Measurement Flashcards

1
Q

RICS Professional Standard: RICS Property Measurement 2018

A
  • Guidance provides an understanding of the application of the professional standard and technical definitions
  • It also incorporates aspects of the IMPS guidance
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2
Q

What are the two elements of the RICS Property Measurement Professional Standard?

A
  1. Professional Standard: Property Measurement
  2. RICS IMPS Data Standard
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3
Q

What must RICS members comply with / what information should be retained on file when measuring a building?

A
  • Purpose of the instruction
  • Date of measurement
  • Measurement standard adopted
  • If IMPS not used, document the reason for departure
  • Measurement methodology adopted (e.g. laser measurer or tape measure)
  • Scale of any plans used
  • Floor area schedule with relevant areas cross referenced to floorplans
  • Unit of measurement
  • Name of the RICS member and/or RICS regulated firm responsible for the instruction
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4
Q

Advising your client on the use of IMPS

A
  • RICS members are expected to advise their client or employer on the benefits of using IMPS
  • However, it is understood that IMPS is not suitable in all circumstances and in these circumstances RICS members must document the reason for departure
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5
Q

What is IPMS?

International Property Measurement Standards

A

It is a global RICS-led initiative that is aimed at avoiding inconsistent definitions of measurement in different countries and bringing greater global transparency

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6
Q

Is IPMS mandatory guidance?

A

Yes, RICS members must advise their clients about the benefits of IPMS, and members are encouraged to report on a dual basis until IMPS is embedded into market practice

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7
Q

What is IMPS: All Buildings?

A
  • This is stated to supersede all previously published IMPS standards for individual asset classes. However, it has not yet been incorporated into RICS guidance
  • RICS Professional Standard: Property Measurement 2018 incorporates out of date IPMS publications for Office Buildings and Residential Buildings
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8
Q

What is the most up to date guidance for property measurement?

A
  • RICS Professional Standard: Property Measurement 2018
  • It applies to all properties and includes IPMS measurements for offices and residential buildings only
  • The RICS Code of measuring practice 2015 applies to all other asset classses
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9
Q

Which guidance should you adopt when measuring industrial and retail properties?

A

Code of Measuring Practice 2015

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10
Q

Which guidance should you adopt when measuring office and residential properties?

A
  • IPMS unless clients/employers instruct otherwise
  • Must document the reason for departure from IMPS
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11
Q

What is the definition of common facilities?

A

The parts of a building that provides shared facilities that typically do not change over time, for example the stairs and lifts

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12
Q

What is the component area?

A

The extent at ground level of the area of a building covered by one or more roofs, the perimeter of which is the outermost structural extension, exclusive of ornamental overhangs

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13
Q

What is a finished surface?

A

The wall surface directly above the horizontal wall-floor junction, ignoring skirting boards, cable trunking, heating and cooling units and pipework

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14
Q

What is the internal dominant face (IDF)?

A
  • It is the inside finish comprising more than 50% of the floor to ceiling height for each IDF wall section
  • If such does not occur, the Finished Surface is deemed to be the IDF
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15
Q

What is the IDF wall section?

A

Each internal finish of a section of an External Wall, ignoring the existence of any columns, that is either recessed from or protrudes from its adjacenet section

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16
Q

What is a limited use area?

A
  • In certain markets there may be areas in buildings that are incapable of legal or effective occupation due to local or national legislation
  • IMPS does not specify what a limited use area is, as that differs from market to market
  • The area should be identified, measured and stated separately within the IMPS reported areas
  • An example of a limited use area would be areas below 1.5m in height

Also areas with limited natural light

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17
Q

What is IMPS 1: Offices used for?

A
  • Planning or building cost purposes (GEA)
  • Used for measuring the area of a building including external walls on a floor-by-floor basis
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18
Q

What is IMPS 2: Offices used for?

A
  • Agency and valuation purposes (GIA)
  • Used for measuring the interior of an office to include all areas available for direct use, measured to the IDF of the wall on a floor-by-floor basis in component areas
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19
Q

What is IMPS 3: Offices used for?

A
  • Agency and valuation purposes (NIA)
  • Used for measuring the occupation of floor areas in exclusive use using same assumptions as IMPS2
  • Measured to the IDF on a floor-by-floor basis
  • Excludes standard facilities providing shared facilities such as stairs, lifts etc.
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20
Q

What are the measurements included but stated separately for IMPS 1?

A
  • Covered galleries
  • Balconies
  • Generally accessible roof terraces
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21
Q

What are the exclusions for IMPS 1?

A
  • Upper void levels of an atrium
  • Open external stairwells
  • Patios, refuse areas, external parking at ground level
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22
Q

What are the measurements included but stated separately for IMPS 2?

A
  • Covered galleries and balconies
  • Generally accessible roof terraces
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23
Q

What are the exclusions for IMPS 2?

A
  • Open light wells and upper-level voids of an atrium
  • Patio and decks at ground floor level
  • External parking and refuse areas
24
Q

What are the measurements included but stated separately for IMPS 3?

A
  • Covered galleries and balconies
  • Generally accessible roof terraces
25
Q

What are the main differences between IMPS3 and NIA?

A
  • Perimeter measurements are taken to the IDF
  • No exclusions for restricted height of less than 1.5m
  • All columns are included
  • Where there are multiple occupiers on the floor, the area is taken to the midpoint of the partition wall between tenancies
  • Covered galleries and balconies for the exclusive use of one tenant are included and stated separately
26
Q

When did the IMPS for Residential Buildings come into effect?

A

1st May 2018
* IPMS 1 External
* IPMS 2 Internal
* IPMS 3 Occupier

27
Q

IMPS All Buildings 2023

A
  • This document will supersede all standards previously published by IMPS
  • But NOT currently incorporated into RICS guidance
  • Aims to establish a consistent methodology for measuring all types of buildings in the world and promote international collaboration
  • Brings all building classess into a single document into one set of standards
28
Q

What is the RICS Code of Measuring Practice, 2015?

A
  • The RICS COMP 2015 is still a best practice document for all measurement exercises except for offices and residential properties
  • Provides precise definitions to ensure a common & consistent approach to measurement
29
Q

What are the COMP bases of measurement?

A
  • GEA
  • GIA
  • NIA
30
Q

What is GEA used for?

A

Town planning and building cost estimates for houses

31
Q

What is GIA used for?

A

Estate agency, rating, building cost estimation for commercial assets & valuation of industrial

Approx 2-3% deduction from GEA

32
Q

What is NIA used for?

A

Estate agency, rating, building cost estimatation & valuation as GIA and for shops

Approx 15% deduction from GIA

33
Q

What do you include when measuring an industrial unit on a GIA basis?

A
  • Columns
  • Lift wells
  • Mezzanines with permanent access
  • Loading bays
34
Q

What do you exclude when measuring an industrial unit on a GIA basis?

A
  • Canopies
  • Fire escapes
  • Fuel stalls
  • Open sided balconies
35
Q

When measuring a shop unit fitted out with full height partitioning by the tenant, what are the techniques used to estimate the actual built width of the shop?

A
  • Remove a ceiling tile
  • Try and get behind the partitioning
  • Inspect the basement or first floor to see actual built width
  • Scale from floor plans
  • Take sufficient on-site measurements to calculate the ITZA measurements
36
Q

What is ITZA?

‘in terms of zone A’

A
  • Zoning is a valuation methodology for comparing rents of shops
  • Depth of each zone is 6.1m
  • First zone is Zone A which is the most valuable
  • The less valuation zones are halved-back from Zone A - for example Zone B is Zone A / 2, Zone C is Zone A / 4
37
Q

What would you include when measuring an office building on an NIA basis?

A
  • Atria with clear height above and entrance halls if not used in common areas
  • Kitchens
  • Built-in cupboards
  • Areas occupied by ventilation
  • Areas occupied by skirting and perimeter trunking
  • Areas occupied by non-structural walls subdividing accomodation in sole occupancy
38
Q

What would you exclude when measuring an office building on an NIA basis?

A
  • WCs
  • Plant and lift rooms
  • Stairwells
  • Meter and service cupboards and service risers
  • Areas less than 1.5m in height
  • Cleaners’ rooms
  • Space occupied by permanent, continuous air conditioning if space it occupies is rendered substantially unusable
  • Measurements should be taken to the glazing for full height glazing unless elements of the window structure or design render the space substantially unusable
39
Q

What are the internal eaves height?

A

The clear height between the floor and the lowest point on the underside of the roof e.g. at the eaves

40
Q

What is the site depth?

A

The measurement from the front to rear boundaries

41
Q

What is the shop depth?

A

The measurement from the notional display window to the rear of the retail area, including the thickness of the display window

42
Q

What is the built depth?

A

The maximum external measurement from the front to rear walls

43
Q

What is the gross frontage?

A

The overall external measurement in a straight line across the front of the building from the outside of the external walls or the centre line of the party walls

44
Q

What is the net frontage?

A

The overall frontage of the shop line measured between the internal face of the external walls

45
Q

What does current RICS guidance state on measurement accuracy?

A
  • It is the responsibility of RICS members and regulated firms to adopt appropriate measuring and computing processes so as to satisfy the requirements of clients and users
  • These requirements can range from a very broad approximation of measured area for some temporary purpose to a precise area calculation for contractual or other reasons
46
Q

What are the parameters RICs members and regulated firms must consider when evaluating the level of accuracy that could be expected from a measured survey?

A
  • What is the purpose of the measurement exercise?
  • What are the client’s requirements and expectations in terms of accuracy and confidence in measurement?
  • What are the building or site conditions at the time of survey that would influence how measurements are undertaken?
  • What would be the ramifications if the level of accuracy is deemed insufficient for the purpose?
47
Q

How do you measure land?

A
  • Software such as Promap and/or trundle wheel can be used for measuring land
  • Cross check with site boundaries with an OS plan
48
Q

What is a plot ratio / site cover?

A

Ratio between the size of the site and the building footprint (GEA)

49
Q

What is 1 acre in hectares?

A

1 acre is 0.4046 hectare

50
Q

What is the building line?

A

This is a line within, or coinciding with, the property line, beyond which it is illegal to build

51
Q

What are scales?

A

A scale is the ratio of the length in a drawing to the length of the real thing

52
Q

What are the commonly used scales?

A
  • 1:50 Room plan
  • 1:100 Building plan
  • 1:1250 Street plan
  • 1:2500 Location plan
  • 1:50000 Road/walking map
53
Q

What are the different measuring tools?

A

Tape, rod, laser device and software for measuring property

54
Q

Which one is the most accurate?

A

Lasers tend to be accurate to within c.1.5mm up to 200m but bright sunlight can distort measurements

55
Q

How do you cehck the accuracy of measurment tools?

A
  • All measurement tools should be checked for accuracy frequently against a known distance adn the results recorded in a log
  • Lasers should be calibrated annually by manufacturers