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Conor SoE > Inspection > Flashcards

Inspection Flashcards

1
Q
  1. Describe the sections of your inspection proforma to me?
A

The date of the inspection, valuer/inspector and address of the property.

I will have a section on the description of the property, the location, the surrounding area uses, any local competition.

I will have a section on statutory enquiries

There is also a section on capital expenditure, any recent or proposed

There is a section on the business, in terms of demand, supply, operational challenges/opportunities.

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2
Q

How do you know when you should inspect?

A

You should always inspect a property as long as its safe to do so, this is to provide a fully diligent and good-quality service.

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3
Q

What are some precautions you take for inspections?

A

I always try to find out as much information from the client and desktop research before to ensure that it is safe to inspect, I will have full access to the site

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4
Q

What are some common defects that you have come across?

A

I have only ever come across ponding and some minor roof leaks

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5
Q

What other defects are you aware of?

A

I know that the most common reasons for defects are caused by either movement, water or deterioration of building materials.

Damp can cause wet rot in timber materials, whereas fungus can cause dry rot

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6
Q

What should you do if you come across a defect?

A

Take a photograph

Try to investigate what is causing the defect

Document and report to the client

Recommend a building surveyor or structural engineer if serious

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7
Q

What is Japenese Knotweed?

A

An invasive plant that can damage hard surfaces. It is difficult to identify in winter but in spring it looks similar to asparagus, kind of red, and then in summer when it flowers it has large green leaves that form a canopy

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8
Q

What sort of characteristics help you identify the age of a building?

A

The style, the windows, roof and historic context. I also always confirm with the client if they have knowledge of the history

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9
Q

What services are you taking note of on inspections?

A

Usually whether the water, electricity and gas are connected to the mains, wifi and airconditioning too

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10
Q

What potential breach of statutory compliance are you referring to when inspecting?

A

If i have not seen a copy of a Fire Risk Assessment or Asbestos report, i ask for verbal confirmation that these are in place and there are no outstanding issues, for example.

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11
Q

For the vacant restaurant in Hammersmith, what happens if your sales details are not accurate?

A

Consumer Protection Regulations requires all agents to give accrate and material information and to not make any misdescriptions in marketing material. I would always get my client to approve the sales details in order to make sure they were accurate, and keep an audit trail of this

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12
Q

Did the secondary entrance have any impact on your pricing advice or marketing approach?

A

No, because the landlord had ensured that the secondary entrance to the property could only access the residential flats on the upper floors and had no rights of way over the restaurant.

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13
Q

What if the borrower in the cladding example had been in breach of legislative or regulatory requirements?

A

We would have to consider the impact of remediation work on value, and potentially make an adjustment to our valuation to reflect this

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14
Q

What is RAAC?

A

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. It is a material used that has recently been identified as having structural integrity concerns

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15
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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16
Q

What should you take on an inspection with you?

A

Mobile phone
Tape measure/laser
File, plans and other supporting information
Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as a fluorescent jacket, steel-toed boots, non-slip soled shoes, ear defenders, gloves, goggles and a hard hat
Pen and paper / Dictaphone

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17
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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18
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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19
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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20
Q

What are the THREE different purposes of inspection?

A

Valuation - valuation influencers
Property management - policing the lease
Agency - marketability issues

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21
Q

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

A

Factors which can influence the valuation of a property such as location, tenure, aspect, form of construction, defects, current condition, occupation details

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22
Q

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

A

Marketability issues -
The current condition of the building, repair and maintenance issues, statutory compliance, services, presentation and flexibility of the accommodation and its marketability

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23
Q

What are the FOUR common forms of foundation?

A

Trench or strip footings - generally used for residential dwellings, for walls and closely spaced columns.
Raft - a slab foundation over the whole site to spread the load for lightweight structures. Usually used on made-up/remediated land and sandy soil conditions.
Piled - long and slender reinforced concrete cylinders (piles in the ground to deeper strata when less good load-bearing ground conditions/high loads.
Pad - a slab foundation system under individual or groups of columns so that the column load is spread evenly

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24
Q

What determines the type of foundations used?

A

Age of the building
Ground conditions
Size of building and loadings required

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25
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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26
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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27
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

28
Q

What is efflorescence?

A

White marks caused by hygroscopic salts in the brickwork

29
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

30
Q

What is the purpose of snagging a newly built property?

A

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

30
Q

What occurs after a new building is completed?

A

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.

31
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

31
Q

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

A

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

32
Q

What are the THREE common causes of defects?

A

Water
Movement
Deteriorating building materials

33
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

34
Q

What are the common causes of cracks in a property?

A

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

35
Q

What is dry rot? What are the signs of dry rot?

A

Caused by fungal attack. Can destroy timber and masonry.

36
Q

What is rising damp? What are the signs of rising damp?

A

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

37
Q

What can condensation be caused by? What are the signs of condensation?

A

Caused by lack of ventilation and background heating

Signs include mould and streaming water on the inside of windows / walls

38
Q

What are the causes of damp?

A

Wet rot
Dry rot
Rising damp
Condensation
Leaking plumbing/air condition units/pipework

39
Q

What is the key legislation on contamination?

A

Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended)

40
Q

Who will generally pay for the remediation of a contaminated site?

A

Polluter or the land owner

41
Q

What will a desktop contamination study comprise?

A

Consider the previous use of the site, local history and planning register

42
Q

What materials generally cause contamination to exist?

A

Heavy metals
Radon and methane gas
Diesel / oil / chemicals

43
Q

What are signs of contamination that you should look out for?

A

Evidence of chemicals and oils
Oil drums
Subsidence
Underground tanks
Bare ground

44
Q

What should you do if there are concerns that a site has some contamination?

A

Suggest a specialist report

45
Q

What approach should be taken if you’re instructed to value a site with contamination / hazardous materials?

A

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

46
Q

As a developer what can you apply for if you develop a contaminated site?

A

Land Remediation Relief (LRR) is a form of tax relief
Allows companies to claim up to 150% of the cost in cleaning up the site, against their Corporation Tax bill

47
Q

What is the difference between deleterious and hazardous materials?

A

Deleterious: degrade with age causing structural problems

Hazardous: harmful to health

48
Q

What are some examples of hazardous materials?

A

Asbestos
Lead piping / lead paint
Radon gas

49
Q

What does Japanese Knotweed look like?

A

Purple/green hollow stem
Heart-shaped green leaves

50
Q

What are ACM, HPL and MCM panels?

A

Aluminum Composite material
High pressure laminate
Metal composite material

These are combustible materials that could rapidly assist the spread of a fire.

51
Q

Why is Japanese Knotweed an issue?

A

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

52
Q

Has the RICS responded to the Grenfell Tower tragedy with any guidance?

A

Guidance note was released in 2021, updated in 2022 Valuation of properties in multi-storey, multi -occupancy residential buildings with cladding

53
Q

What is an EWS1 form and was this not relevant to your purpose built hotel in South London?

A

External Wall System Fire Review Certificate. Requried in certain scenarios and is a way of informing lenders if the materials are either unlikely to support combustion or if they do may need to be remediated

54
Q

When will EWS1 forms be required?

A

Buildings over six storeys where cladding is present and balconies are stacked vertically

Buildings that are over five stories where the cladding is ACM, MCM or HPL and balconies are stacked vertically

Buildings that are four storeys or fewer and have ACM, MCM or HPL panels

55
Q

What would the impact be if the cladding was combustible. What would you do to advise your client?

A

I would have again reported my concerns to the client, and recommended that a specialist confirms the cost of remediation before continuing with any valuation work.

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

I would make sure the lender is aware of the risks

56
Q

What are the relevant sections to inspection covered by Surveying Safely?

A

Visiting Premises or sites, which covers:

Before visiting premises or sites

Checklist of matters to consider

Arriving and during visits to premises or at sites

Securing the site and leaving

Review on completion of the visit

57
Q

What should you do before visiting premises or sites?

A

Carry out a risk assessment of any potential hazards and risks

Gather as much information as possible

58
Q

What would you do if a tenant was aggressive on a site visit?

A

Try speaking to them in a reasonable manner and explain they are not to worry about my presence. If still a problem contact the client to arrange another date and/or meet me at the property.

59
Q

What are C&Cos Risk Assessment procedures?

A

Carefully examine what could potentially cause harm to people in the workplace as well as on site.

Make sure risk assessment procedures are also updated annually

60
Q

What is a lone worker?

A

If you are viewing or surveying a business or property on your own then you are a lone worker

61
Q

What is the action plan if things go wrong on an inspection?

A

I would ensure my colleagues know where and when i will be at an appointment. If I am overdue by more than 30 minutes, a colleague will try to call me. If I don’t answer, the client will be called. If the client doesn’t answer, a colleague will be sent to the site. If in doubt on arrival, the police will be called.

62
Q

What is radon?

A

Radon is a radioactive gas that cant be seen, smelt or touched. It comes from uranium in rocks and soil and can be harmful only in very concentrated quantities

63
Q

What is asbestos?

A

An insulating material that can cause severe health issues. Left undisturbed or undamaged, it doesnt present a threat, however if not contained it can release fibres that get into the lungs.

64
Q

When was asbestos banned?

A

1985 (white asbestos in 1999)

Conor SoE (14 decks)

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