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Rob's RICS APC Commercial Real Estate Questions > Core - Inspection (L3) > Flashcards

Core - Inspection (L3) Flashcards

1
Q

What are the steps for carrying out an inspection?

A

(1) Before inspection I consider my personal Health and Safety and my firm’s policies on inspection, I then would consider the (2) local area, the (3) external aspects of the property, and then the (4) internal aspects of the property.

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2
Q

What should you take on an inspection with you?

A
  • Mobile phone
  • Tape measure/laser
  • File, plans and other supporting information
  • PPE
  • Pen and paper
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3
Q

What should you consider in the immediate surrounding area of the property when conducting an inspection?

A
  • Location / aspect / local facilities / public transport / business vibrancy
  • Contamination / environmental hazards / flooding / high voltage power lines / electricity substations
  • Comparable evidence / local market conditions / agents’ boards
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4
Q

What should you consider when conducting an external inspection?

A
  • Method of construction
  • Repair and condition of the exterior
  • Car parking / access / loading arrangements
  • Defects / structural movement
  • Check site boundaries with OS map and / or Title Plan
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5
Q

What are the different ways that you could date a building?

A
  • Asking the client
  • Researching the date of planning consent or building regulations approval
  • Land Registry
  • Local historical records
  • Architectural style
  • Architects certificate of practical completion
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6
Q

What are the THREE different purposes of inspection?

A
  1. Valuation - valuation influencers
  2. Property management - policing the lease
  3. Agency - marketability issues
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7
Q

If inspecting a property for valuation purposes, what would you be looking out for?

A

Location
Tenure
Form of construction
Defects
Current condition
Occupation details

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8
Q

If inspecting a property for agency purposes, what would you be looking out for?

A

Repairs and maintenance
Statutory compliance
Services
Presentation
Current condition

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9
Q

What are the TWO types of wall construction used?

A
  1. Solid wall construction
  2. Cavity wall construction
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10
Q

What is a solid wall construction?

A

Solid brickwork with headers, normally at least one brick thick, with different bricklaying patterns incorporating headers (e.g. Flemish bond) to tie together the layers of brick

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11
Q

What is cavity wall construction?

A
  • Two layers of brickwork are tied together with metal ties, with a cavity that may be filled with insulation.
  • No headers used
  • Evidence of a cavity tray, air brick or weep holes may be seen
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12
Q

What is a stretcher?

A

Brick laid horizontally, flat with the long side of the brick exposed on the outer face of the wall

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13
Q

What is a header?

A

Brick laid flat with the short end of the brick exposed

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14
Q

What is efflorescence?

A

White marks caused by hygroscopic salts in the brickwork
• Formed when water reacts with the natural salts, by way of a chemical process, contained within the construction material and mortar
• Water dissolves the salts which are then carried out and deposited onto the surface by the natural evaporation that occurs when air meets the surface of the wall

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15
Q

What is spalling?

A

Damaged brickwork where the surface of the bricks starts to crumble because of freeze/thaw action, after it has become saturated in the winter months

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16
Q

What are the institutional specifications for shops?

A
  • Most are constructed either of a steel or concrete frame
  • Services i.e. gas/water/electricity is brought into the unit and capped off at the source
  • Concrete floor and no suspended ceiling
  • Let in a shell condition with no shop front, ready for the retailer’s fitting out works
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17
Q

What are the two main methods of construction for new office buildings?

A
  • Steel frame: have fewer columns and a wider span between the columns
  • Concrete frame: more columns, lower floor heights and a shorter span between columns
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18
Q

What can you refer to if you’re unsure about what form of construction is?

A
  • Architect’s drawings and specification
  • Building Manual
  • Ask client
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19
Q

What are a shell and core fit out?

A

Where common parts of the building are completed, and the office floor areas are left as a shell ready for fit out by the occupier

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20
Q

What is the difference between an inherent and a latent defect?

A
  • Inherent defect: defect in the design or a material which has always been present
  • Latent defect: fault to the property that could not have been discovered by a reasonably thorough inspection of the property
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21
Q

What FOUR steps should you follow if you identify any building defects during an inspection?

A
  1. Take photos of the defect
  2. Try to establish the cause of damage whilst on site
  3. Inform your client of your investigations
  4. Recommend specialist advice from a building surveyor or in the case of movement, a structural engineer
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22
Q

What are the THREE common causes of defects?

A
  1. Water
  2. Movement
  3. Deteriorating building materials
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23
Q

What is subsidence?

A

The vertical downward movement of a building foundation caused by the loss of support of the site beneath the foundation. This could be as a result of changes in the underlying ground conditions

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24
Q

What is heave?

A

Expansion of the ground beneath part or all of the building. This could be caused by the removal of trees and subsequent moisture build-up in the soil

25
What are the common causes of cracks in a property?
* Subsidence * Heave * Cavity wall tie failure (indicated by horizontal cracking in brickwork) * Shrinkage cracking (often occurs in new plasterwork during the drying out process * Settlement cracks * Thermal expansion/movement
26
What is dry rot? What are the signs of dry rot?
Caused by fungal attack. Can destroy timber and masonry. Signs include: * Fungus (mycelium) which spreads across the wood in fine * Fluffy white strands * Large, often orange mushroom-like fruiting bodies * Strong smell and red spores * Cracking paintwork and cuboidal cracking / crumbling of dry timber
27
What is rising damp? What are the signs of rising damp?
* Caused by moisture from the ground travelling up through the wall by capillary action. Usually caused by the **failure or absence of the damp proof course** * Signs include tide marks of salts, **dark patches on walls** that can be damp to touch, damp and a musty smell. * Usually stops around 1.5m above ground level
28
What can condensation be caused by? What are the signs of condensation?
Caused by lack of ventilation and background heating Signs include mould and streaming water on the inside of windows / walls
29
What are the causes of damp?
* Wet rot * Dry rot * Rising damp * Condensation * Leaking plumbing/air condition units/pipework
30
What are the common building defects associated with period residential / office / shop buildings?
* Dry / wet rot * Tile slippage on the roof * Damp penetration at roof and ground floor level * Water ingress around door and window openings * Structural movement / settlement
31
What are the common building defects associated with modern office buildings?
* Damp penetration at roof and ground floor level * Water damage from burst pipes or air conditioning units * Structural movement * Damaged cladding * Cavity wall tie failure * Efflorescence * Poor mortar joints in brickwork
32
What is the key legislation on contamination?
Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended)
33
What guidance has the RICS offered on contamination?
RICS Guidance Note - Contamination, the environment and sustainability, 2010
34
Who will generally pay for the remediation of a contaminated site?
Polluter or the land owner
35
What will a desktop contamination study comprise?
Consider the previous use of the site, local history and planning register
36
What materials generally cause contamination to exist?
* Heavy metals * Radon and methane gas * Diesel / oil / chemicals
37
What are signs of contamination that you should look out for?
* Evidence of chemicals and oils * Oil drums * Subsidence * Underground tanks * Bare ground
38
What should you do if there are concerns that a site has some contamination?
Suggest a specialist report
39
What approach should be taken if you're instructed to value a site with contamination / hazardous materials?
* Do not provide any advice until a specialist report is commissioned * Caveat the advice provided with an appropriate disclaimer highlighting the issue / use of a special assumption * Deduct the remediation costs from the gross site value
40
What is the difference between deleterious and hazardous materials?
Deleterious: degrade with age causing structural problems Hazardous: harmful to health
41
Give some examples of deleterious materials?
**RAAC** Reinforced Aerated Autoclave Cement
42
What are some examples of hazardous materials?
* Asbestos * Lead piping / lead paint * Radon gas
43
What guidance has the RICS issues on Japanese Knotweed?
RICS Information Paper on Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property, 2015
44
What does Japanese Knotweed look like?
* Purple/green hollow stem * Heart-shaped green leaves * Clusters of white flowers
45
Why is Japanese Knotweed an issue?
* Invasive plant that can damage hard surfaces such as foundations and tarmac * Not easy to control, costly to eradicate and a specialist company must remove and dispose of it * Property lenders may refuse loans
46
Under What Act is it a Criminal Offence to Allow the Spread of Japanese Knotweed?
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
47
What documents might your request before undertaking an inspection?
* Operation & Maintenance (O&M) manual * Asbestos register * Title plan * Floorplans
48
What characteristics would you look for to determine the quality of a retail unit?
* Configuration and layout of the unit - preference for rectangular shape as otherwise makes it difficult to fit out and merchandise * Masking - areas not visible from the shop frontage command a rental discount * Frontage - typically apply a rental discount for hard frontage and rental premium for a return frontage * Access arrangements - allow loading and unloading of goods * Ancillary space
49
What can you look at as an indicator of the quality of the retail pitch?
* Proportion of retail tenants vs. non retail tenants (e.g. estate agents, banks). * Local vs. national tenant mix * Architecture of the buildings * Proximity to key footfall generators
50
# Submission: Level One Can you briefly outline VPS2 in the Global Standards Red Book?
Requirements for inspections, investigations and records: - state limitations and assumptions - detailed inspection notes
51
# Submission: Level One Key factors which impact a propertys value?
Mentioned in submission: * age * location * use * specification
52
# Submission: Level One Can you explain to me how you have regard to Surveying Safely to inspect a property safely?
I will consider where I am going, what the likely hazards are, and what equipment I may need to inspect a property safely. Section **1**: Personal responsibilities for RICS members Section **3**: Hazards and risks Section **6**: Visiting premises or sites
53
# Submission: Level Two When you inspected the **restaurant unit in Edinburgh**, what risks were there due to the property having been unoccupied for several years?
Relatively new construction but risks are: - Vermin - Damp - Wet rot - Dry rot - Water ingress
54
# Submission: Level 3 When you inspected the **restaurant unit in Edinburgh**, what advice did you give?
Remove all fixtures and fittings, leaving the unit in a shell state with capped off services, ready for tenant's own fitout
55
# Submission: Level 3 When you inspected the **Leisure Park unit in Castleford**, what condition was the adjacent unit in?
Previously a retail unit, unoccupied for 18 months
56
# Submission: Level Three When you inspected the **Leisure Park unit in Castleford**, what did you advise?
Landlord investigate feasibility of incorporating the utility services using an M&E consultant
57
# Submission: Level One How do you check a laser is functioning correctly?
Once a year, send to a third party to get tested and calibrated.
58
# Submission: Level One What would you do if you found a structural crack on an inspection?
I would investigate more closely to determine if the crack was 3mm+ and if so, recommend that a building surveyor investigates to locate cause and recommend remedial action

Rob's RICS APC Commercial Real Estate Questions (23 decks)

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