Measurement

Question 1

Tell me about your understanding of RICS Property Measurement.

Answer 1

”
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.

Question 2

What does RICS Property Management say you have to do? (7 things)

Answer 2

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

Question 3

When would you use NIA as a measurement basis?

Answer 3

Retail, drive thru restaurant.

Question 4

When would you use GIA as a measurement basis?

Answer 4

Residential, school, Pub, hospital.

Question 5

When would you use GEA as a measurement basis?

Answer 5

Industrial.

Question 6

Tell me about what is included in NIA?

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

Tell me about what is included in GIA?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Tell me about what is included in GEA?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What measurement basis would you use for office property?

Answer 9

IPMS.

Question 10

What measurement basis would you use for industrial property?

Answer 10

IPMS 1 , GEA

Question 11

What measurement basis would you use for retail property?

Answer 11

IPMS 3, NIA

Question 12

What are the RICS/ SCSI documents relevant to measurement?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Why is accuracy important when you measure buildings?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Tell me about how you use floor plans to facilitate measuring buildings?

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Why do you take check measurements?

Answer 15

Take check measurements if possible, e.g. scaled plan, tape measure for complex/challenging areas, historic file notes

Question 16

How do you calibrate a laser measurer?

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Tell me about a strength and weakness of a measuring technique you have used.

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

When would you use a tape measure?

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

When would you use a measuring/ trundle wheel?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

What is a potential source of error when measuring?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What is IPMS?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

Why has IPMS been introduced?

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Which IPMS standards are adopted by RICS?

Answer 23

IPMS 1 – Planning or building cost purposes (GEA)
IPMS 2 – Agency/valuation purposes (GIA)
IPMS 3 – Also agency/valuation purposes (NIA)

Question 24

What is dual reporting and when would you use it?

Answer 24

“dual reporting” IPMS 3B & GIA for a period whilst the numerous reporting systems is adopted and IPMS evidence comparables are obtained within the industry.

Question 25

What is IPMS1/2/3 (a, b and c) and when are these used?

Answer 25

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'

Question 26

How do IPMS differ to their former Code equivalents?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

What are limited use areas and how do you report these?

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

Top tips for reliable measurments?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

What is the internal dominant face?

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

Case Law in relation to Measurement?

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

What RICS and SCSI guidance relates to the measurement of land?

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

How do you ensure that you present your measurements clearly and coherently?

Answer 32

I present sq.m and sq.ft. beside eachothter in numeric form rather than word form.

Question 33

Swords – explain the measurement basis adopted. What did GIA include?

Answer 33

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)

Question 34

What IPMS basis would you adopt?

Answer 34

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.

Question 35

Why did you not dual report to IPMS?

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

How did IPMS differ to GIA?

Answer 36

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.

Question 37

How did you measure accurately?

Answer 37

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

Question 38

How did you calibrate the laser?

Answer 38

Yearly. | Check versus measuring tape.

Question 39

Midleton, Cork – how did you measure to GIA? What did this include and exclude?

Answer 39

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.