Inspection

Question 1

What’s a Cat A Office fit out?

Answer 1

• Includes raised floor, A/C, lighting, ceiling grids, basic fire detection systems
• British Council for Office Guide 2019 states:
  
  • Ceiling height between 2.6-2.8m
  • Ceiling void of 350mm
  • Raised floor void of 150mm
  • 1 cycle space per 10 staff
  • 1 shower per 100 staff

Question 2

What’s a Cat A industrial fit out?

Answer 2

• Plot ratio 40% coverage (shed to cover 40%, yard 60%)
• Office ratio usually 10% of sq.ft
• Yard depth of 50 sq.m with tail dock levellers
• Translucent light panels of 15%
• Measure to the eaves height, minimum of 8m
• The eaves are part of the steel portal frame and covered by the roof and wall panels so you actually measure to the haunch
• Floor loading of 50 kilo newtons per meter squared
• The higher the eaves height, the higher the floor load has to be

Question 3

What’s the size of a brick?

Answer 3

215mm x 102.5 x 65mm

Question 4

Why do we inspect buildings?

Answer 4

• Property Management - Policing the lease
  
  • State of repair
  • Checking any issue with the property, such as a leak
  • Inspecting vacant property
• Valuation
  
  • Understanding the use, tenure, aspect, defects, current condition, occupation details
  • Inspecting the area to understand the market, check agency boards, vacant’s and gather comparable evidence
• Agency - for the purposes of marketing
  
  • Current condition
  • Any repair and maintenance issues
  • Statutory compliance such as EPC’s, asbestos checks
  • Checking the area for marketability, commentary on location, vacant’s, condition of the immediate vicinity

Question 5

What is asbestos?

Answer 5

• An insulating material which was heavily mined and used in the 1950’s-70’s
• Types:
  
  • Amosite - banned in 1985
  • Crocidolite - banned in 1985
  • Chrysolite - banned in 1999

Question 6

How is asbestos managed?

Answer 6

• Key legislation - Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
• Management survey - used to locate and assess asbestos containing materials
• Refurbishment survey - used when refurbishment, alterations in the building take place. Contains recommendations regarding management
• ACM’s can be found in many different materials and are not hazardous until disturbed
• If disturbed, asbestos can cause cancers and lung diseases through asbestosis
• Duty holder is the occupier of the space, depending on the lease or the owner

Question 7

What would you take on an inspection?

Answer 7

• Pen, paper
• Mobile phone
• Any plans
• Measuring tool
• PPE e.g. florescent jacket, steel-toed boots, non-slip shoes, goggles, hard hat

Question 8

What’s an inherent and latent defect?

Answer 8

• Inherent defect is a defect in the design or a material which has always been present and based on defective design
• Latent defect is a fault to the property which could not have been discovered through reasonable inspection

Question 9

If you found a building defect, what would your recommendation be to your client?

Answer 9

• Take photos
• Try and establish the cause of the problem or what the problem is
• Inform the client of your findings
• Recommend specialist advice depending on the seriousness of the issue such as instructing a Building Surveyor, Structural Survey etc

Question 10

What are the main causes of building defects?

Answer 10

• Movement
• Water - the biggest cause
• Defective/non performance/deterioration of building materials

Question 11

What’s a hidden valley gutter and what problems can arise from them?

Answer 11

• Found where two sections of roof meet for surface water run-off
• Can be blocked by vegetation causing water ingress through roofs
• Often found in industrial units

Question 12

What’s rising damp?

Answer 12

• Caused by a defect to a damp proofing course (DPC)
• Usually stops around 1.5m above ground level
• Can also be caused by flooded basements

Question 13

How do you identify wet & dry rot respectively?

Answer 13

• Wet rot is caused by damp and timber decay. Signs include wet and soft timber with fungal growth and a musty smell
• Dry rot is caused by fungal attack with signs such as fine fluffy strands on the wood and sometimes orange mushroom fruiting bodies
• Always instruct a building surveyor

Question 14

What is a deleterious material?

Answer 14

• Materials which degrade with age causing structural problems. Examples include:
  
  • High alumina cement
  • Woodwall shuttering
  • Calcium chloride

Question 15

What do you understand by the Surveying Safely Guidance?

Answer 15

• RICS Guidance Note, published in November 2018, 2nd edition
• Key principles:
  
  • Personal responsibilities for members and firms
  • A “safe person” concept - an individual who assumes responsibility for their own, colleague’s and others health & safety
  • Firms are obligated to ensure environments are safe and that they have competent staff
  • Legal considerations and duties regarding asbestos
  • Advice on visiting premises or sites
  • Guidance on fire safety
  • Example of an audit template

Question 16

I can see from your submission that you’ve carried out a lot of vacant property inspections, how do these differ to other inspections?

Answer 16

• Extra checks required before visiting the property such as:
  
  • The extent of the demise
  • Any information from the last inspection
  • How long has it been vacant for, this will influence extra care needed for structural stability, damp checks, risk of squatters
  • Is it being marketed or not?
• Check if the letter box is sealed, stripped out, services capped
• Check in and out procedure with a colleague
• Ensure property is safe and secure before and after entering
• Is there an alarm, if so, arm it
• Any further security measures needed such as obscuring windows, steel door, steel window covers

Question 17

What do you understand about contamination?

Answer 17

• Key legislation - Environmental Protection Act 1990
• RICS have a guidance note on Contamination, the Environment and Sustainability, 2010, 3rd edition
• Signs of contamination include evidence of chemicals, oils, oil drums, subsidence, underground tanks. These can be spotted on inspection
• Review site history, investigate the nature of contamination using intrusive surveys carried out by specialist
• Commission a remediation report and rely on specialist advice

Question 18

What do you understand about Japanese Knotweed?

Answer 18

• Key legislation is Environmental Protection Act 1990
• RICS paper on Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property, 2012 (addendum 2015)
• An invasive plant which destroys foundations, tarmac
• Not easy to control and costly to eradicate. A specialist required to treat
• Duty holder is the land owner or occupier who have a legal obligation to control it and ensure it doesn’t spread onto neighbouring land
• Purple stems with green leaves

Question 19

How would you undertake an inspection to determine market rent?

Answer 19

• Take instructions from the client, issue terms of engagement if not a retained client
• Ask for a copy of the lease, Deeds of Variation, Licence for Alterations etc
• Measure the property, in retail case NIA
• Zone the property (retail only)
• Inspect the vicinity to understand type of comparable evidence and quality of it
• Take photos of the vacant units, letting board
• From my notes, I will in put the areas and make enquiries for comparable evidence to determine value

Question 20

How would you undertake an inspection for Maintenance purposes

Answer 20

• Take instructions from client
• Read the lease, understand the demise and repairing responsibilities
• Consider PPE as required
• Arrange the inspection, often accompanied by the maintenance team
• If a lone inspection, consider health and safety
• Take notes, photos, report to client and make recommendations based on findings