Inspection Flashcards
What is the inspection guidance note?
RICS Surveying Safely 2nd Edition (2018)
What are the requirements for a property inspection?
Risk assessment, PPE, charged phone, safe surveying
What is included in desktop review on Google Maps
Assess local vicinity, verify any potential hazards, if it was a valaution instruction understand the drivers of value
What are examples of fire safety infrastructure?
Extinguisher, fire doors, fire curtains
What is included in a Promis report?
Was Marylebone listed?
No the property wasn’t listed
What are the implications of valuing listed buildings
No VAT, no alterations without written consent, no EPC required
What other elements of the building would affect the valuation?
Any inherent defects, deleterious materials, single glazing, perimeter trunking
What did the marketing report include?
Suggested rent, advice on layout, lease term proposition
What do you mean by the local retail pitch?
The layout and quality of the occupiers, the vacancy rate, quality of the micro environment.
What is the hierarchy of evidence?
A - Direct comparables of contemporary, completed transactions of near identical properties
B - General market data that can provide guidance, info from published sources or databases, other indirect and historic evidence,
C - Other sources - transactional evidence from other real estate types and locations, other background data
How would you calculate Zone A?
Halving 20ft back, then annual rent / revised area
What are the FOUR Common Forms of Foundation?
TRPP
Trench and Strip Footings – Generally used for residential buildings
Raft – A slab foundation that spreads the load of the property over the whole site, for lightweight structures and for soft soil conditions.
Piled – Long and slender reinforced concrete cylinders into the ground vertically, to deeper strata. Used for less good load bearing ground / high loads.
Pad – A slab foundation system, under individual columns or units so that the column load is spread evenly.
Can you name some types of brickwork
Solid Wall – (A type of wall) Usually more than one layer, different patterns to tie bricks together such as the Flemish bond.
Cavity Wall – (A type of wall) Two layers of brick tied together with metal pins. Evidence of cavity wall is usually where you have a brick with slats in it or you have evidence of the pins on the exterior of the property.
Stretcher – (A terminology) A brick laid flat with long edge exposed externally.
Header – ( A terminology) A brick laid flat with the short end of the brick exposed
Can you name some terminologies to do with brickwork?
Efflorescence – (A Condition) Salt reacting with water and leaving white marks on the bricks
Spalling – (A Condition) Bricks degrading because of heating a cooling of the bricks.
. Describe an Institutional Shop Building:
Either steel or concrete frame
- Services capped off
- Concrete floor and no suspended ceilings
- Let in shell condition with no shop front, ready for retailer’s fitting out works.
What would be the noticeable difference between a steel framed office and concrete framed office building?
A steel framed building would have less columns and larger/wider floorplates.
Can you describe an Institutional Spec Industrial Asset?
KN/sqm minimum loading capacity
* Steel Portal Frame Structure
* Insulated profiled Steel cladding, (plastic insulated good)
* Brick or blockwork walls to 2m height.
* Minimum 8m clear heights (now more likely 12m)
* 10% lighting panels in the roof
* 5-10% office space.
* Full height loading doors, electric operated
* Access level loading door always included.
* Approximate site cover of 40%.
What are the three common causes of defects?
Water, Movement and Deteriorating Materials.
What occurs after a new building is completed?
You undertake a snagging process, whereby the property is inspected against the construction plans to check that it has been finished correctly and that the construction is of sufficient quality to ensure the building operates as desired and designed. This process is carried out by a contractor under warranty.
What are some common building defects for period residential/shop/office properties?
Dry rot, wet rot, tile slippage on the roof, death watch beetle, damp penetration from the roof, water ingress (doors and windows), settlement.
What are some common defects of modern industrial buildings?
A.Roof leaks around roof lights, damaged cladding;
Cut edge corrosion - Cut edge corrosion occurs to the sheet laps and sheet ends on a profiled metal roof
Blocked valley gutters – Results in water running down surfaces that are not designed for this to happen.
What are some common defects for Modern office buildings?
Cavity wall tie failure, damp from the roof and ground, water damage from burst pipes and air conditioning, damaged cladding.
What is the key piece of legislation in relation to the contamination of land?
The Environmental Protection Act 1990.
What Does the RICS say about Contamination, the Environment and Sustainability?
Guidance Note: Contamination, the Environment and Sustainability (2010): Investigate as follows:
(1) Review site history (desktop study)
(2) Investigation to identify nature and extent of contamination.
(3) Remediation report setting out remedial options with design requirements and monitoring standards.
As a developer what can you apply for if you develop a contaminated site?
Land Remediation Relief – A form of tax relief that gives the developer up to 150% corporate tax relief.
What is a deleterious Material, and can you give me two examples of them?
A deleterious material is a material that degrades with age causing structural problems to a building: High Alumina Cement, Woodwool Shuttering
Can you give an example of a “Hazardous Material”
Radon Gas, Asbestos, Lead piping
What is the RICS Paper that was published on Japanese Knotweed?
RICS Information Paper on Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property (2015)
What would you do if you arrived at an inspection of a vacant building and there were squatters in position?
I would not conduct the inspection and inform the client that there were squatters in occupation.
This is a criminal offence, therefore, the landlord would rely on common law powers to use ‘reasonable force’ to remove trespassers from land through a bailiff or civil proceedings
On a site, how do you look out for contamination?
Regard to RICS Guidance Note ‘Contamination, the Environment and Sustainability, 2010. Review the site history and investigate the nature and extent of contamination by taking soil samples. If I suspected soil contamination a remediation report would then be carried out.
What is a hidden valley gutter?
It is where two main roofs meet or a change in the roofs direction. Mainly found between two pitched roofs.
What problems can arise because of a hidden valley gutter?
They can easily block – for example in autumn months with leaves. This can lead to leaks.
Can you tell me about any RICS guidance on contamination or environmental risk?
Guidance Note – “Contamination, the environment and Sustainability, 2010”
Key takeaways are:
1. Do not provide advice until a specialist report has been undertaken
2. Caveat the advice provided
3. Deduct the remediation costs from the gross site value
Tell me about what an inherent/latent defect is.
Inherent defect – is a defect is a result of the design or construction material that has always been present
Latent defect – these cannot be discovered during a reasonable inspection
What is subsidence/heave?
Subsidence – movement of a building’s foundation caused by the loss of support of the land beneath
Heave – the expansion of the ground beneath – cause of tree roots
What is main provision of Surveying Safely 2018?
‘Safe person’ concept - each individual assumes individual behavioural responsibility for their own, their colleagues’ and others’ health and safety while at work.
What is the difference between an internally repairing lease and fully repairing and insuring leases?
An IR or IRI lease (Internal Repairing (and Insuring)) lease is usually granted for a multi-let building. The tenant is normally responsible for maintenance and insurance of their area of occupancy, and perhaps some common parts. The landlord is responsible normally for the exterior of the property, the common parts and sometimes insurance for the whole building. An FRI lease places all responsibilities for maintenance and insurance on the Tenant.
What are potential issues with damp?
health and breathing issues due to its effect on the lungs, it can create rot which can lead to structural issues.
What do you consider when you go on Inspection?
(1) Before inspection I consider my person 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.
Describe an Institutional Office Building:
As described by the British Council for Offices Guide to Office Specification, 2019:
Steel or concrete frame
FTC height 2.6-2.8m
raised floors (150mm), suspended ceilings (350mm), air con, double glazed, 1 cycle space for every 10 staff, 1 shower for every 100 staff, 8-10m2 space for each worker
What would be the noticeable difference between a steel framed office and concrete framed office building?
A steel framed building would have less columns and larger/wider floorplates.
Clerkenwell - What visible signs of deterioration did you notice to the stairwell?
The rooflight had been soiled and so the stairwell had become damp and carpet was torn up
Clerkenwell - Limited natural light? On which floors was this?
This was on the lower ground floor.
Clerkenwell - Lack of lift access?
Not compliant with the Equality Act 2010 and I advised my client of the guidance set out by the RICS surrounding inclusive environetmns
marylebone - What were the period features of the property?
Decorative wood, tiled flooring, high skirting boards, wall panelling
Describe an institutional shop building
Either steel or concrete frame
- Services capped off
- Concrete floor and no suspended ceilings
- Let in shell condition with no shop front, ready for retailer’s fitting out works.
If there was illegal activity what would you do?
Go straight to police
How do you feel the difference between solid wall and cavity wall?
Whether it is headers or stretchers
-Cavity wall - You’d have just stretchers, ventilation holes and a metal tie creating integrity, linking into blockwork behind it
-Solid wall - Headers and stretchers: Strength made by the end of the brick
What is efflorescence?
Water reacting with the chemicals in the bricks and evaporating on the surfaces
What are the 3 main types of damp?
Rising damp - created when there is a fault/defect to dampproof membrane and damp creeps up wall, up to 1.5 metres.
Condensation - created by lack of ventilation, evidenced by black spore marks
Penetrating damp - Due to a defect, lack of repair, leaking pipe
What is difference between deleterious and hazardous materials?
Hazardous - potentially harmful to human health. eg. asbestos
Deleterious - something that degrades over time. High alumina cement, RAC concrete
What is RAAC concrete?
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete
-Lightweight form of precast concrete, frequently used in public sector buildings in the UK from the mid-1960s to the 1990s
-Has a far lower structural loading capacity than other generic reinforced concrete products. Its condition deteriorates further if water is present, due to leaks from roofs etc, which can compromise the reinforcement bars contained within RAAC planks.
What process would you follow if you came across some troublesome vegetation?
Japanese Knotweed
-Can grow through building materials and spread very rapidly
-Proteced by Environmental Act 1990
-Can, if properly managed, be removed
-Light green leaved plant, hollow purple stem, heart shaped leaf, small white bell-shaped flowers
How do you identify Knotweed in the winter when it’s not growing?
Formally record your suspicions, report these to the client and recommend they have a survey done
What man made feature would raise suspicions?
Railway lines
If there is evidence of illegal activity what would you do?
Report it to the police immediately
What is the window construction?
Is the building listed (case study?)
No, not listed
What is the guttering ? (North Row)
North Row’s guttering is metal, vertical guttering
What is North Row’s construction type?
Masonry, stone construction
What is North Row’s air conditioning system?
VAV
What is the plugging system in North Row?
Trunking
