Inspection

Question 1

How would you undertake an inspection?

Answer 1

Four step process:
1. Consider personal safety, and carry out a desktop review to access whether PPE is required, occupiers in the vicinity, transport links etc.

2. Inspection of the local area - consider aspect / location, contamination, hazards, letting boards / comps, occupiers, vacant units etc.
3. External inspection - Check the boundary of the site, check for defects, construction method, condition, car parking, access, take photos etc.
4. Internal inspection - Layout & configuration, specification, condition, defects, services, statutory compliance (fire, asbestos, H&S), compliance with lease obligations, fixtures and fittings, take photos etc.

Question 2

What would you take on an inspection?

Answer 2

• Phone
• Camera
• Tape measure / laser (disto - to be regularly calibrated)
• File, plans, other docs
• PPE
• Pen and paper / Dictaphone / tablet

Question 3

What are the different inspection purposes and what aspects are considered?

Answer 3

1. Valuation - Understand all factors which can influence value, e.g., location, tenure, aspect, construction, defects, condition, occupier details etc.
2. Property Management (policing the lease) - If occupied, check lease compliance, statutory compliance, repair & condition, user, and details of occupant. If vacant, check statutory compliance, condition, repair & maintenance issues, security arrangements, landscaping, risk of vandalism etc.
3. Agency (marketability issues) - Consider condition, repair & maintenance issues, statutory compliance, services, presentation, flexibility of accommodation, its marketability.

Question 4

What are the common forms of foundation?

Answer 4

1. Trench / Strip Footings - Generally used for residential dwellings, for walls and closely spaced columns.
2. Raft - Slab foundation over the whole site to spread the load of lightweight structures such as for made up / remediated land and sandy soil conditions.
3. Piled - Long and slender reinforced concrete cylinders (piles) in the ground to deeper strata when less good load-bearing ground conditions / high loads.
4. Pad - Slab foundation system under individual or groups of columns so that the column load is spread evenly.

Question 5

What are common brickwork construction methods?

Answer 5

1. Solid wall construction - Brick work with headers and stretchers, normally one brick thick, with different bricklaying patterns incorporating headers, e.g., Flemish bind, to tie together the bricks
2. Cavity Wall Construction - Two layers of bricks 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.

Question 6

What are common brickwork defects?

Answer 6

1. Efflorescence - white marks caused by hydroscopic alts in the brick work. Formed when water reacts with the natural salts, they dissolve which are deposited onto the surface of the brick via evaporation.
2. Spalling - damaged brickwork where the surface of the brick starts to crumble because of freeze / thaw action.

Question 7

What are the institutional specifications relating to shops?

Answer 7

• Most constructed of steel or concrete frame construction.
• Services capped off.
• Concrete floor and no suspended ceiling.
• Let in a shell condition with no shop front, ready for the retailers fitting out works.

Question 8

What are the institutional specifications relating to offices?

Answer 8

• New offices constructed with either a steel or concrete frame.
• Steel frames typically have less columns and a wider span between the columns.
• Concrete frames buildings usually have more columns, lower floor heights and a shorter span between columns.

Current institutional specification for offices (defined by British Council for Offices Guide to Office Specification, 2023, may include:
- Full access raised floors with floor boxes.
- Ceiling height of 2.6m-2.8m
- Passenger lifts
- Air conditioning
- Double glazed windows
- 1 cycle space per 10 staff
- 1 shower per 100 staff
- 8m2 - 10m2 general workplace density
- Maximum opportunities for daylighting, with 300-500 lux average.
- Planning grid of 1.5m X 1.5m.

Question 9

What are the types of Air Conditioning?

Answer 9

1. Variable Air Volume (VAV) - highest capital cost but most flexible.
2. Fan Coil - usually 4-pipe - lower initial cost, good flexibility, but higher operating / maintenance costs.
3. Variable Refrigerant Volume (VFV) - lower capital cost but higher running / maintenance costs.
4. Static cooling - chilled beam and displacement heating (natural approach to climate control with lower capital running costs but less flexible.
5. Mechanical ventilation - fresh air moved building
6. Comfort cooling - simple form of air cooling.

Jan 2015 - use and replacement of low temp refrigerant R22 is illegal, Existing R22 refrigerant systems needed to be modified to become more eco-friendly.

Question 10

What are the types of fit out?

Answer 10

Shell and core - 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

Category A fit out - such as Grade A specification as above

Category B fit out - to complete the fit out to the occupiers specific requirements, such as installation cellular offices, enhanced finishes, IT etc.

(Cellular offices typically set out on a 1.5m planning grid)
(Typical space allowance for normal office use is approx 1 person for 7.5-9.25 sqm)

Question 11

What is the standard construction and specification of industrial / warehouses?

Answer 11

Usually a steel portal frame building with insulated profiled steel cladding walls and roof.

Current institutional specs:
- Min. 8m clear eaves height with 10% roof lights.
- Min. 30KN/sqm floor loading
- Plastic coated steel profiled cladding with brick or blockwork walls to approx. 2m.
- Full height loading doors (electric)
- 3-phase electricity (415 volts)
- 5%-10% office content and WC facilities.
- Main services capped off.
- Approx. site cover of 40%.
- LED lighting.

Question 12

What’s the difference between an inherent defect and a latent defect?

Answer 12

Inherent Defect = a defect in the design or a material which has always been present

Latent Defect = a fault to the property that could not have been discovered by reasonably thorough inspection.

Question 13

If you identify any building defects during an inspection, what would you do?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What are three main causes of defects?

Answer 14

1. Movement
2. Water
3. Defective / non-performance / deterioration of building materials

Question 15

How does building movement occur?

Answer 15

Subsidence is the vertical downward movement of a building foundation caused by the loss of support of the siute beneath the foundation. Could be from changes in the underlying ground conditions.

Heave is the expansion of ground beneath part or all of the building - could be from the removal of a tree and the subsequent moisture build-up in the soil.

Horizontal cracking in brickwork may indicate cavity wall tie failure in a brick wall

Shrinkage cracking often occurs in new plasterwork during the drying out process.

Other cracks may be due to differential movement such as settlement cracks.

Thermal expansion / movement can also cause cracks.

Question 16

What are the types of damp and how are they caused?

Answer 16

Wet Rot - Caused by damp and timber decay. Signs include wet and soft timber, a high damp meter reading, visible fungal growth and a musty smell.

Dry Rot - Caused inside by fungal attack. Signs include fungus, (mycelium), which spreads across the wood in fine and fluffy white strands and large, often orange mushroom-like fruiting bodies, a strong smell and red spores, cracking paintwork and cuboidal cracking / crumbling of dry timber. It can destroy timber and masonry.

Rising Damp - Usually stops around 1.5m above ground level.

Condensation - Can be caused by a lack of ventilation and background heating. Signs include mould and streaming water on the inside of window or walls.

Damp can also be caused by leaking plumbing / air conditioning units / pipework.

Question 17

What are common building defects?

Answer 17

Period residential / office / shop buildings:
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 and structural movements / settlement.

Modern Industrial Buildings:
Roof leaks around roof lights, damaged cladding panels, cut edge erosion, blocked valley gutters, water damage from poor guttering or burst pipes and settlement / cracking in brickwork panels.

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 and efflorescence and poor mortar joints in brickwork.

Question 18

What is the key legislation / RICS guidance on contamination, what are the three phases of a contamination investigation, and what approaches would you take in valuing a site with contamination?

Answer 18

Environmental Protection Act 1990 | RICS Guidance Note ‘Contamination, the Environment and Sustainability’, 2010 (3rd Edi.)

• Surveyors must understand their obligations, now their responsibilities, and comply with law.
• General principle is that the polluter / landowner pays for the remediation.
• Desktop study considers previous use of site, local history, planning register etc.
• Contamination can exist because of issues as heavy metals, radon, methane gas, diesel, oil, chemicals etc.
• Signs for contamination include evidence of oils, chemicals, subsidence, underground tanks, bare ground etc.

Typical Phases of an Investigation:
1. Review site history with a desktop study, site inspection and investigation.
2. Investigation to identify nature and extent of contamination with detailed soil samples taken using bore holes (intrusive).
3. Remediation report setting out remedial options with design requirements and monitoring standards.

• Suggest specialist report if there are concerns of contamination.
• When instructed to value a site with contamination, approaches to be considered:
  1. Don’t provide any advice until a specialist report is commissioned.
  2. Caveat the advice provided with an appropriate disclaimer highlighting the issue / use of a special assumption.
  3. Deduct the remediation costs from the gross site value.

Land Remediation Relief (LRR) is a form of tax relief that applies to contaminated or derelict land in the UK. It allows companies to claim up to 150% corporation tax deduction for expenditure in remediating certain contaminated or derelict sites, or those affected by Japanese Knotweed.

Question 19

What are deleterious materials and provide some examples?

Answer 19

Deleterious Materials can degrade with age causing structural problems.

Common signs / clues to potential problems include brown staining on: concrete, concrete frame buildings and 1960s and 1970s buildings, plus modern buildings.

Deleterious Materials include:
- RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) - topical issue
- High alumina cement
- Woodwool shuttering
- Calcium chloride

Question 20

What are hazardous materials and provide examples?

Answer 20

A hazardous material is harmful to health.
Materials include:
- Asbestos
- Lead piping / paint
- Radon gas

Recommended specialist reports and make appropriate assumptions in your advice.
Always check contents of an asbestos report / register.

Question 21

What is the disposal of water?

Answer 21

• Surface water runs off into the water course, such as a soak away or storm drain.
• Foul water drains from soil pipes into a sewerage system (private or public)
• Statutory undertakers own a private sewer from the boundary of the property.

Question 22

What is Japanese Knotweed, what is the RICS guidance, and what are the associated penalties?

Answer 22

Japanese Knotweed is:
- Invasive plant which can damage hard surfaces e.g., foundations and tarmac.
- Not easy to control, costly to eradicate and a specialist company must remove and dispose of it.
- Great concern to property lenders who may refuse a loan if it is present or nearby to a property.
- Purple / green hollow stemmed with green leaves
- To be disposed of legally, such as by using chemical treatment, digging it out and removing it from site to a licenced landfill site in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

RICS Professional Standard - Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property, 2022:
Purpose to address both the findings and provide guidance based on market informed industry best practice and recent research to ensure RICS members provide the best advice to users of valuation and condition reports.

Penalties:
- Allowing to spread is a criminal offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
- Magistrates’ Court can impose a max fine of £5,000 or max imprisonment of 6 months, or both. A Crown Court can impose an unlimited fine or max imprisonment of 2 years.
- Local authorities can grant Community Protection Notices (CPN) and fines up to £2,500 per person (£20k for an organisation) if landowners ignore it, don’t control it, or allow growth onto adjoining land.
- Other invasive species include Hogweed and Himalayan Balsam.

Question 23

Why is lone working health and safety important?

Answer 23

Lone working H&S is important as there is an increased vulnerability, physical and verbal abuse risks, a mental health impact through isolation & stress, and legal obligations via employer responsibility and training and support.

Question 24

How does condition differ from specification?

Answer 24

Condition refers to its current state or quality. It involves assessing the physical aspects of the property, such as its structural integrity, maintenance needs, and any defects.

Specification provides detailed requirements for a material product or service. Design specification details the materials, dimensions, and finishes for a building.

Question 25

Valuation inspection example:

You say the building was a converted house. Did you note anything in respect of asbestos / its age?

Answer 25

I am aware that asbestos is an insulating material which has been banned since 1999.

The Duty Holder must undertake a risk assessment to establish if the premises contains asbestos, and if so, where it is and what condition it is in. The risk must be assessed and a management plan and asbestos register produced.

I had regard to this whilst on inspection, and and was not aware of any asbestos on site.

Question 26

Property Management Inspection, Aberdeen example:

Can you describe the building?

Answer 26

The building is a semi-detached former residential dwelling house built of traditional stone construction. Arranged over three floors, my client occupied the basement and ground floor, with the first floor comprising of a residential flat.

Question 27

How do you know if a hard hat is in date?

Answer 27

Check the expiry date embossed on the inside of the hard hat, near the rim.

Inspect for damage - if the hard hat has visible damage, consider it retired and retire it.

Look for employer-stamped expiration or date of manufacture (underneath the rim).