Inspection Flashcards
What normal steps would you take before an inspection?
- Consider Health and Safety
- Inspection of the surrounding area - transportation or contamination/environmental hazards – Comps
- External Inspection - condition of the building, type of construction
- Internal Inspection - fitout of the building, specification, condition
Tell me about a recent inspection which you have undertaken and the procedures which you followed in advance of your inspection before arrival at the property.
An inspection of an office in Mayfair for rating purposes.
My client had just vacated an office and I was in the process of applying for empty rates to the local authority.
As I knew the office was undergoing strip out back to Shell and Core - I took the necessary pre site risk assessment.
Necessary PPE – Hard Hat, Solid footwear
I also went along - alone working policy. I notified a member in my team through the ‘buddy system’ and made sure my calendar/ line manager knew of my site inspection.
What information do you need to verify when producing reports?
Comparable evidence with agents
Floor areas with the VOA rating assessment
What constitutes Grade A Office accommodation?
Good floor to ceiling height (2.6m) LED Lighting Fully Raised Floor (min 100mm) Integrated air con - Four pipe fan coil air con - Cool, Heats, Fan, air filter. Metal tiled suspended ceilings Lifts Cycle Space 10m2 workspace density Good natural light
Can you give me and example when you inspected a property in line with RICS surveying safely 2018?
An inspection of an office in Mayfair for rating purposes.
1. Pre inspection - assess the likely risks through a risk assessment - knew it was not just a normal office inspection with low risks. Consider it high risk at it was vacant and essentially a building site.
2. Get in contact with the relevant individual to organise a time to inspect.
3. I told relevant my ‘buddy’ inline with my firms lone working policy of my expected time of return from the property.
4. As I knew the office was undergoing strip out back to Shell and Core I took the necessary precaution and change footwear and wore a hard hat. PPE
5. On arrival to the office I signed in and out of the building to acknowledge my whereabouts.
6. I took detailed notes and photographs of the strip out works.
I left the premises and signed out.
What’s the difference between Cat A and Cat B fit out?
Cat A - Completed works by the landlord to Grade A specification
Cat B - Occupier fit out - wall partitions, meeting rooms, desks location, break out space, IT
The office in Bloomsberry what did you note on your inspection?
noted that the property was not a traditional office block
been converted previously from an industrial property.
As a result the property had low ceilings
Was not Grade A office accommodation. Wall mounted air con, perimeter trunking. unusual layout/entrance.
My photographs and notes helped me as evidence to support my valuation.
Retail Unit in Portsmouth, what made it a high specification?
The unit was a supermarket and the property had just been fitted out to a supermarkets specification with new appliances.
Industrial recessed lighting, ceiling mounted air con, double glazing full height, CCTV, new self service checkouts.
Retail Unit in Portsmouth, what factors did you note that might affect value?
another supermarket not too far away but was in an area of new student accommodation alongside a main retail street - good footfall.
Good transport links
In your Wandsworth example how did you consider the area to be a secondary location?
Were not national (independent) occupiers in a limited amount of retail units near the subject property.
Also vacant shops - unwanted area
The main retail units were on traditional high street near public transport and other amenities a walk away
low footfall at the time of visit
Inferior pitch
Did you measure the Wandsworth example, how did you do this? What basis of measurement?
Used the zoning. Floor area at the front of ground floor unit is worth more than the rear. NIA
The value of each zone is decreased in value by the ‘halfling back principle’.
Each zone is 6.1m.
Understand the relativities.
First floor is usually A/10 and can be found by comparable evidence.
What is Surveying Safely?
Sets out basis and good practice health and safety principles for RICS members and firms
Sets out concept of a “safe person” - individual assumes responsibility for the safety of themselves, colleagues and others while at work.
Individuals accept responsibility for their own actions and have the tools to do their job safely.
Produces guidance on:
Assessing risk
Visiting site and premises
Workplace safety - safe at work
What are the four main types of foundations?
Trench or Strip - Resi, pouring cement into a dug up trench
Raft - Slab foundation over the whole site, normally on weaker soil as the weight is evenly spread
Piled - Long concrete piles into the surface when less good bearing ground. normally for large structures
Pad - Square pad of concrete into the shallow ground. Column coming up to support a lighter structure.
Main types of Brickwork?
Solid Wall - Simply brick on brick. One stretcher brick straight one header.
Cavity Wall - Straight Stretcher Bricks and a gap to another wall (masonry) can be filled with insulation.
What different types of air con are there?
VAV - Variable air volume
Fan Coil 4 Pipe - Heat, Cool, Fan, Air Filter
VRV - Variable Refrigerant Volume
Comfort Cooling
