Building Surveys

As a business intending to purchase a freehold premises, where you are totally responsible for the cost and maintenance of the property, you will require a Building Survey for the property. This is essentially the same as for a residential premises, but includes additional information regarding Health & Safety, Disability Access, Fire Precautions & Escapes etc.

You can see an example of a Commercial Building Survey HERE

Sometimes it is beneficial to combine a Building Survey and a Schedule of Condition.

Structural Surveys

Structural Surveys are intended to identify a provide a statement on the condition of the structure only. Please note that these are not generally Pre-Purchase Surveys (unless you only want to know about the structure of the property). For that you will need a Building Survey.

General or Specific Structural Survey

For a General Structural Survey the Surveyor will inspect and report on the structural condition and adequacy of all the structure and fabric of the property (not just a particular problem area). The inspection will include the roof structure, roof covering, floors, walls, lintels, and beams. It will also include the surrounding site in case there are any factors which could indicate a risk to the foundations. It will recommend what needs to be done to rectify the problem or what further investigations may be necessary.

A Specific Structural Survey is a visual inspection of a particular structural problem or concern, and would include any related matters. It should be noted that parts of the property not related to the specific problem may not be inspected. However, if the Surveyor were to identify any other structural problems or concerns during the course of the inspection, these might also be noted in the report. The report includes details of what was inspected and found. It will state whether or not there is a problem and if so, what needs to be done to rectify the problem or what further investigations may be necessary.

Defects Inspection

Most building defects are caused by dampness, defective materials or poor design and workmanship. A defects inspection is essentially an inspection for a specific problem, such as rising damp, water penetration/flooding, defective roofing, rotten timbers, leaking gutters, defective workmanship, etc.

Supervision of Repair Works

We also provide a service for the specification, tendering and supervision of repair, refurbishment or reinstatement works to ensure works are carried out to an acceptable standard.

As Chartered Building Surveyors we are trained in the areas of building pathology and construction technology. We can also prepare specifications for rectification and site supervision to ensure remedial works are carried out to an acceptable standard.