Running a business means taking care of daily operations with an eye on the bottom line. This means managing staff, organising equipment and streamlining established processes in order to boost productivity and maintain everyday standards. Importantly however, the exterior of a business also demands a degree of careful attention, where the physical building which contains these daily operations also needs to be taken care of and properly maintained.
That’s where a building surveyor can help. A commercial surveying service can allow you to thoroughly understand your property and the surrounding area in order to make informed financial and business decisions, where this foreknowledge is essential for guaranteeing your company’s success. Read on to find out more about commercial surveying, with a look at why it is so important for businesses.
What Is Commercial Surveying
Commercial surveying is one branch of work undertaken by professional building surveyors, where these experts are trained to inspect residential, commercial and industrial properties. Some may specialise in the world of commercial surveys in particular, meaning they will work closely with businesses of all kinds to provide information about their land and properties.
More specifically, a commercial building surveyor will inspect the condition of a property, identify any major defects or issues, and suggest ways forward if repairs are required. Some experts may also be hired specifically to advise on concerns relating to property development or valuations. As such, surveyors are trained to advise their clients about the viability of their land and property, where this kind of expert insight can help to inform major business decisions.
Commercial surveyors will draw on a range of different techniques in order to gather their information. They may measure the dimensions of a commercial property, source topographical maps and conduct environmental assessments in order to acquire a good understanding of the local area. Some of these processes may include the use of GPS technology or aerial drones, whilst property interiors are usually inspected by hand. Following this analysis, the surveyor will draw up a detailed report containing their key findings and recommendations for the client.
Why You May Need A Commercial Survey
This kind of commercial survey is essential for gathering detailed information about a property and the surrounding area. As such, there are numerous reasons why a business may need to conduct this kind of analysis, where some of these include:
Insurance Purposes
One of the major reasons why a company would choose to carry out a commercial survey is for insurance. This is because insurance companies may require a survey to be completed before they agree to provide coverage, particularly if the commercial property and grounds are large in size. An in depth survey can help to establish the levels of risk involved in providing cover, meaning accurate estimates can be drawn up.
Pre-Purchase Survey
Another reason why a full survey may be carried out is if someone is looking to buy a commercial property. As with buying a house, it is recommended that a property survey is completed to assess the building for any major issues or defects, where this kind of precaution can help to save the buyer money and hassle in the long run. If issues are discovered, then the buyer can then renegotiate their asking price to reflect the findings of the survey.
Compliance
When it comes to running a business, compliance with local regulations is of the utmost importance. Conducting a property survey may be a requirement in this sense if renovations, extensions or alterations are to be implemented, where these could have an impact on the surrounding environment. A property survey may be just one part of the planning process that has to be completed to a high standard before any changes can be made.
Future Maintenance
Beyond this, conducting a commercial property survey can also be useful if the business owner wants to prepare for any future maintenance issues. Carrying out this kind of inspection can help to uncover lingering structural damage or other costly problems that need to be addressed in a timely manner. Understanding the needs of the property in this way can allow a company to plan ahead instead of having to deal with expensive surprises further down the line.
Lease Negotiations
Often commercial properties are leased instead of being owned outright. This means that the business owner is subject to the pricing of the landlord, which can have a major impact on their bottom line. Business tenants can therefore request a property survey in order to impartially assess the condition of a building before they enter into a binding lease agreement. This can help to ensure that all costs are fair and reasonable, helping to avoid disputes in future.
Asset Management
Many business owners will be responsible for more than one property, where managing these will form their overall income. As such they may wish to conduct a property survey as part of their asset management strategising, where the information that they gather as a result of the inspection can be used to help them to decide which assets they choose to buy, sell or renovate. Without this information, it can be difficult to make informed decisions about the status of multiple large sized properties.
Property Disputes
Additionally, commercial building surveys can come in handy in the case of a dispute. Often residential and commercial property owners can become embroiled in disagreements relating to land boundaries, access or other encroachment issues, where these can escalate quickly. Legal representatives or impartial third parties may request that a survey is carried out in order to settle these kinds of disputes quickly, which can help to prevent the need for further legal costs.
Simon Levy: Commercial Surveying Services To Support Your Business
At Simon Levy, we provide a wide range of property inspections and structural surveys to both our residential and commercial clients. With every survey, we prioritise impartiality and attention to detail at every level, meaning you can always trust in our final recommendations.
Our
full building surveys are exceptionally thorough, where we take into account every aspect of your property and the surrounding area. We will assess the entire exterior of your site, which includes boundaries, driveways, gardens and access routes, where we will note any unusual conditions that may impact your building.
Beyond this, we will also assess:
- Local Geological Survey Maps, where we will draw detailed conclusions from our findings
- External plumbing, where this includes gutters, downpipes, soil pipes and any other relevant waterworks
- External landscaping, where our assessment will cover trees, hedges and other overhanging vegetation that could pose a risk
- Accessible roof voids and loft areas, where this will include an inspection of roof support timbers and other essential structures
- Your building services and utilities, where this can include electrical, mechanical, gas and drainage systems used by your property and those instilled in the surrounding area
Our full building surveys will also include an internal inspection of your building, where we will consider major issues that could be hazardous or expensive to resolve. Such issues may include damp penetration, timber decay and poor ventilation. In addition to this, our experts can also consider the general thermal performance of your property, as well as sound insulation standards.
Once we have conducted a full inspection of your property and its surroundings, we will then draw up our final reports. At your request, our team can provide you with an additional summary of approximated repair costs, where these come with advice detailing the urgency of various repairs and structural issues. The final report will also include a balanced conclusion assessing the overall condition of your property, which can be useful if you’re looking to negotiate a sales price or if you’re planning to sell in the future.
We pride ourselves on the depthful nature of our reports, where our expert team are familiar with all kinds of commercial properties. As such, our experience means that we can be depended on to provide thorough and impartial recommendations, whether you need a survey for planning compliance or to assess the value of your assets.
Get in touch with our team today to find out more about how we can help.
