Inspection (L3) Flashcards
What does it mean to be ‘safe’ on an inspection? Why is it important?
Take steps to minimise the risk of harm on an inspection. Important for ensuring the health and wellbeing of yourself and others who may be affected.
How do you ensure your safety on an inspection?
- Charged mobile phone
- Plan an escape route
- Implement a call back system with office
- Make calendar available to colleagues
- Make sure you know who you are meeting
- Be aware of aggressive occupants and dogs
- Follow your instinct
What is the guidance of RICS Surveying Safely 2nd Ed
Effective 1st Feb 2019.
Global GN.
Basic good practice principles.
Corporate and individual responsibilities.
Corporate responsibilities:
Line management structure, staff training, company policies & procedures, clear accountability, insurance, adequate resources. Investigate incidents.
Personal responsibilities:
Responsible for own H&S and anyone under your care. Duty to comply with company policies &b procedures. Report breaches in good time, personal risk assessment, wear PPE, do staff training.
What is CBRE’s Lone Working Policy
“An employee who undertakes work by themselves on behalf of the company”
- MUST carry a charged mobile phone at all times
- MUST notify the departmental secretary or nominated person on arrival at site and on departure
- If the lone worker fails to contact the departmental secretary after the estimated departure time, the department secretary MUST contact the lone worker on their mobile;
- Outlook calendar entry; address, start/end time, who meeting, contact details
VISITS TO EMPTY BUILDINGS: these should be made by a minimum of two employees
RICS VPS 2 ‘Inspections, investigations and record’ in Red Book
- INSPECTIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS: Inspections must be carried out to the extent necessary to produce a valuation that is professionally adequate for its purpose.
- TOE – must agree the extent of inspection
- REVALUATION WITHOUT REINSPECTION: only if valuer is satisfied no material changes since last assignment. TOE must state this assumption has been made. Interval for professional judgment. Regular vas, re-inspection not necessary every time.
- VALUATION RECORDS: details of inspections must be clearly and accurately recorded under VPS2.
What is a ‘proper record’ of an inspection?
Required under VPS2 of Red Book - Audit trail; legible, unambiguous notes that allow an effective response to any future enquiries. Retained in appropriate business format. Photographs.
What would you find in the ToE about an inspection? What requirements are there for what to include?
VPS 1 ‘Terms of engagement (scope of work)’ in Red Book:
- When settling the terms of engagement, must agree the extent to which the subject asset is to be inspected and any investigation to be made
- Record any limitations or restrictions
VPS 2 ‘Inspections, investigations and records’ in Red Book
- extent necessary to produce a professionally adequate valuation
What sort of property characteristics might you note?
EXTERNAL: Type of construction, condition, site boundaries, access, car parking, no. of storeys, situation, roof type, defects, contamination
INTERNAL: specification, fit-out, layout, current use, condition, no. of cores, defects, contamination
What due diligence do you carry out prior to an inspection?
Desk top review; situation, location, plan route, arrange access via client.
Risk assessment.
Prepare items to take; print plans, inspection proforma, charged camera, disto and spare battery, pen and paper, charged mobile phone, PPE (if required).
What are the signs of contamination? How would you account for the existence of contamination whilst determining the value of a development site?
DESKTOP: radon (.gov map of radon affected areas), consider site’s previous uses
VISIBLE SIGNS: evidence of chemicals, oil spill, presence of tanks.
VALUE: Deduct the cost to remediate from the gross site value. Don’t provide advice until specialist report is commissioned. Caveat the advice citing reliance on reports and special assumption.
When carrying out an external inspection, what should you take note of?
- Method of construction
- Repair and condition of the exterior
- Car parking/access/loading arrangements
- Defects/structural movement
- Check site boundaries with OS map and/or Title Plan
When carrying out an internal inspection, what should you take note of?
- Layout and specification - - flexibility and obsolescence
- Repair and maintenance
- Defects
- Services – age and condition
- Statutory compliance – asbestos, building regulations, H&S, Equality Act, Fire and planning
- Fixtures and fittings and improvements made
- Compliance with lease obligations
Retail Warehouse, Docklands
What was the purpose of the instruction?
Valuation for accounts purposes
Retail Warehouse, Docklands
Talk us through the inspection
- Desktop; arranged inspection with client (owner-occupier), printed relevant documentation, planned route.
- Local Area; public transport, located on a busy roundabout, in a predominantly residential are under development. 10min walk to Canary Wharf. Adjacent to a DLR station. Hotel immediately next door. Not a typical pitch but supply of clientele.
- External; Victorian building of red brick construction with a pitched tile roof. Former pump house converted for current use. Fenestration; modern black steel frame windows double-glazed. Pitch, footfall.
- Internal; single storey, shop floor to the front and warehouse to the rear with a structural dividing wall. Small office with space for 2 desks. 2 staff WCs. Internally, the pitched roof was exposed, suspended pendent lighting, concrete slab floor. Condition was good, only expected wear and tear. Fitout
How would you check the age of a property? How do you know it is Victorian? Was it Listed?
Initially asked the client who didn’t know. Checked historical records and verified against D&A planning application. Built in 1880s. Victorian: mid-to-late 19th century. Refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901)
What is a pump-house?
It was historically a hydraulic pump station for the docklands.
You note of brick construction. What else did you notice about the brickwork construction?
Flemish Bond, likely solid wall as a result.
Tell us about the damaged brickwork? What did you do?
Suspected spalling as surface of a number of bricks had crumbled, and the inspection took place following a cold snap when it was possible freeze/thawing could have taken place. Additionally, spalling is common in Victorian-age properties as they are typically constructed from stock bricks which are softer and more prone to erosion.
- Took photographs and notes
- Established suspected cause whilst on site
- Informed client by phone after the inspection, included in written Valuation report
- Recommended specialist advice from a Building Surveyor
How have you adopted the recommendations contained within the RICS Surveying Safely in your work?
Risk assessment prior to inspection. Dynamic risk assessment on the day of.
Checked in with occupier on arrival, and on leaving.
Land at West Quay Road
Talk us through the inspection
- Local Area
- External; distance from train station and town centre, public transport, outlook, site boundary.
- Internal; no internal inspection included in scope of works as all existing structures were to be demolished.
Land at West Quay Road
What was the existing use and key characteristics?
B1 – offices and light industrial. Home relocation office, tyre company.
Key characteristics: SIZE – 5 acres, SHAPE – irregular, SITUATION – overlooking Back Water Channel, Topography – flat site, ACCESS – from West Quay road which forms eastern boundary.
DEVELOPMENT – 360 private units, part of a wider regeneration area under Poole’s Local Plan 2018.
BTR site, Bristol
Purpose of inspection?
Loan security valuation.
BTR site, Bristol
What were you looking for on the site if cleared?
Understand size, shape and topography. Also immediate surroundings, local area an comparable schemes.
BTR site, Bristol
Talk us through the limitation. What did you advise the client and why?
LIMITATION: unable to safely access the site as it was secured by hoarding.
ADVICE: when providing the valuation, advised of the inspection limitation per requirements of VPS1 in Red Book and its impact on the value if any.
BTR site, Bristol
Tell us what you advised the client on the BTR market in Bristol?
MARKET: advised the client that BTR development still in its infancy in Bristol. There have been a number of residential developments in the Bristol area over the past 10 years which have improved the quality of the housing stock and amenities in the local area. However, there is still a tightness of supply for good quality modern rental stock. The strong demand for rental properties in Bristol town centre has resulted in significant rental growth. This sets the subject scheme apart from the current competition also in the construction pipeline, in that it will offer a superior level of services and amenity to the comparables. It will be one of few Build to Rent assets that offer a professionally managed service with full time customer service and maintenance professionals on site 24 hours a day. Purpose built. Impact – higher rents.
COMPARABLES: INVESTMENT: I therefore had to look to other regional markets for investment comparables to inform my opinion of value. LETTINGS: NO professionally managed BTR blocks yet complete. Used new build lettings comps from private or small-scale landlords. Finzels Reach, Grainger main comparable. Just PC’d, new, similar number of units, similar situation and location. Castle Park View (“CPV”) is designed for PRS and as such we expect the rental levels for the subject units to achieve greater levels than most of the comparable evidence above. This premium is supported by expectations at other Build to Rent schemes in the area, such as Grainger’s 194 units at Finzels Reach; A2 Dominion’s 246 units at Redcliffe Quarter; and, L&G’s 255 units at Avon Street.
BTR site, Bristol
How did your inspection impact the advice given to the client?
- Improved understanding of local market
- Understood comparable schemes that informed opinion of value
Residential unit, Holloway
Talk us through the inspection
- Local Area
- External
- Internal
Residential unit, Holloway
What residential H&S guidance is there and what are its principles?
Health and safety for residential property managers, 1st Ed. GUIDANCE NOTE.
Sets out practical guidance about H&S matters relating to residential properties, incl. BTR and HMOs. Also applies to agency sales of houses and flats, letting of single or multiple flats and residential blocks or otherwise working with residential property.
PRINCIPLES: more aimed at properties are meeting statutory obligations as well as good practice H&S e.g. gas and electrical safety requirements, carbon monoxide detectors, etc.
