Inspection

Question 1

Do you know of any guidance relevant to carrying out surveys?

Answer 1

• RICS Home Survey Standard (1st edition, November 2019) – Professional Statement.
• RICS Surveying safely (2nd edition, November 2018) – Professional Standard.
• RICS Surveying assets in the built environment (1st edition, March 2017) – Guidance Note.
• RICS Technical due diligence of commercial property (1st edition, January 2020) – Professional Standard.

Question 2

What is the purpose of the Home Survey Standard?

Answer 2

• Sets mandatory requirements for RICS firms / members when carrying out residential surveys.
• Establishes a clear framework that sets minimum expectations to protect and maintain consistent high-quality standards.
• Replaces previous RICS publications relating to residential surveys (Surveys of Residential Properties, RICS Condition Report, RICS HomeBuyer Report – Survey, RICS HomeBuyer Report – Survey & Valuation, RICS Building Survey.

Question 3

What are the key parts of the Home Survey Standard?

Answer 3

• Introduction
• Setting up the service
• Carrying out the service
• The report

Question 4

What are the different levels of RICS residential survey?

Answer 4

• Level 1 (Condition Report)
• Level 2 (HomeBuyer Report)
• Level 2 (HomeBuyer Report with Valuation)
• Level 3 (Building Survey)

Question 5

Can you outline the key points of a Level 1 survey?

Answer 5

• Intended to provide an objective report at an economic price.
• Less comprehensive than L2 and L3 surveys.
• No testing of building fabric, services or opening up.
• No advice of repairs or ongoing maintenance.
• Recommendation for further investigation to be made where necessary.
• Better suited to conventionally built, modern dwellings in satisfactory condition.
• Not suited for older properties or those in a neglected condition.

Question 6

Can you outline the key points of a Level 2 survey?

Answer 6

• Intended to provide an objective report at an economic price.
• Less comprehensive than a L3 survey.
• Focus on assessing general condition of the main elements.
• More extensive inspection than L1, however no testing is carried out.
• Concealed areas opened or used by occupants inspected if safe to do so (roof spaces, basements and cellars).
• The report provides advice on repairs and ongoing maintenance.
• Recommendation for further investigation to be made where necessary.
• Better suited to conventionally built properties, although age and type will depend on knowledge and experience of surveyor.
• Unlikely to suit complex buildings (extensively extended or altered), unique or older historic properties, properties in a neglected condition.
• Surveyor should provide advice on suitable additional services if client is planning on carrying out extensive repair and refurbishment work.

Question 7

Can you outline the key points of a Level 3 survey?

Answer 7

• Intended to provide an objective report based on a detailed assessment of the property.
• Detailed visual inspection of the building, services and grounds.
• More extensive than L1 and L2 surveys.
• Concealed areas opened or used by occupants inspected if safe to do so (roof spaces, basements and cellars).
• Services are not tested, however are observed in normal operation (switched on/off and/or operated where occupier has given permission and it is safe to do so).
• The report describes the form of construction and materials used. It describes the condition and provides an assessment of the relative importance of defects/problems.
• Describe the identifiable risks of potential or hidden defects in areas not inspected.
• Propose the most probable cause(s) of defects.
• Outline the key scope of appropriate remedial work and explain the likely consequences of non-repair.
• Make general recommendations regarding priority and timescales for necessary remedial work.
• Provide an indication of likely costs (optional depending on survey’s scope of services – where costings are including, this must be reflected in term and conditions).
• Recommendations for further investigations should be exceptional. A L3 survey should provide all information required for client to make a decision.
• Suitable for any residential property in any condition, depending on the competence and experience of the surveyor.

Question 8

How would you use a borescope to inspect cavity walls and are there any other means of inspecting wall cavities?

Answer 8

• Drilling a hole within mortar joints usually at junctions of bed and perp joints.
• Insert borescope camera to view, take videos and photographs within the cavity.
• The inspection may be restricted if the cavity is insulated or the camera is of poor quality.
• The removal of bricks to inspect a cavity allows for a clearer and less obstructed view of a cavity, however this is a more invasive method.

Question 9

How do thermo-hygrometers work and why might you use one during a survey?

Answer 9

• Thermo-hygrometers provide a reading of relative humidity, which is the measure of moisture within the air, expressed as a percentage, relative to the amount of moisture the air can hold at a given temperature.
• Thermo-hygrometers can assist in the diagnosis of condensation related dampness within buildings.

Question 10

How can calcium carbide meters be used to assist in damp investigations?

Answer 10

• Calcium carbide meters are used to measure the moisture content of building materials, such as brick and plaster.
• A sample of a material is taken (usually a wall is drilled into and the dust/debris from the masonry is collected), before being weighed and inserted into a pressurised vessel along with calcium carbide reagent powder.
• A chemical reaction occurs which resulting in an increase in pressure within the vessel. The higher the reading, the higher the moisture content of the material.

Question 11

Are there any other methods used to assist in damp investigations?

Answer 11

• Undertaking of gravimetric analysis.
• The process involves taking samples of a building structure before subjecting them to different environmental conditions and weighing them to establish the water uptake or loss at each stage.
• The testing allows for the identification of free moisture (leaks, rising damp and penetrating damp) and hygroscopic (moisture from the air).

Question 12

How did you determine the areas of the property which your tenant would be responsible for at Hangar 4, Driffield Business Park?

Answer 12

• Extent of site outlined within the red line boundary plan.
• Lease type (full repairing and insuring)
• Reviewing of the lease covenants.

Question 13

Prior to your inspection of 46 Duke Street, what sort of information did you ask for?

Answer 13

• Lease.
• Schedule of Condition.
• Floor plans.
• Any relevant notices served (reinstatement notice).
• Licences for alteration.
• Confirmation of site contact and access arrangements.

Question 14

What information was contained within your Schedule of Dilapidations for 46 Duke Street?

Answer 14

• Relevant lease clauses relating to repair, reinstatement and redecoration.
• Breaches of lease covenants.
• Appropriate works to remedy breaches.
• Cost of works

Question 15

Do you need to provide costs in a terminal SoD?

Answer 15

Yes – the only remedy is damages and the cost will form the basis of the damages claim.

Question 16

Did you include VAT within your claim?

Answer 16

No - the landlord was a VAT registered business.

Question 17

Do you know what the term “Grander remedial works” means in the respect of dilapidations?

Answer 17

• When a landlord undertaken works which are more expensive or wider in scope than the most economical method in which the works could be undertaken ‘basic remedial works’.
• Supersession can apply to these works.

Question 18

How did you determine that movement had occurred since a previous inspection at 8 The Sidings?

Answer 18

• By reviewing a previous report and photographs of the property, including photographs showing the measurement of cracks.
• A comparison was made between the previous report and the condition of the property at the time of my inspection.

Question 19

What led you to believe that the cause of movement to the 8 The Sidings was subsidence?

Answer 19

• The cracks were stepped in pattern and diagonal, increasing in width towards the top of the crack.
• The cracks extended beneath the level of the damp proof course and could also be seen internally.
• The foundation depths were too shallow for the soil type and proximity of the tree.

Question 20

You said you recommended underpinning of 8 The Sidings. Can you explain some of the methods of underpinning?

Answer 20

• Traditional mass concrete underpinning – sequenced bays are excavated beneath the building to the depth of suitable bearing strata before being filled with concrete.
• Mini-piled underpinning – driving or drilling steel piles down beneath the existing foundations (capable of underpinning to greater depths that MCU).
• Resin injection – Resin is injected into the ground beneath the existing foundations, which increases bearing capacity, fills voids and expands (non-invasive but expensive).
• Piled raft underpinning – Internal floors are removed before piles are driven into the ground forming a grid before a concrete raft is laid over the piles (used when entire property needs underpinning).

Question 21

How would you ensure that contact is made between existing and new foundations?

Answer 21

• Allow for a 75mm gap between the two foundations, filled with a dry sand and cement packing after the concrete has had 24 hours to set.

A minimum of 12 hours should be left between inserting the dry packing and commencing adjacent excavations.

Question 22

Would you have needed any prior statutory approvals for the underpinning works?

Answer 22

• No requirement for serving of PW Notice.
• Building Regulations approval would be required.

Question 23

How would you periodically monitor cracking?

Answer 23

• Taking photographs and measurements of cracks and revisiting them periodically over a 12 month period.
• Installing telltales over cracks, taking records of any evidence of displacement over a 12 month period.

Question 24

What does the RICS Home Survey Standard say regarding level 2 and level 3 surveys, what are the key differences?

Answer 24

• Level 2 surveys provide an opinion of a property ‘at an economic price’.
• Level 2 surveys are intended to be ‘short and to the point’.
• Level 3 surveys should provide timescales on when works are required and what issues are to be prioritised.
• Level 3 surveys provide more context on future maintenance considerations.
• Level 3 surveys are appropriate for any residential property in any condition.

Question 25

What sort of equipment would you use for a level 3 survey?

Answer 25

• PPE
• Torch
• Pen and pad / tablet
• Measuring equipment – disto, moisture meter
• Access equipment – ladder, drain keys, drone

Question 26

What would you do if you spotted something that may be a risk of a survey that did not form part of your scope?

Answer 26

Highlight the issue to the client and offer to provide more comprehensive advice on the matter, if within area of experience/competence, as part of a separate instruction.

Question 27

What level of survey did you provide at Riplingham House?

Answer 27

Level 3.

Question 28

Can you explain some of the desktop research you undertook prior to your survey of Riplingham House Farm?

Answer 28

• Checks historic planning applications.
• Historic England listing entry.
• Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
• Environmental matters including flood risk, radon levels.
• British Geological Survey data (soil type).

Question 29

What method did you use when undertaking your survey of Riplingham House Farm?

Answer 29

• I worked top down, starting with an inspection of the roof space, before moving on to the upper floor rooms and gradually moving down to the ground floor.
• Each element was inspected including ceilings, walls, floors, windows, doors etc.

Question 30

What was the construction of Riplingham House Farm, what defects did you identify and what remedial works did you include in your report?

Answer 30

• The building was of traditional construction with a timber purlin and rafter roof, the external walls were of solid brick construction and the floors were a combination of solid concrete and suspended timber.
• I identified deflection to floor boards within a part of the property where there were no air bricks provided. I recommended that an inspection of the sub-floor be undertaken to establish any signs of damp and decay to the structural floor timbers.

Question 31

What advice did you provide to your client regarding the cut edge corrosion at International House, Huddersfield?

Answer 31

I recommended that the roof sheets were prepared and treated using a liquid coating product to seal the sheet ends.

Question 32

What are the stages in undertaking cut edge corrosion treatment works?

Answer 32

• Grind the corroded areas back to bare metal.
• Apply an anti-corrosion primer to all previously prepared areas.
• Apply a silicone-based topcoat to the primed areas.

Question 33

What would be the cost of undertaking cut edge corrosion works?

Answer 33

• Approximately £35 per linear metre.
• Circa £8,500 for the repairs.

Question 34

You said you recommended that your client purchasing International House, Huddersfield obtained confirmation from their solicitor regarding easements, what is an easement and how might these affect your client’s property?

Answer 34

• An easement is a right benefiting a piece of land (known as the dominant tenement) that is enjoyed over land owned by a third party, often the neighbouring land (known as the servient tenement).
• Examples of easements include: a right of way, right of access for maintenance, a right for services to pass under the land.
• A right of access to the agricultural land may affect the value of the property, restrict the used of the land, potential duty of care owed to adjoining land owner and requirement for specific insurance provisions.

Question 35

You have mentioned that the movement at 8 The Sidings was exacerbated by a Norwegian Maple Tree within close proximity of the building. What would be a safe distance between the tree and building.

Answer 35

• Typically a tree should be a minimum distance equal to the mature height of the tree to account for root spread.
• A maple tree should be at least 6 metres away from a property.

Question 36

What was the type and depth of the foundations at 8 The Sidings and what should they have been?

Answer 36

• Strip footings – other buildings on the site had raft foundations.
• The existing footings were 900mm deep – they should have been 1.5m deep (according to LABC foundation depth calculator).

Question 37

What are the minimum foundation depths for buildings built on clay soils?

Answer 37

• 750mm (low plasticity clays)
• 900mm (medium plasticity clays)
• 1000mm (highest risk areas)

Question 38

What are some of the limitations of schedules of condition prepared for a lease?

Answer 38

• Patent defects can only be identified.
• It is unlikely that all defects will be identified during the inspection.
• M&E equipment will require a specialist to accurately assess condition.
• The wording within the lease should be carefully considered to ensure that the SoC is properly referred to.
• Vague descriptions and poor quality photographs within a SoC.

Question 39

What is the benefit of having a SoC prepared before taking on a new lease?

Answer 39

• The SoC will provide a record of the condition of the property before lease occupation and will limit the tenant’s repairing liabilities at the end of the lease.
• The SoC will also demonstrate the current fit-out of the property, which may also be beneficial in limiting the extent of reinstatement works.

Question 40

What is the difference between a schedule of condition and a condition survey?

Answer 40

• A schedule of condition provides a snapshot record of the condition of a property at a particular point in time i.e. before occupation of a commercial property.
• A condition survey outlines the condition of a property, as well as providing recommendations on repairs to be carried out, and in some cases costings would also be included.

Question 41

How did you establish which areas fell within your client’s (incoming tenant’s) demise?

Answer 41

• I referred to the lease, which highlighted that the lease was on a full repairing and insuring basis, covering all internal and external parts of the building.
• I also referred to the red line boundary plan to establish the extent of the external areas which the tenant would be responsible for.

Question 42

What are some of the pitfalls of a schedule of condition for a commercial lease?

Answer 42

• Items within a building will inevitably deteriorate during the term of a lease and there may be situations where there is no choice but to return items in a better condition e.g. partially rotten window cill worsens.
• The lease must reference the SoC and expressly state that the property should be returned in no better condition than identified within the SoC.