Inspection Flashcards
What RICS guidance do you adhere to when carrying out inspections?
RICS Surveying Safely (2018).
What is the purpose of RICS Surveying Safely (2018)?
To ensure basic, good practice principles for the management of Health & Safety of RICS members and firms.
- At the Corporate Level (small or large).
- At the Individual Level (RICS member).
What are the key areas of advice under Surveying Safely (2018).
Can you give me 3 or 4 takeways please?
- The ‘SAFE PERSON’ concept = Places the emphasis on the individual to assume responsibility for their own, their colleagues and third parties health & safety.
- RISK ASSESSMENTS = Carry out risk assessments before each inspection. (“Identify the HAZARD, mitigate the RISK”).
- Ensure appropriate PPE is worn when required.
- RICS Firms must ensure they provide: a safe working environment and H&S training to all staff.
What is your Firm’s Lone Working Policy?
Try to encourage that where possible all inspections are attended with a colleague.
You MUST set a diary invite clearly stating your location, expected timings (and who you are meeting if possible) that is shared with team members.
You MUST take a mobile phone that is charged.
My firm use the ‘Stay Safe’ Lone Working App which you MUST check in and check out of - the Health & Safety officer has access to this info.
All employees have training and are made aware of Suzy Lamplugh …
What do you take with you on an inspection?
Mobile Phone
Camera
Disto Laser
Floor plans, pen & paper
PPE (fluorescent jacket, steel-capped boots, hard hat, gloves, eyewear).
How would you go about conducting an inspection?
What is the suggested 4-step process for an inspection?
In accordance with the 4-step process:
1) Desktop Review (consider health & safety)
2) Inspection of the Local Area
3) External Inspection
4) Internal Inspection
What would you be looking for in a Desktop Review?
RISK ASSESSMENT for Health & Safety purposes (PPE, Lone working policy, Safe person concept) - is it safe to inspect?
Online searches (Google Maps, VOA, Land Registry website).
Review property documentation (existing leases, tenancy schedules, floor plans).
Review the TITLE PLAN so you are sure of the extent of the demise to inspect.
Arrange access and make travel arrangements
What do you consider when inspecting the immediate Local Area?
Location / public transport links / local amenities / business vibrancy.
Environmental Hazards / flooding / high-voltage power lines.
Comparable evidence / local market conditions / agents’ boards / surrounding profile of the buildings.
What do you cosider when inspecting the building Exterior?
Method of Construction (usually concrete or steel).
Condition of the exterior
Defects / structural movement
Car parking / access / loading arrangements.
Check site boundary against the Title Plan.
How could you identify the age of the building?
Request information from the client.
The Land Registry
Research the date of planning consent
Architectural style or the architect’s certificate of PC.
What do you consider when inspecting the building interior?
Layout and Specification
Any Wants of Repair
Any internal defects
M&E services - age and condition.
Statutory Compliance - e.g. asbestos, H&S, Equality Act (2010).
Do you follow a particular pattern when inspecting a building?
In accordance with the 4-step process
Also start at the top and work way down in a logical order.
Why might a surveyor carry out an inspection? What are the different purposes of an inspection?
- Agency purposes (marketability issues).
- VALUATION purposes (valuation influencers).
- PROPERTY MANAGEMENT purposes (policing the lease).
What do you consider when inspecting for Agency Purposes?
Marketability
Condition of the building/floor
Repair & Maintenance issues
Internal specification (do fixtures and fittings need updating)
Statutory Compliance (e.g. is it Equality Act 2010 compliant).
What are the different forms of Building Foundation?
- Trench or Strip Footing (Resi)
- Raft (Slab foundation over the whole site to spread the load).
- Piling (Long & slender reinforced concrete cylinders in the ground - think Broadway next door).
- Pad (A slab foundation under each column to spread the load evenly).
What is the difference between Solid Wall and Cavity Wall construction?
Solid Wall = Have no gaps so cannot be filled with cavity insulation (just header).
Cavity Wall = Two layers of brickwork with a small gap or ‘cavity’ between then (stretchers).
What are the main defects to brickwork structures?
Cavity Wall Tie Failure = due to water seeping into the cavity. When the cavity wall tie fails to hold together.
Efflorescence = White marks caused by the salts in the brickwork (due to water reacting to the natural salts).
Spalling = When the surface of the brickwork starts to crumble = due to freeze-thaw action, after it has become saturated in the winter months.
What are the main types of Construction for Offices?
(COMMON QUESTION)
Steel or Concrete Frame Construction.
How can you tell the difference between a Steel Frame Construction Office and a Concrete Frame?
(COMMON QUESTION)
Steel Frame = Less columns, and a wider span between the columns.
Concrete Frame = More columns, and a shorter span between the columns. Also a lower floor-to-ceiling height.
What is the current institutional specification for Offices (2023)?
As set out by the British Council for Offices Guide to Office Specification (2023), may include the following features:
Full access raised floor with floor boxes
Approximate ceiling height of 2.6 - 2.8m
1:8m2 to 1:10m2 occupational density
Raised floor void of 150mm and Ceiling void of 350mm
Maximised opportunity for daylighting
Air conditioning and double glazed windows
Passenger lifts
1 cycle space per 10 staff, and 1 shower per 100 staff
BCO update in 2023:
Adoption of 1:10 m2 occupational density - following the pandemic.
Minimum sustainability target of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and 5 Star NABERS rating for new schemes.
What is the Institutional Specification of a Retail property?
Steel or Concrete frame construction
Services capped off
Concrete floor and no suspended ceiling
Let in shell condition - ready for retailers fitting out works
(Think the shell charles trywhritt next to the office).
What is the Institutional Specification for Industrial property?
STEEL PORTAL FRAME construction with steel cladding
Minimum 8m EAVES HEIGHT with 10% roof lights
LED lighting
Full height loading doors (electrically operated)
3-phase power
5% - 10% office content
Approximate site coverage of 40%
What are the different types of Air Conditioning you might see in an office?
VARIABLE AIR VOLUME (VAV or VAF) = Most expensive but most flexible (can distribute to certain areas on the floor).
4-PIPE FAN COIL - Lower initial cost & good flexibility but higher operating & maintenance costs (due to the coil and fan).
VARIABLE REFRIGERANT VOLUME (VRV) = Lower capital cost but higher maintenance (due to the refrigerant).
COMFORT COOLING = A simple form of air conditioning system (no scope for flexibility but cheap - it just cools the air).
What are the different types of office fit out?
Shell & Core
CAT A
CAT B
What is Shell & Core fit out?
When common parts of the building are completed (core), but the office floor left as a Shell ready for fit out by the occupier.
What is CAT A Fit Out?
To the Grade A specification as set out in the BCO guide.
A CAT A Fit Out is the basic finishing of the demise.
Raised floors, air conditioning, permiter walls, LED lighting.
‘blank canvas’ ready to be fitted out.
What is a CAT B fit out?
To complete the fit out to the occupier’s specific requirements, such as the installation of desks & chairs, partitions, furnishings, IT.
What are the most common causes of building defects?
3 MAIN CAUSES
- MOVEMENT
- WATER
- DEFECT / Deterioration / non-performance of building materials.
What is the difference between an inherent defect and a latent defect?
(COMMON QUESTION)
Inherent Defect = A defect which has ALWAYS been present. (Inherent = always been there).
Latent Defect = Fault in the property that could not have been discovered by a reasonably thorough inspection of the property (e.g. poorly designed roof which allows water ingress).
What is snagging?
Snagging is the process of inspecting a newly built or refurbished property to ITEMISE ANY DEFECTS you spot after the building has PC’d (completed).
If you identified a defect during an inspection - what would you do?
- Take PHOTOS of the defect.
- Try to establish the CAUSE of the damage whilst on site.
- INFORM your client of your investigations.
- Recommend advice from a BUILDING SURVEYOR
What sorts of things may cause a building to create movement?
What kind of defects could this cause?
- Subsidence = Vertical downward movement of a building due to a LACK OF SUPPORT beneath the foundation. (May be due to changes in the underlying ground conditions).
- Heave = The EXPANSION of the ground beneath the building (could be caused by tree removal or moisture building up in the soil due to heavy rainfall).
Defects of building movement:
- Horizontal cracking in brickwork = cavity wall tie failure.
- Shinkage cracking in new plasterwork.
What are the 3 types of damp?
- PENETRATING (Defect or leak)
- CONDENSATION
- RISING DAMP (1.5m above the damp proof course)
What does damp usually result it?
Wet Rot (damp & timber decay)
Dry Rot (fungal attack).
What is wet rot?
Wet Rot = caused by DAMP and TIMBER DECAY.
Signs include:
Wet and soft timber (it will be soft to touch)
High damp meter reading
Visible fungal growth
Musty smell
What is dry rot?
(Have you seen any dry rot in your training & what does it look like?)
Dry Rot = caused by FUNGAL ATTACK.
Signs include:
Fungus (mycelium) spreading in fine and fluffy white strands
Large, orange MUSHROOM-LIKE fruiting bodies
A strong smell
Cuboidal cracking / crumbling of dry timber.
What is Rising Damp?
Rising damp occurs due to a failure in the damp proof course or damp-proof membrane.
It will typically stop around 1.5m above ground level.
This means that moisture from the ground can rise upwards through the walls via capillary action.
What are common building defects for period office / shop buildings?
Wet Rot (Damp & Timber Decay)
Dry Rot (Fungal Attack)
Tile slippage on the roof
Damp penetration at roof and ground floor level
WATER INGRESS around door and window openings
Structural movement
What are common defects for modern industrial warehouses?
ROOF LEAKS around roof lights
Damaged cladding
Blocked valley gutters
Water damage from poor guttering
What are common defects for modern office buildings?
Damp penetration at roof & ground floor level
Water damage from leaking air conditioning units
Burst pipes
Structural movement
Damaged cladding
Cavity wall tie failure
Efflorescence
What is the law in relation to Contamination?
Environmental Protection Act (1990)
What is the RICS Guidance for Contamination?
RICS Guidance Note ‘Contamination, the Environment & Sustainability’ (2010).
What does the RICS Guidance say in relation to Contamination?
Surveyors must know their responsibilities and comply with the law (Environmental Protection Act, 1990).
General principle is that the LANDOWNER pays for the remediation.
What are typical SIGNS of contamination to look out for?
Look out for any evidence of:
Chemicals
Oils
Oil drums
Subsidence
Underground tanks
What are the 3 typical phases of contamination?
Phase 1 - Review of site history with desktop study, site inspection and investigation.
Phase 2 - Identify the nature and extent of contamination with detailed soil samples taken using bore holes (intrusive).
Phase 3 - Remediation report setting out remedial options & monitoring standards.
Always suggest a specialist report.
What is Land Remediation Reflief (LRR)?
Land Remediation Relief = 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.
(Also applies to Japanese Knotweed).
What are deleterious materials?
Can you give me examples of deletreious materials?
Deleterious Material = Material that degrades over time.
Examples include:
RACC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete).
High Alumia Cement
Woodwool shuttering
What is RAAC and why is it topical at the moment?
RAAC = (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete).
It’s a DELETERIOUS MATERIAL (degrades over time).
Predominantly used in educational buildings / healthcare - for FLAT ROOFING (1950s - 1990s).
Estimated lifespan of only 30 years.
It’s topical because it’s not as durable as other concrete building materials.
It can DEGRADE from water ingress from leaking roofs.
What is a Hazardous Material?
Can you give me examples?
Hazardous Material = HARMFUL TO HEALTH.
Examples:
ASBESTOS
Lead piping
Radon Gas
What is the difference between a DELETERIOUS material and a HAZARDOUS material?
DELETERIOUS = Degrade over time (e.g. RAAC).
HAZARDOUS = Harmful to health (e.g. Asbestos).
What man-made feature typically gives rise to Japanese Knotweed?
Where would you typically find Japanese Knotweed?
Near a railway line
What is Japanese Knotweed?
What does it look like?
An INVASIVE PLANT which can damage hard surfaces.
Purple/Green hollow stem and green leaves.
A specialist company must remove and dispose of it - in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act (1990).
What is the penalty for allowing Japanese Knotweed to spread?
Criminal offence.
A magistrates court can impose a maximum fine of £5,000 or a maximum prison sentence of 6 months, or both.
