A condition survey, also known as a “Schedule of Condition” is usually undertaken prior to the start of a new lease.
Our comprehensive condition surveys could save you money at the end of your lease.
Condition Surveys Compiled For Commercial Property Tenants
These are recommended for all commercial property tenants, before they commit to signing a new lease because they are designed to provide protection against aggressive landlord repair claims at the end of the lease term.
A poor quality condition survey could cost you tens of thousands of pounds at the end of your lease and this is actually more common than you might think.
For this reason, our condition surveys are crammed with photographs that will help prove the buildings’ condition at the end of the lease.
It shouldn’t cost any more to have a great schedule of condition than it does a poor one – it’s just that some surveyors aren’t as vigilant or experienced as others.
Prior to having the condition survey, you should check that the landlord will agree to have the schedule appended to the lease, as it then forms part of your contract with the landlord, who is then agreeing that the schedule accurately reflects the condition of the property at the time it is handed over.
This helps protect you at the end of the lease, when the landlord will issue a dilapidations claim that usually expects you to put the building back into the state of repair that it was in prior to the lease being issued.
This is where a good quality schedule of condition pays for itself, because if the surveyor has been sufficiently thorough, it will be useful in limiting the landlord’s claim at the end of your lease.
Please remember though, that it is your responsibility as the tenant, to maintain the property in accordance with the terms of your lease.
How To Protect Your Interest When Taking On A Lease
When carrying our condition surveys for our clients, we pay particular attention to the areas that we know will form the major part of a future dilapidation claim at the end of the lease.
The roof for example, is one such area, since repair costs are always high.
For this reason, we will always insist on accessing the roof when conducting a condition survey and, depending on the height of the eaves, will probably require a cherry picker to be available on site for this purpose.
The hire charge will more than repay itself later when it comes to defending a dilapidations claim.
If roof access is difficult, we have our drone that could be used if it’s legal and safe to fly, that produces 4K quality images and video.
A condition survey comprises a large number of photographs that record not only the general condition of the property concerned, but also any existing faults and defects.
These existing defects should then normally be excluded from future dilapidation claims, as they were present before the new lease commenced.
In addition to the photographs, the schedule will also contain sufficient commentary to describe the condition of each area of the property, specifically noting any defects and reducing any ambiguity in the report.
Our condition surveys, also referred to as a “schedule of condition” or “photographic schedule of condition” are compiled from the perspective of a dilapidations surveyor.
This means we look for the precise things that a dilapidations surveyor will look for when it comes to the end of a lease and record it meticulously.
The aim of the photographic schedule of condition is to dilute potential future claims right from start of your lease.
Caution
Not all landlords will agree to appending a schedule of condition to a lease, but the most reasonable ones should have no problem – but you should always ask!
Condition Surveys For Construction Projects –
(Adjacent Land & Buildings Surveys)
We are often asked to conduct condition surveys on behalf of construction companies involved in projects where it is possible that neighbouring properties and boundaries could be inadvertently damaged by any works taking place.
By thoroughly photographing and recording the condition of the neighbouring properties, (or in fact the property being worked upon), prior to the works starting, contractors can protect themselves from malicious or unwarranted claims from their clients and their neighbours.
Although you might consider it unlikely that neighbours might make claims against you, we have been told by many of our clients that our condition surveys have saved them large sums of money, because they have successfully defended claims that have been made against them.
A schedule of photographs can’t lie. Therefore, our surveyors take a regimented approach to perming their inspections. They start at the top of the building – the roof is where the money is to be saved.
They then work down, looking at rainwater goods, elevations, windows, doors and external elements like car parking and fencing before moving inside and taking the same regimented approach to provide you with a comprehensive condition survey of the building prior to you taking occupation of the building.
Every visible defect in the fabric of the building is recorded with a photograph and entered onto an accompanying plan for ease of identification later.
Put simply, if the defect was there prior to your works starting, then no claim can be made against you for causing it.
Larger surveys of this kind can also incorporate video footage where appropriate, at no extra cost.
Money spent on a good quality condition survey should be considered an investment or insurance that protects you from aggressive landlord claims.
Condition Survey Pricing
The price of a condition survey will depend on the size of the property concerned and the number of rooms within the property being surveyed. For this reason, there is no “standard price”.
Our condition surveys start at £750 for a typical industrial unit, plus the cost of a cherry picker and driver for roof access.
As you might expect, larger and more complex buildings will cost more, since more time will be required on site to conduct the survey.
Remember, a low cost condition survey is often a false economy that you could end up paying for at the end of your lease.
Poor quality schedules of condition offer little or no protection because they are so vague and cannot be easily interpreted.
Call us on 0121 711 7110 for an immediate assessment of your needs and an accurate price quotation.
