INSPECTION 2 Flashcards
1) Why is inspection of a property important?
Inspecting a property can give you a certain perspective that a desktop inspection can’t. It can alert you to certain characteristics or aspects of the property which may positively or negatively impact its value. It is also important from a property management point of view, to keep check of the condition of the building and alert the client to any potential issues such as roosting pigeons and leaks.
2) What are you looking for on an inspection?
- Age
- Construction
- Location
- Access
- State of repair
- Condition
- Specification
- Layout
- Quality
- Size / dimensions
- Use
- Contamination
- Hazards and risks
- Defects
- Improvements / alterations
3) Why is an inspection important in terms of valuation?
VPGA 8
Points to look for on inspection
- Characteristics of surrounding area and availability of services
- Characteristics of property and its use:
o Dimensions
o Age and construction
o Access
o Installations
o Fixtures, fittings and improvements
o Plant and equipment
o State of repair and condition
o Hazardous materials
- Characteristics of site:
o Natural hazards
o Non-natural hazards
- Development or redevelopment
o Restrictions relating to planning and title
4) What are the dimensions of a brick?
215mm x 102.5mm x 65mm
5) What should you do if you believe you have come across a defect?
Advise client to seek professional advice from building surveyor (offer own company’s services if available and offer to liaise)
6) What are the steps of an inspection?
Inspection is a 4 step process:
- Consider your personal safety (know firm’s H&S procedures for a site visit)
- Inspection of the local area
- Internal inspection
- External inspection
7) What would you take on an inspection?
- Mobile phone
- Camera
- Notebook / pro-forma
- Pen AND pencil (in case it rains)
- Tape measure
- Laser distometer
- File, plans & other supporting info
- Any photographs of previous damages
- Personal Protective Equipment
8) How do you check a laser’s accuracy?
I would identify an easily available known distance, such as between two columns in my office building. Some are quite close together so I would use a tape measure to establish the correct distance between the two columns first and record this distance. I would then use the laser to measure the same distance and do this 3 times. I would compare the distance recorded by the laser distometer to the distance measured using the tape measure. If I found the laser to be measuring inaccurately I would log it with our team admin and get the laser sent back to the factory to be properly recalibrated properly. I am in charge of checking the accuracy of the lasers used by the team regularly.
9) What is PPE?
PPE is personal protective equipment. It includes fluorescent high visibility jacket, steel-toed boots, non-slip soled shoes, ear defenders, gloves, goggles, hard hat.
10) Why would you inspect the surrounding area?
I would be looking for anything that can enhance or affect the marketability / value of the building, for example proximity to local amenities and public transport, environmental hazards and possible sources of contamination. However it is also a useful tool for collecting comparable evidence, often there are TO LET boards detailing active agents in the area, whom you can contact to get quoting rents and deal information. A lot of TO LET boards may signify low demand, so an inspection of the local area can also be telling for market conditions.
11) What are you looking for on an external inspection?
- Method of construction
- Repair & condition of exterior (good practice to describe from roof downwards)
- Car parking / access / loading arrangements
- Condition of yard
- Defects – structural movement
- Check site boundaries with title plan
- Ways to date the building include asking client, researching local planning portal, Land Registry, local historical records, news articles, architectural style, architect’s certificate of practical completion
12) What are you looking for on an internal inspection?
- Configuration / layout of property
- Flexibility and obsolescence
- Repair & maintenance
- Defects
- Services – age & condition
- Statutory compliance – Equality Act 2010, Asbestos Building Regulations, Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, Fire Safety
- Fixtures, fittings and improvement
- Compliance with lease obligations
13) For what purposes would you inspect a building?
- Property management
- Valuation
- Agency work
14) Why do we need different types of foundations?
Varying ground conditions and building loading required
15) What are the common types of foundations?
- Trench or strip footings – often used for resi, closely spaced columns
- Raft – slab foundation over whole site to spread load for lightweight structures. Often used for made up / remediated land where soil softer.
- Piled – long and slender reinforced concreted cylinders (piles) in the ground to deeper strata. Used when less good load-bearing ground but require heavy load. This is the most common foundation for warehouse property.
16) What are the different types of brickwork?
1) Solid wall construction – simplest type. Solid brickwork with headers.
2) Cavity wall construction – two layers of brickwork tied together with metal ties, with a cavity which may be filled with insulation. No headers user.
3) Stretcher – laid horizontally
4) Header – brick laid flat with shorter end of brick exposed
17) What can happen to brickwork over time?
- Efflorescence (white marks caused by water reacting with natural salts in brickwork. Water dissolves salts which then carried out and deposited on surface of brick)
- Spalling (surface of brick starts to crumble due to freeze / thaw action)
18) What is the institutional specification of a retail unit?
Most new shops constructed of either steel or concrete frame. Services capped off. Concrete floor and no suspended ceilings. Left in shell & core condition ready for retailer’s fitting out works.
19) What is the institutional specification of an office?
Steel or concrete frame construction. Steel frame buildings usually less columns and wider span between columns. Check architect’s drawings / spec if cannot determine on site. Current institutional spec for offices (as defined by the British Council for Offices Guide to Office Specification 2019) may include following features:
o Full access raised floors with floor boxes
o 2.6-2.8m ceiling height
o Ceiling void of 350mm and raised floor of 150mm
o Maximised daylight opportunities, with average lux rating of 300-500
o Approx. floor loading of 2.5 – 3 kN/m2 with allowance of up to 1.2 kN/m2 for partitioning
o A.C. and double glazed windows
o Planning grid of 1.5m x 1.5m
o Max depth of 12-15m (shallow plan) or 15-21m (deep plan) to allow for natural light to office area
o Typical car parking ratios of 1 car to 200 sq ft
o 1 cycle space per 10 staff and 1 shower per 100 staff
o 8-10 m2 general workspace density (80 – 100 sq ft)
20) What are the different types of office fit-out?
Shell & core – common parts of building completed but otherwise left for occupier’s fitout
Category A – landlord’s fitout such as to Grade A specification as above
Category B – complete fitout to occupier’s specific requirements, such as installation of cellular offices, enhanced finishes
21) Talk me through the construction and institutional specification of a warehouse building
Basic construction is usually steel portal frame building with insulated profiled steel cladding walls and roof. Current institutional specification may include:
- Min. 8m clear eaves height
- 10% roof lights
- Min. 30 kN/m2 floor loading
- Plastic coated steel profiled cladding with brick or blockwork walls to approx. 2.m
- Full height loading doors (electrically operated)
- 3 phase electricity power
- 1 loading door to every 10,000 sq ft
- Dock level loading provisions >30,000 sq ft
- 5% - 10% office content
- Main services capped off
- Approx. site cover of 40%
22) What do we mean by building defects?
When inspecting building always be looking for defects.
Inherent defect – defect in design or material which has always been present
Latent defect – fault to the property which could not have been discovered by reasonably thorough inspection
Always check whether any warranties from building contractor and professional team and understand purposed of snagging newly built property
23) What are the common causes of a defect?
Ground / structural movement
Water
Defective / non-performance / deterioration of building materials
24) What steps should you follow if you identify a defect?
Take photographs of defect
Try to establish cause of damage whilst on site
Inform client
Recommend specialist advice from building surveyor or structural engineer (if needed)
25) What causes movement in a building? Are there different types of movement?
- Subsidence – vertical downward movement of building’s foundation. Caused by loss of support of site beneath foundations. Could be result of changes in underlying ground conditions.
- Heave – expansion of the ground beneath part or all of building. Caused by tree removal and subsequent building of water in soil. Can also be caused by growing tree roots under property. Can cause building to split / crack as one part is pushed up.
- Horizontal cracking – may indicate cavity wall tie failure in brick wall
- Shrinkage cracking – often occurs in new plasterwork during drying out process.
- Cracks can also be caused by thermal expansion
26) What are the different types of damp?
Rising damp
Penetrating damp
Condensation caused damp
27) What are the different effects of damp in a property
Wet rot – caused by damp and timber decay. Signs include wet and soft / flakey timber, visible fungal growth and musty smell.
Dry rot – caused inside by fungal attack. Signs include fungus known as Mycelium, which spreads across wood in fine and fluffy white strands and large often orange mushroom-like fruiting bodies. Strong smell and red spores. Can destroy timber and masonry. Causes cracking and crumbling.
Health implications – mould and damp can damage health, cause lung infections.
28) What are the most common building defects for the different asset classes?
Resi / office / shop – dry rot, wet rot, roof tile slippage, death watch beetle, damp penetration, water ingress around door and window openings, structural movement
Modern industrial – roof leaks around roof lights, damaged cladding panels, cut edge corrosion, blocked gutters, water damage, structural movement
Modern office – damp penetration, water damage from burst pipes and air conditioning units, structural movement, cavity wall tie failure, efflorescence
29) What is the key legislation relating to contamination?
Environmental Protection Act 1990, as amended
30) What has the RICS published in relation to contamination?
RICS Guidance Noted on Contamination, the Environment and Sustainability, 2010 3rd ed.
- Surveyors must understand obligations, responsibilities & comply with law
- General principle – polluter or landowner pays for remediation
- Desk top study considers previous use of site, local history, planning register etc.
- Contamination can exist because of such issues as heavy metals, radon and methane gas. Diesel / oil / chemicals.
- Signs of contamination to look for – evidence of chemicals, oils, oil drums, subsidence, underground tanks
31) Apart from doing a desk top study, what else could you do if you wanted to determine whether there was contamination on site?
Commission an environmental survey. Always suggest a specialist report if there are any concerns. 3 phases:
- Phase 1 (desk top study, site inspection)
- Phase 2 – On site investigation to identify nature and extent of contamination with detailed soil samples taken using bore holes (intrusive). Performed by specialist company, i.e. Terra Consult
- Phase 3 – if contamination found, phase 3 is a remediation report setting out remedial options and recommendations. Design requirements and monitoring standards.
Land Remediation Relief – tax relief for companies who spend money on remediating certain contaminated / derelict sites (public benefit?)
32) What should you do if you’re instructed to value a site with contamination?
Do not provide any advice until special report is commissioned / provided.
Always CAVEAT advice with appropriate disclaimer highlighting the issue / use of special assumption
Deduct remediation costs from gross site value
33) What are deleterious materials?
Degrade with age causing structural problems. Tell-tale signs / clues include brown staining on concrete, particularly in concrete frame buildings and 1960s/70s buildings.
Deleterious materials include:
- High alumina cement
- Woodwool shuttering
- Calcium chloride
34) What is a hazardous material?
Material which is harmful to health. May include – asbestos, lead piping / paint, radon gas. Recommend specialist report and make appropriate assumptions. Always check contents of asbestos report & register.
35) What are some of the way you can dispose of water on site?
Surface water – lead this to run off into a water curse such as a soak away or storm drain
Foul water – drain through soil pipes into sewage system
36) What is an invasive plant?
A plant which can damage hard surfaces such as foundations and tarmac. It is not easy to control, costly to eradicate as specialist company must remove and dispose of it. An example includes Japanese Knotweed. Relevant law is Environmental Protection Act 190. (Japanese Knotweed).
What is a deleterious material?
Degrade with age causing structural problems.
Examples
High alumina cement (corrosion).
Calcium chloride (corrosion)
Wood wool shuttering (separation of walls / ceilings).
Please name 2 examples.
Brown staining on concrete. Corrosion of concrete framed buildings.
