof that the maintenance you paid for was actually carried out on every component. That is exactly where invoice stands against assertion.
equova keeps the maintenance concept, due dates and photo proof in one place that belongs to you. For every installation you see what is due, open or documented — and when it matters, you present one closed record instead of searching through folders.
Built for owners and property managers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein who outsource their ventilation maintenance to contractors and remain liable for it.
Where Excel stops and proof begins
Excel and a PDF folder are an honest start — they show what you once planned. The difference appears the moment you have to prove the maintenance was performed, across several installations.
| The question when it counts | Excel concept + PDF folder | equova |
|---|---|---|
| Are due dates monitored automatically? | Only if someone maintains the sheet and remembers on their own — no active reminder. | Due dates are generated automatically from the maintenance concept; a due-date calendar and a notification before a deadline passes. |
| Is there a photo proof per component? | Photos sit — if at all — separately, with no fixed link to the individual component. | A mandatory photo proof per maintenance step, tied to one component and maintenance order, with a checklist and condition rating. |
| Is the documentation revision-proof and tamper-evident? | A cell can be overwritten at any time; no one can later see what changed and when. | Every proof is held in the immutable audit log — later changes stay traceable. |
| Is a report ready at the push of a button? | Assembled from sheets, emails and PDFs — manual work for every occasion. | A proof report for one installation, one property or the whole portfolio at the push of a button as a PDF. |
| Do you keep data ownership when the contractor changes? | Proofs often sit in the contractor's system; when they leave, the knowledge goes with them. | Concept and proofs stay with you; export any time as PDF and CSV, even after cancellation. |
Where Excel fails in a liability case
Excel does not fail at calculating — it fails at proof: a sheet shows what was planned, not that maintenance was actually carried out on every component. It is exactly this structured proof that is missing when it counts.
No proof that maintenance happened. The maintenance contract states what was ordered; the invoice states what is billed. Neither proves the work at the component. An owner describes precisely this gap (translated from a German forum): «As the invoice … for a filter cleaning seemed very high to me, I … asked to see the maintenance contract. He merely sent me an invoice with the line ‹maintenance of the ventilation unit, scope …›» (forum.mietrecht.de, 2016).
Stale and scattered. The Excel concept lives on a drive, the inspection reports in an inbox, the photos on a phone. No one is sure what is current — and in an audit everything has to be gathered together.
No audit trail. A cell can be overwritten, a PDF replaced. Where evidential weight matters, you need an immutable history that Excel does not keep.
Knowledge is lost on a change. When it comes down to assertion against assertion, only verifiable proof helps — and it is missing: «This company claims we had not carried out the maintenance properly for years» (haustechnikdialog.de, 2006, translated). When the contractor or the management changes, whatever was documented often walks out with them.
Moving over without data loss: your Excel becomes the starting point
You do not start from scratch. You bring existing maintenance concepts across by CSV import — with guided column mapping and a validation preview that flags faulty rows before anything is written. Properties, installations, maintenance steps and intervals move in one pass.
Whatever repeats, you save as a template: a dozen similar ventilation installations are set up in minutes instead of rebuilding each sheet.
And because there is no lock-in: export is available any time — concept, proofs and QR labels as PDF and CSV, even after a cancellation. You leave as easily as you arrived.
When Excel is enough – and when it is not
Honestly: for a single ventilation installation that you look after yourself and that carries no recurring duty to prove maintenance to a third party, a well-kept Excel sheet is perfectly fine. A tool you do not need is not worth it.
equova pays off as soon as several installations, several properties or liability come into play — for property managers, public owners and engineers with several mandates. Then the manual due-date upkeep, the scattered proof and the missing audit log stop being a matter of comfort and become a matter of risk. That is exactly what equova is built for.
Common questions about moving over from Excel
Can I import my Excel file?
What exactly does «revision-proof» mean?
Do I need the contractor for this?
Keep the proof, not just the invoice
The strongest reason to move over is not a feature but a question: can you prove today that the maintenance you paid for was actually carried out on every component? With equova this proof stays with you — structured, revision-proof, exportable, even when the contractor changes.
Try it for 14 days without a credit card, cancel monthly, with export any time. You bring existing concepts across by CSV.