Building Condition Surveys

A condition survey, otherwise known as a home condition survey, or building condition survey, is normally undertaken by a RICS Chartered surveyor.  It is not so much of a standard format as the Homebuyer survey, and can be undertaken to assist owners with planning improvements or maintenance of the building.  These surveys can be extremely detailed - it is important to agree the scope of such an undertaking from the outset. What is it for?  Why are we doing it?  What is the building type - solid walled, built with lime, or a more recent cavity walled structure?.  

Building Condition surveys are often undertaken on behalf of larger owners - landlords or housing associations who need to understand the long term costs of maintaining a building.  The survey identifies current defects, and looks at longer term liabilities.  It can result in a schedule of repairs, with specifications for the work to ensure it is done correctly.  Often, with larger solid walled buildings, we see instances of repairs being done using inappropriate materials which then fail quickly - resulting in much greater expense in the longer term.