Measurement Flashcards
Tell me about your understanding of RICS Property Measurement.
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RICS published Property Measurement (2nd edition) in May 2018. PROFESSIONAL STATEMENT
The new guidance was introduced to create international standardisation in the measurement of office and residential buildings. This means that professionals and clients can compare buildings all over the world - making the market more transparent and facilitating the flow of transactions.
IPMS for offices and residential buildings.
What does RICS Property Management say you have to do? (7 things)
When including measurements in a professional report or document, ensure that you state:
Date of measurement
Measurement methodology
Measurement basis, e.g. IPMS 1, 2 or 3 (a, b or c for residential buildings)
If plans are used, the reference and scale
Metric units, followed by imperial units if required (including the conversion factor and any rounding up or down)
Measurement tolerance
RICS member who was responsible for the measurement
In relation to the measurement basis, ensure you are using the right basis for the right purpose. For example, for residential buildings - IPMS1 for planning applications, IPMS2 for reinstatement costings and IPMS3A, B and C for agency and valuation purposes
When would you use NIA as a measurement basis?
Retail, drive thru restaurant.
When would you use GIA as a measurement basis?
Residential, school, Pub, hospital.
When would you use GEA as a measurement basis?
Industrial.
Tell me about what is included in NIA?
Net Internal Area is the usable area within a building measured to the internal face of the perimeter walls at each floor level.
Includes:
Mezzanine areas intended for use with permanent access
Built-in units, cupboards, and the like occupying usable areas
Kitchens
Excludes: Toilets/ toilet lobby/ cleaner rooms Lift room/ plant room Stairwells Internal structural walls, walls enclosing excluded areas, columns, piers, chimney breasts. Parking spaces.
Tell me about what is included in GIA?
Measured to the internal face of the perimeter walls. Atria measured at floor level only – do not include voids at upper levels.
Includes:
- Areas with headroom of less than 1.5m
- Internal walls and partitions (check are these structural?)
- Columns, chimney breasts, stairwells, liftwells
- Corridors of permanent essential nature (fire corridors)
- Lift/plant rooms
- Toilets, toilet lobbies, cleaner rooms
- Voids over stairwells, lift shafts on upper floors
- Loading bays
- Mezzanines with permanent access
Excludes:
- Perimeter wall thickness and external projections
- External side open balconies and external fire escapes
- Canopies
- Greenhouses, garden stores
- Substations not in exclusive use
Tell me about what is included in GEA?
The area of the building measured externally at each floor level. If not able to measure externally, measure internally adding 0.22m to each wall for thickness of the blocks. Terraced properties add 0.11m for each adjoining wall. Includes: - Lift and plant rooms - Fuel stores - Covered loading bays - Areas of headroom less than 1.5m - Garages and conservatories - Outbuildings sharing at least one wall with main building Excludes: - Substations not used exclusively - Canopies
What measurement basis would you use for office property?
IPMS.
What measurement basis would you use for industrial property?
IPMS 1 , GEA
What measurement basis would you use for retail property?
IPMS 3, NIA
What are the RICS/ SCSI documents relevant to measurement?
There are currently two document guides to use as best practice. In the case of standard measurements (GEA/GIA/NIA):
Code of Measuring Practice – 6th Edition – May 2015
In the case of IPMS:
RICS Property Measurement – 2nd Edition – January 2018
Why is accuracy important when you measure buildings?
Accurate property measurement is essential to provide accurate advice to clients. Think about it – if you are valuing a large, high value building, then even a small inaccuracy in floor areas will result in a larger discrepancy in the overall value. The same goes for measuring a property that is due to be refurbished – being out by even a few centimetres may mean that the proposed design doesn’t fit into the finished building.
Tell me about how you use floor plans to facilitate measuring buildings?
Useful to write down the distance of each wall. I am fortunate to have floorplans of lots of units I measure. Also useful as they often have the overall measurement included. I also cross reference this.
Why do you take check measurements?
Take check measurements if possible, e.g. scaled plan, tape measure for complex/challenging areas, historic file notes
How do you calibrate a laser measurer?
Annually.
Check versus measuring tape multiple times.
Can also follow the Leica guidance. This involves establishing a constant baseline, taking at least 10 measurements from a fixed point and carrying out a number of calculations. These results should also be recorded in a log.
Tell me about a strength and weakness of a measuring technique you have used.
Laser measure disadvantages:
1) do not work well in bright sunlight, as it can be hard to see the laser beam.
2) When using a laser to measure to a dark surface, the measuring time can increase leading to inaccurate measurements. Taking a sheet of A4 white paper to site can be used as a measuring target
3) Lasers may be inaccurate when measuring to glass/ high gloss surfaces etc.
When would you use a tape measure?
Keep one in the boot of my car, in the event that the lazer measure is out of battery/ when it is faulty and needs to be calibrated. I would also use a tape measure if I needed a very small measurement/ when I am measuring outdoors and it is too bright to use lazer measure.
When would you use a measuring/ trundle wheel?
It is an easy way to find the rough distance from one place to another. Useful for outdoors where disto doesn’t work. E.g. no back wall.
What is a potential source of error when measuring?
Laser measure disadvantages:
1) do not work well in bright sunlight, as it can be hard to see the laser beam.
2) When using a laser to measure to a dark surface, the measuring time can increase leading to inaccurate measurements. Taking a sheet of A4 white paper to site can be used as a measuring target
3) Lasers may be inaccurate when measuring to glass/ high gloss surfaces etc.
Steel tape measures may not be long enough for certain distances
Measuring software may be less accurate given that it is hard to pinpoint the exact boundaries or surfaces to measure to online
Photocopied scaled plans can be distorted which will affect the scale of the plan. This can be overcome by using check measurements to confirm the accuracy of the scale specified on the plan
What is IPMS?
International Property Measurement Standards. IPMS will ensure that property assets are measured in a consistent way, creating a more transparent marketplace, greater public trust, stronger investor confidence, and increased market stability.
Why has IPMS been introduced?
IPMS is slowly being adopted by RICS across various property types to create international standardisation in measurement. This means that professionals and clients can compare buildings all over the world - making the market more transparent and facilitating the flow of transactions.
Which IPMS standards are adopted by RICS?
IPMS 1 – Planning or building cost purposes (GEA)
IPMS 2 – Agency/valuation purposes (GIA)
IPMS 3 – Also agency/valuation purposes (NIA)
What is dual reporting and when would you use it?
“dual reporting” IPMS 3B & GIA for a period whilst the numerous reporting systems is adopted and IPMS evidence comparables are obtained within the industry.
What is IPMS1/2/3 (a, b and c) and when are these used?
IPMS 1 (similar to GEA) - ‘ sum of the areas of each floor level of a building measured to the outer perimeter of external construction features, which may be reported on a component basis for each oor of a building’
IPMS 2 (similar to GIA) - ‘sum of the areas of each floor level of a residential building measured to the internal dominant face, which may be reported on a component- by-component basis for each oor of a building’
IPMS 3a, b and c - ‘floor area available on an exclusive basis to an occupier’
3A (similar to GEA) - ‘external measurement of the area in exclusive occupation’
3B (similar to GIA) - ‘internal measurement including internal walls, etc’
3C (similar to EFA/ NIA) - ‘internal measurement excluding internal walls, etc’
How do IPMS differ to their former Code equivalents?
Instead of terminology that we are all familiar with GEA, GIA and NIA, there is new terminology to be known as IPMS1, IPMS2 and IPMS3.
The changes have most impact for offices.
Major changes is the introduction of measuring to the “internal dominant face” ( – if the window comprises 50% of the wall, the measurement will be taken to there) - such that building floor areas will change, and consequently there will be changes to the measurement reports that are produced by the measurement surveyors in the market.
In terms of differences to NIA:
- No exclusions for restricted height
- Columns not deducted
- Much less columns in new developments and therefore the variance will be much less
What are limited use areas and how do you report these?
The new professional statement outlines issues relating to limited use areas, e.g. area difference from internal dominant face, limited height, limited natural light, above/below ground or area difference from covered area.
Effectively, if areas are subject to limited use then they should be stated separately.
In the UK, limited head height is generally considered to be below 1.5m.
Top tips for reliable measurments?
Take a copy of the relevant section of the professional statement with you on inspections. It’s easier to get it right first time rather than attend for a second visit
Take check measurements if possible, e.g. scaled plan, tape measure for complex/challenging areas, historic file notes
Don’t rush - take a blank plan to annotate or use an app to record your measurements and take 2-3 measurements each time to check for accuracy
Send off your laser measurer for yearly calibration
Ensure you keep abreast of further changes to RICS Property Measurement
Use the right measurement basis for the right property and the right use
Record metric (and imperial) measurements in your client report
What is the internal dominant face?
The internal dominant face (IDF) is the ‘inside finished surface comprising more than 50% of the floor to ceiling height for each IDF wall section. If such does not occur, then the finished surface is deemed to be the IDF’.
RICS states that ‘in practical terms, members will need to study the internal finished surface of the wall and, where any IDF wall section includes glazing or a wall surface that extends vertically to more than 50%, these areas will be measured to the internal face of that glazing or wall surface’.
Example: What is the dominant face of a sash window? - most dominant glazed area, usually the lower sash.
Case Law in relation to Measurement?
David Walsh v JLL
• David Walsh bought a property from JLL that turned out to be 18% smaller than advertised
• The disclaimer in the brochure stated that ‘intending purchasers should satisfy themselves as to the correctness of the information given’ however Walsh did not measure
• The High Court ruled that JLL’s disclaimer did not protect them and they were ordered to pay €350,000 (the approx. value to the floor space overpaid)
• This was overruled in the Supreme Court who held that JLL only had a duty of care to their client, not the purchaser.
What RICS and SCSI guidance relates to the measurement of land?
International Land Measurement Standards (ILMS). RICS’ Land measurement for planning and development purposes is an important piece of guidance for surveyors engaged in preparing land for development.
How do you ensure that you present your measurements clearly and coherently?
I present sq.m and sq.ft. beside eachothter in numeric form rather than word form.
Swords – explain the measurement basis adopted. What did GIA include?
GIA. GIA will include:
areas occupied by internal walls (whether structural or not) and partitions
service accommodation such as WCs, showers, changing rooms and the like
columns, piers, whether free standing or projecting inwards from an external wall, chimney breasts, lift wells, stairwells etc
lift rooms, plant rooms, tank rooms, fuel stores, whether or not above roof level
open-sided covered areas (should be stated separately)
What IPMS basis would you adopt?
When I carried out an inspection, I mostly measured the property on a gross internal area basis. I measured in line with IPMS 2 – Residential. I also measured the balconies and stated them separately. IPMS standards must be used - if the client requests another measurement standard, e.g. GIA, then I ensure that I dual report both bases.
Why did you not dual report to IPMS?
I did dual report where possible. When quick measurements were needed I measured on a GIA basis as this was the clients preferred basis of measurement. Moving forward, I will dual report more often to encourgae the transition to IPMS.
How did IPMS differ to GIA?
The main difference between the new IPMS and the previous CoMP is that the perimeter measurements are taken to the “Internal Dominant Face”, being the internal finish comprising more than 50% of the floor to ceiling height for each wall section.
How did you measure accurately?
Take check measurements, if they differ – do it again
Check measurements taken on site against scaled floor plans
Check that you are measuring to the correct surfaces, e.g. not the occupier’s fit out
Take the RICS guidance to site to ensure you know what to include and exclude in the appropriate basis of measurement
Take your time, measurement needs a logical and diligent approach! Taking a second person with you can help to hold a target for the laser, the other end of a tape measure or to annotate the measurements on a plan. It also avoids the need for lone working
How did you calibrate the laser?
Yearly.
Check versus measuring tape.
Midleton, Cork – how did you measure to GIA? What did this include and exclude?
GIA will include:
areas occupied by internal walls (whether structural or not) and partitions
service accommodation such as WCs, showers, changing rooms and the like
columns, piers, whether free standing or projecting inwards from an external wall, chimney breasts, lift wells, stairwells etc
lift rooms, plant rooms, tank rooms, fuel stores, whether or not above roof level
open-sided covered areas (should be stated separately)
GIA will exclude:
open balconies
open fire escapes
open-sided covered ways
open vehicle parking areas, terraces and the like
minor canopies
any area with ceiling height of less than 1.5m (except under stairways)
any area under the control of service or other external authorities
Note that the areas excluded from GIA should be calculated and shown separately.
