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This is by far the most common type of pre-acquisition survey that we carry out and is appropriate for older property (anything pre-war) or larger, complex structures where plenty of change has occurred over time. Our inspection follows a logical order and enables comment and description on over 40 building element categories. Our reports are crafted with care and attention and make for a lengthy read but with clear summaries backed up with more comprehensive text and labelled photography. We use a traffic light system to categorise urgency and importance and try to keep our advice both contextual and relevant. In almost every case we will have a post report debrief over the phone where areas of concern can be discussed in more detail, as necessary.
Not to be confused with a Condition Report, a Schedule of Condition should be commissioned at the start of any commercial tenancy and typically where the length of the lease is to be somewhere between 1 and 30 years. A commercial lease will usually obligate the tenant to both maintenance and repair during and, more crucially, at the end of the tenancy term. When surrendering the building, it must be handed back at the same standard of condition that it was in at commencement of the lease and the ideal document to help inform inevitable discussions is a SoC. This will include masses of photography as well as short written descriptions, as necessary, to demonstrate and record condition at the outset of occupation. A copy will be annexed to the lease document which makes it transferable should parties change during the term.
When a commercial building is vacated at the end of a lease, a landlord will rightly expect their tenant to have carried out timely maintenance during the term and to have repaired anything which may have broken on their watch. Most leases also obligate the tenant to redecorate the building within the last six months of their tenancy. However, a landlord and tenant will usually have a healthy debate as to acceptable standard, with Schedules of Dilapidations being produced by, and commented on, surveyors acting for each party. Claims can be sizeable and a good surveyor can help optimise the outcome for their client. We have acted for both tenants and landlords and both with, and without, original Schedules of Condition.
Our LBI Service enables a discrete assessment to be made of one specific issue affecting an existing commercial building. It could, for instance, be the presence of damp in one or more areas within the building which is causing concern or it might be the development of cracks, internal and/or external. Our surveyor will aim to identify the cause of the problem and to recommend a course of action or schedule of repairs likely to rectify matters. Apart from a visual inspection, our surveyor may use technical instrument readings which are often helpful when backed up by assumptions, qualified where necessary. Sometimes, to get to the root of a problem, a more invasive inspection is recommended which might involve the removal of bricks, floor boards or access equipment. Previous LBI instructions have involved us in identifying rodent entry locations, confirming load bearing wall positions, dealing with acoustic issues, thermal improvements, internal fire safety and subsidence issues, amongst many other topics.
Particularly useful for landlords, reinstatement valuations for insurance purposes can be provided to any commercial building owner. They can perhaps be provided most economically in conjunction with a pre-acquisition building survey. A short site inspection is otherwise required which may or may not need to include a measured survey or verification of dimensions on a plan. We then use subscription data provided by the BCIS in conjunction with industry metrics, and make adjustments for building typology, together with other adjustments where necessary for any specific design features, in order to calculate a valuation. Where multiple units or mixed use building arrangements are involved, a measured survey can include a proportional subdivision of space to make it easier in dividing up the collective premium.
Where a commercial building is being acquired on a freehold basis or with a virtual freehold, a Condition Survey could be appropriate for a simple new build, or relatively new, structure. Much as with their residential cousins, the expense and detail of a full Building Survey may not be justified for a new stand alone, a terraced small office or a warehouse where modern building regulations should apply. However, where a building has been converted and/or very substantially remodelled from an older existing structure, notwithstanding beautiful finishes, it is usually more appropriate to have a full Building Survey which will allow for the time necessary to assess new versus old building fabric junctions.
