Inspection Flashcards
Is there RICS Guidance regarding inspections?
RICS Surveying Safely
VPS 2 of the Red Book
Home Survey Standard
What are names of the regulations and RICS GN relating to Asbestos?
- Control of Asbestos 2012
- GN Asbestos 4th ed. 2021
What are names of the regulations and RICS GN relating to Fire Safety?
- Fire Safety Act 2021 and Order 2005
- Surveying Safely 2018 (sec on Fire Safety)
What are the characteristics of a Victorian property?
Constructed 1837 - 1901
single glazed sash windows
bay windows
slate roof tiles
solid walls
chimneys
chimney breasts / fireplaces in each room
suspended floors
no damp course
terracotta tiles
cast iron gates
What are the characteristics of a Georgian property?
Constructed 1714 - 1830
solid walls of brick or stone
single glazed sash windows (6 x 6 panes)
stone parapets
slate roofs
typically have cellars
embellished cornices and decorative mouldings
symmetrical
What is snagging? what is the purpose?
A snag is a small defect or problem that remains in your property after the building work has been completed.
Is to check the newly built property to identify defects in the build
Enables you to highlight them to the developer to allow them to fix the issues
What would you do if you found a defect?
Take photos
Try to establish cause of damage
Inform client
Recommend specialist advice
What do you understand by the phrase “plaster wicking’ in respect to low level damp in masonry walls ?
The same term used for rising damp - The unwanted ingress of water that rising through capillary action
What is vertical cracking usually a sign of?
Thermal expansion
What is diagonal cracking usually a sign of?
Heave or subsidence
What are the most common wood boring insects in the uk?
Woodworm
Death Watch Beetle
House Longhorn Beetle
What are the types of ground investigation survey?
Phase 1 = review site history and inspect site
Phase 2 = intrusive survey, samples taken to identify nature and extent of contamination
Phase 3 = remediation report
What happens if you find JK weed and you ignore it?
-It is an criminal offence under the Wildlife and Cuntryside Act 1981 with penalties up to £5,000 and six months imprisonment
- Local authorities can also take action
What other invasive plant species are present in the UK?
Hogweed:
thick stems
bunches of small white flowers
Himalayan Balsam
small purple flowers
look a bit like orchid flowers
What are the common building defects associated with period residential / office / shop buildings (8)?
Dry rot
Wet rot
Tile slippage on the roof
Death watch beetle
Damp penetration at roof and ground floor level
Water ingress around door and window openings
Structural movement / settlement
What are the common building defects associated with modern industrial buildings (6)?
Roof leaks around roof lights
Damaged cladding panels
Cut edge corrosion
Blocked valley gutters
Water damage from poor guttering or burst pipes
Settlement / cracking in brickwork panels
What are the common building defects associated with modern office buildings (7)?
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
What are Dilapidations ?
Dilapidation represent the claim for exit cost or end of lease costs attribuited to restoring the property back into the state prior to the letting.
What are you initial actions when dealing with a dilapidations claim ?
Check within the lease regarding various partied obligations such as internal only, external etc.
What information/documents should be reviewed prior to the creation of a schedule of dilapidations claim ?
Lease covenants
Tittle deeds
SOC
Inspection of current condition, internals and externals
What is the difference between a schedule of condition and a schedule of dilapidations ?
A schedule of condition review the current condition of the property at a certain point in time)the survey day), a schedule of dilapidations records the damages and breaches the tenant has made to the property during theory tenancy’s linked to the terms of a lease, with remedial repairs and applicable costs.
How did you carry out a lease analysis?
I look within the lease for information and clauses in relation to :
* Inclusion and exclusions
* Repairing liabilities
* Site extents
* Yield up (obligation to return the unit to it original state)
* Fees
What is a schedule of works?
A SOW is a single document that concisely lists what is to be done, where, how and to what quality.
What is the most important thing to do prior to inspection ?
Health and Safety Risk Assessment
What might you include in your desktop investigations?
Site history checks,
Review of alterations carried out,
check on planning authority,
if the building is listed,
check its listed status on historic England and English heritage.
I will ask the client to provide me with any plans or brochures of the property and ask them generic safety questions to ensure that it is safe to survey.