Inspection Flashcards
Explain a factor identified during an inspection which impacted upon value.
rear extension was in poor condition and short term patching had been used to resolve the leak.
Damp penetration /water ingress could cause structural issues
Costly
Marketability
Manchester - why did you inspect the property off peak?
To avoid disrupting operational staff and customers who are throwing axes
How was the property laid out that led you to believe this unit should be an entertainment centre?
Gaming purposes
Not used for a club
Escape Rooms
Why did you consider there to be poor access into the property?
You can’t just walk into the premises off the street
You have to walk down 54 steps
What building works were taking place and what impact did this have?
Major building operations taking place outside the premises
Impact on trade from footfall
Restricted view
Lambeth - what factors did you think affected the value of the property?
Location (+)
General facade - looked good (+)
Condition / rear extension roof (-)
Describe the condition of the rear extension roof?
Poor condition - visible marks from water ingress
Paint had started flaking
Possibility of mould, structural damage
What ESG factors did you advise the client to focus on?
Environmental - Improving the lighting. They were not LED
Social - wellbeing condition such as the poor lighting and the risk of mould from the roof
Governance - To ensure compliance with MEES
How did you advise they would beneficially impact the value?
Investment point of view - increase tenant demand
Increase rental value
Reduce operational costs
Attract ESG focused investors
Tell me about how you ensure your safety when on site.
Follow RICS Surveying Safely:
Undertake a risk assessment prior to inspecting
PPE
Dynamic risk assessment
Phone charged
Check in and out with work
Calendar timings
Correct PPE
Avoid lone working
Not to go anywhere which could potentially endanger myself
Tell me about how you ensure your safety when lone working.
My colleagues know exactly where I am and the timings
Avoid high risk areas
Fully Charged phone
I notify my colleague when I have finished the inspection
Give me an example of where you have recognised a limitation of your knowledge and sought external specialist advice.
The leaking roof
Not a building surveyor expert
I could not advise on the extent of damage this might have caused to the structure of the building
Explain to me your inspection methodology when inspecting a property.
I have a methodical 4 step process.
- Consider my own personal safety - firms H&S procedures for a site inspection
- LOCAL AREA Inspection - (transport, location, facilities)
- EXTERNAL Inspection - (building structure / repair & condition of the exterior. Defects. Check site boundaries with Title Plan
- INTERNAL inspection - top to bottom (Layout and specification, repair and maintenance, defects, age and condition)
Statutory compliance - Asbestos, Equality Act 2010, Fire Safety compliance Sustainability factors
Take photos
Making notes
Measurements - Post Inspection - document findings, download photos, prepare report
Talk me through the construction type of Lambeth Office
Georgian building
Solidwall construction with headers
How would a valuation inspection differ to a Lease renewal
Valuation is about determining the market value
Lease renewal is determining the rental value. Checking if the tenant has complied with repairing obligations
Rent review - disregarding any tenant improvements
Explain to me what information you gather when inspecting buildings.
Property Type & Use
Construction details
Size & Layout
Condition
Sustainability factors
Talk me through the construction type of Glasshouse Walk
Industrial steel portal frame building with insulated steel cladding walls and roof
Concrete interior
No natural light on second floor - definitely not an office use
Talk me through the construction type of Boom Battle Bar
steel frame, concrete floor
No suspended ceiling
Glass facade
Exposed concrete on the walls
A/C
Pendant lighting
LED strip lighting
Flat roof
Talk me through the construction type of Portland Mews
Contemporary period
Sleek / neat design
Complicated design
Steel framed
Two main construction types for offices and shops
Steel and concrete frames
What are the different types of foundations
- Trench or strip
- Raft
- Piled
- Pad
What would you do if you identified a potential defect on site?
Advise the client immediately and record this in report
Glasshouse Walk - talk me through your due diligence
Four step process:
1. Consider my personal safety (risk assessment/lone working)
2. Floor plans/title plan
3. Looked at comarables / looked how it was assessed on the Rating List
What did you take with you for the inspection?
Torch
Phone with camera
What were your findings from the inspection?
That the second floor should not be valued as an office
Dark / no windows
Lifts good
Storage facilities
How did you record your findings from the inspection?
Photographs / notes
Saved them on server when back in office
Durham House - what were you looking for during this inspection?
General walk around inspection of the communal areas within the building
Tell me about the area of damp and what you thought could be causing it.
Gutter blockage, water ingress
or
condensation from lack of ventilation
could eliminate dry rot (no wooden frames) and rising damp (was above 1.5m ground level)
How did you establish it was a blocked gutter?
I could see water not draining away properly
How did you ensure you didn’t disturb tenants during the inspection?
Did not go into there offices and just stayed in the common areas. I was very quiet
What did you do when you identified the building defect at Durham House?
- Took photographs
- Tried to establish the cause, could eliminate rising damp and dry rot
- Spoke to maintenance
Three common causes of defects
- Water
- Movement
- Defective deterioration of building materials
What is Movement
Loss of support in the foundations
Cause: changing ground conditions, Heave (tree root being removed, or build up of moisture) or Subsidence
What are the signs of contamination
evidence of chemicals, oils, subsidence etc
What are the impacts of contamination
Environmental & social (reputation/community) impacts
There is a RICS Practice Alert relating to the supervision of APC candidates. How do you ensure that you inspect properties in line with this? (17 December 2024)
In line with Rule 2 - candidates and trainees must only ensure that they undertake services for which they are competent and have the skills and necessary expertise.
All work is supervised by RICS members when undertaking surveying work
What is RAAC concrete and what issues relate to its use?
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete - used in the 1960s to 1980s
Found in a lot of public sectors, schools and hospitals
Deteriorates after a period of time
How would your inspection of period properties differ to modern ones?
Period properties -often built with brick or timber and not a cavity wall, therefore more likely to cause damp penetration
Dry rot
subsidence (downward movement of the ground) due to old and shallow foundations
Modern office properties - better insulation but may have issues from ventilation causing condensation
Damp penetration from roof and ground level
Water damage from burst pipes
Modern Industrial properties - roof leaks, damaged cladding, cut edge corrosion, blocked valley gutters
How do you determine an appropriate level of PPE for your inspection?
All dependent on the hazards and risks associated with the inspection
What is in your company’s lone working policy?
Check in and out procedures
Diary management
Charged phone
Risk assessments
What type of property is not suitable for a drive by inspection?
For instance, inspections in accordance with Regulatory Record (Fire Safty) Act 2005
When would you not physically inspect a property?
When an Asbestos Demolition Survey has just been undertaken
What might you identify on a physical inspection that could be missed without visiting site?
Glasshouse Walk offices
Buildings Defects
Why might you inspect the external parts of a building last?
Shop was closing?
What would you ask for the occupier at the beginning of an inspection?
So they know you are not trespassing
What precedent was set in the Ryb v Conways 2019 case regarding site notes?
Site notes can be used as primary evidence
Explain your understanding of the inspection principles established in McGlinn v Waltham Contractors.
Conduct inspections methodically
Identify and report defects accurately
Tell me about any risks relating to air conditioning.
Dirty air filters can cause poor air quality
Electrical and Fire hazards
What is subsidence/heave?
Subsidence is the downwards movement of the ground, tree root removal, poor foundations
Heave is the upwards movement, water swelling particularly from clay ground
Tell me about your understanding of structural movement
Could be Heave/Subsidence
Timber framework, rotten?
Overloading - can cause structural movement (think of home cellar)
Why are building warranties important?
Insurance for newly built properties
Tell me about what an inherent/latent defect is.
Due to poor installation or design
Not visible at first
Deteriorates over time
Could be poor foundations
What is radon?
Radioactive gas
Can seep through cracked foundations
The gas is found in the ground
How can you reduce the risk of radon?
Radon detectors
Can look on UK Health Security Agency map
Explain a key issue raised by RICS Surveying Safely
Assessing Hazards and Risks
Lone working procedures
What things would you check before attending site for an inspection?
Access
Have undertaken a risk assessment
Lone working policy if applicable
Briefly explain the construction of a recent building you have inspected.
Office - steel framework
Was a contemporary style with glass facade
Tell me about how you would ensure safe working at height / on a site with working machinery.
At Pall Mall - had a site manager guide us around the site
What building characteristics do you look for when inspecting a property?
Exterior - look for any structural instability / exterior defects such as broken brickwork
Interior - defects, general condition of the property, sustainability factors, A/C, heating
What are the usual sizes of raised floor and ceiling void in a new office building?
ceiling void of 350mm and raised floor of 150mm
What does Grade A specification mean for an office?
basic finishing, such as electrical equipment
Raised floors, internal finishes
How do Cat A plus, Cat A and Cat B differ?
Cat A = basic finishing / raised floors / WCs / lighting
Cat A + = plug and play / meeting rooms / breakout rooms / furniture
CAT B = fully operational / unique for client
What does turnkey mean?
ready for immediate use
What is the British Council for Offices?
Guide for office specifications:
ceiling void of 350mm and raised floor of 150mm
What is the optimum depth of an office to allow for natural light?
12 - 15m
What is the normal floor loading for an office building?
2.5 - 3 kN/m2 (kilonewtons per square metre)
Floor loading for industrial / warehouse unit?
minimum 30 kN/m2
Clear eaves height for industrial buildings
minimum 8m
What is an easement?
legal right for someone to use your land or property
How would you find out about the existence of an easement?
Land registry
What types of air conditioning would you find in a modern office building?
Fan coil A/C
Comfort cooling (in older offices)
How can you tell if a wall is of solid or cavity construction?
Solid wall will likely have headers
Cavity wall will not
What is a hidden valley gutter?
drainage channel between two roof elevations
What is a deleterious/hazardous material?
Asbestos / lead
What do dry and wet rot look like?
cob web fungas on timber
What is rising damp?
Moisture from the ground, rising upwards through capillary action
Failure or absence of a damp proof course
What is Japanese Knotweed and what does RICS say about it?
Japaense Knotweed is an invasive plant can cause structural damage
Purple and Green stemmed with green leaves. heart shaped leaves
Specialist company must remove
RICS Professional Standard: Japanese knotweed and residential property: 2022 - ensures appropriate best practice and best advice to valuers
Penalties for letting Japanese Knotweed spread
Criminal offence
max £5,000 and/or 6months imprisonment
How does Valuation / Agency / Property Management inspections differ
Valuation:-
valuation influences - location, condition, form of construction, building defects, tenure
Property Management:-
policing the lease
If occupied - check the lease compliance (tenant is adhering to repairing covenant, permitted use etc) Building condition any repairs to common areas
Statutory compliance (health and safety / fire risk assessment)
If unoccupied - statutory compliance such as (health and safety and fire risk assessment)
State of the building, repairs, risk of vandalism
Agency:-
Marketability issues
Condition, flexibility of the accommodation, layout, marketability
Building defects
Defective materials
Structural issues
Foundation issues
Damp / mould
Exterior issues, facade damage, damage to roof, gutters
