A commercial building survey is a different exercise from a house survey even when the building looks similar. It is written for somebody taking a lease, buying an investment or preparing to hand a building back, so it deals with plant, services, statutory compliance, the lease obligations and the cost of putting things right, not just with condition.
Say what the survey is for
Acquisition, lease entry, refinancing or handback are four different briefs. The inspection may be similar and the report will not be, because each of those readers needs a different set of conclusions.
Ask for a costed schedule of works
Commercial reports commonly carry a schedule of the repairs identified with indicative costs over a defined period. That is the part a buyer or an incoming tenant negotiates with, and it is worth specifying at instruction.
Include the services and the plant
Heating, cooling, lifts, fire systems and electrical installations often carry more risk than the fabric. A building surveyor will usually coordinate specialist inspections rather than do them, and that coordination should be in the fee.
Get a schedule of condition if you are taking a lease
A schedule of condition annexed to a lease limits a tenant's repairing obligation to the state recorded. Commissioning one at lease entry is far cheaper than arguing about dilapidations at lease end. It is a modest cost at lease entry and the single most effective protection against a dilapidations claim years later.
Agree the reliance
Commercial reports are often needed by a lender or a joint venture partner as well as by you. Reliance letters are routine, and they are much easier to arrange at instruction than afterwards. Reliance letters are routine, and they cost far less arranged at instruction than renegotiated once a lender has asked for one.
Questions people ask about commercial surveyor near me
How is a commercial building survey different from a homebuyer report?
It is written around a commercial decision, covers plant and statutory compliance, and normally carries costed works. There is no standard template equivalent to the RICS home survey levels.
Do I need a survey if I am only taking a short lease?
A schedule of condition is usually the more important document on a short lease, because it defines what you will have to hand back. Many tenants commission the schedule and skip the full survey.
Who normally pays for a lease entry survey?
The incoming tenant, because it protects the incoming tenant. Landlords rarely fund it and are usually content for it to happen.