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As a landlord of a commercial property, you must ensure that your tenant is liable for any damage done to the property during their time of occupancy. The tenant must be responsible for maintaining the property and be liable for any deterioration of the property that is not part of the normal wear-and-tear expected during a commercial tenancy. To ensure this, the landlord will often include a clause in the lease that covers this situation. The dilapidation clause obligates the tenant to keep the property in good repair and to maintain it properly.
Prior to the commencement of the lease, it is advisable to engage the services of a CIOB, RPSA or RICS Chartered Surveyor to prepare a Schedule of Condition. This document outlines the property’s current condition and, should you find it necessary, can be referenced during any dispute over the condition of the property at the end of the lease. In any situation where a property is at risk of serious alteration or deterioration, it can help ward off trouble by establishing clear conditions up front.
There are several good reasons for a landlord to obtain a dilapidations survey. First, it helps ensure that tenants fulfil their responsibilities.
Responsibility: if tenants cause damage or make unauthorized changes to the property, a dilapidations survey helps ensure that they pay for these changes and that they aren’t merely ignored and left to be dealt with by the next landlord.
Limiting Losses: a dilapidations survey helps ensure that the landlord doesn’t lose money. If the lease doesn’t ensure that the tenant is responsible for maintaining the property in good condition, then the landlord could end up losing a lot of money through wear and tear and by having to fund repairs that are really the responsibility of the last tenant.
Insight: this type of survey allows landlords to understand the true condition of the property before leasing to a new tenant, to avoid potential claims.
There are a number of ways in which a tenant can benefit from having a dilapidations survey carried out, and the first of these is to save money.
Saving: if you pay for a survey arranged by yourself, this is generally at a better rate than the one charged if a landlord appoints a surveyor.
Controlling Works: your contractors may be less expensive than the landlord’s.
Prevents Disputes: it is always better to work things out together than to fight over who is to blame or to issue legal proceedings.
Landlords typically commission dilapidation surveys. However, they can also serve the interests of tenants. These surveys assess the property’s condition—room by room. They cover an impressive number of elements: ceilings, walls, floors, windows, doors, electric systems, plumbing, appliances, etc.
Reports that come before and after the tenant’s stay in the space serve a dual purpose. They protect the landlord but also help the tenant know what is expected in terms of property upkeep and basic repair work. During and after the completion of the building being handed over to the tenant, the landlord is in a much stronger position with reports on either side of the lease period.
When landlords serve a Schedule of Dilapidations on a tenant, they are not allowed to make any money from it. Instead, they can only seek compensation for what they have lost and what they have had to pay out. What they can claim for is:
When your tenant’s lease is up, the surveyor will ask what your plans for the property are. If you’re planning significant changes and alterations to the property, the current tenant isn’t responsible for any of those costs. Be honest about your intentions; if you’re not and the tenant finds out, they can come back and complain to you about it, and you won’t have any right of defence when they do. If you’re a landlord unsure of your rights under the terms of the lease that you granted to the tenant, or if you’re a tenant who feels you’ve been issued an unfair Schedule of Dilapidations, we can help. We can help you get the advice you need.
If you’re uncertain whether a dilapidation survey is necessary or what steps to take next, we can assist. Our expert panel of dilapidation surveyors is ready to provide independent, unbiased advice about your situation. Your surveyor will have experience working for both landlords and tenants. They have helped both parties come to amicable agreements without resorting to the courts. We invite you to reach out and find out how we can help you.
The most standard condition report for a home is the RICS HomeBuyer Report (Level 2), which runs approximately from about £700 to £1,300. It provides a general assessment of the property’s condition and points out anything that could potentially affect its value. The RICS HomeBuyer Report does not focus on the minute details, as it is not a snagging survey; rather, it gives an overall picture of the problems. To accomplish this, the report employs a traffic light rating system that indicates the severity of the property’s defects and safety issues.
For larger buildings, a “RICS Level 3 Building Survey” might run you between £800 and £1,500, with some rare instances pushing the cost even higher. Because this survey offers a detailed breakdown of any defects, it is not your least expensive option. If, for instance, your building is at the top of a hill with a steep, sloping yard, or the property is large, expensive, old or even newly built, then a Level 3 RICS building survey is definitely the right call and will let you know if there’s been any movement in the foundation.
Surveys that are more in-depth and of better quality do cost more, but they could ultimately save you certain amounts of cash if they allow you to avoid potential costly issues in the future. If you have your eyes on a property in Notting Hill, a homebuyer’s or full building survey would be a good investment.
Our panel is composed of expert and local RICS surveyors in Notting Hill, who are experienced in conducting residential property surveys.
The surveyors provide several types of services, including a HomeBuyer Survey and Valuation. This inspection is more thorough than the average home inspection and tends to focus more on the potential impact (positive or negative) that certain property conditions might have on the property’s value.
Accreditation/qualification: The Notting Hill Surveyors panel consists of qualified, experienced chartered building surveyors accredited by RICS, CIOB or RPSA. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is a global professional body of over 200,000 members, the preeminent authority on professional land, real estate, construction, and environmental issues. Other members of our panel of surveyors belong to accreditation bodies that are similarly influential and issue similar accreditations. All of these accreditations and memberships can be seen as marks of the highest possible standards of expertise and integrity in the valuation, management, and development of professional land, real estate, construction, and environmental issues.
Specialty: the group of surveyors provides clear and direct opinions on property conditions and values. They are unfailingly familiar with the unique aspects of Notting Hill property. Their work is of the highest quality and involves an incredible amount of detail. The inspection is visual and takes place in all accessible parts of the building. Any potential problems are clearly noted, from serious issues like subsidence or dampness to much less worrisome problems like missing caulk in shower stalls. To avoid trouble after purchasing a property, buy a detailed report to know of any serious or potentially expensive problems that exist before the sale goes through.
Clarity: the inspection yields a report that is easy to read, free of jargon, and clear in its comprehensiveness. If defects are found, the report details them and provides professional advice on repairs and maintenance. These features make the report a useful, potent tool during any negotiations concerning the price of a property.
Post survey support and advice: your surveyor should not merely hand you a report at the end and then take their leave. They ought to offer as part of their service, a post-survey consultation. In this, you can go through the report together, discuss its content and potential ramifications, and receive some handy advice as to what it all might mean for you in the near future.
Value for Money: getting a HomeBuyer Report is an extra cost, but it can actually help save you money in the long term. If any problems show up in the report, you now have the opportunity to either negotiate for the seller to fix the problem or get a price reduction. Both choices help counteract the home’s cost issues.
To ensure you can select your new home wisely, engage well-respected surveyors to conduct the HomeBuyers Survey! The Notting Hill property market is among the most diverse, and it’s one of the fastest paced of the price bracket in the whole UK. Thus, it is essential to have a professional take you—from the outside appearance of the home down to its structural bones.
The Notting Hill property market is complex. Thus, before any decisions are made, it is always good practice to gain valuable insight. A Home Buyer’s Report, supplied by your qualified chartered surveyor, will do just this, giving you an authoritative, accurate, and up-to-date perspective on the property to assist you in making the correct decision for your family and your future.
For a mere £700, you can secure the services of a CIOB, RPSA or RICS HomeBuyer Report, granting you peace of mind regarding the financial future of your property and the comfort and safety of your family. This survey can also potentially save you thousands of pounds off the price of your property. The team of surveyors currently provides two distinct options for residential property survey reports. The RICS HomeBuyer Report is the most basic offering, and we also provide the very comprehensive Level 3 Survey and Roof Surveys. You are welcome to contact us for a propitious quotation on any survey you may choose from this suite of services.
RICS’s industry guidelines suggest building surveys for properties that are large, very old, in some disrepair, or have unusual features. Building surveys are also recommended if you plan to do any significant renovations or extensions.
If you’re purchasing a relatively modern home that’s in decent shape and built to ordinary standards, then a Home Buyer Survey is an acceptable choice. If you want the assurance of an inspection and report that are pretty much guaranteed to turn up any issues that might be hidden or just hard to see, then you should go for a Full Building Survey instead.
The Full Building Survey is more detailed; it is more specifically tailored to the property your surveyor would be inspecting. It also comes with more advice on the visible defects found and on the potential hidden defects that they suspect may be present. Your surveyor will illustrate reports with photographs so that you can clearly see what has been discovered. Both the Home Buyer and Full Building Surveys describe the repairs needed, the order in which the repairs should be done, and the kind of “maintenance measures” that will be required to keep the property in good condition.
A HomeBuyer Report does include a market valuation as well as reinstatement costs. However, a Full Building Survey does not. The main reason for the differences in what is and isn’t included in the two types of reports is how focused the reports are on the condition of the property. The Full Building Survey is the most in-depth and comprehensive survey of a property that you can have done.
If you’re uncertain whether a dilapidation survey is necessary or what steps to take next, we can assist. Our expert panel of dilapidation surveyors is ready to provide independent, unbiased advice about your situation. Your surveyor will have experience working for both landlords and tenants. They have helped both parties come to amicable agreements without resorting to the courts. We invite you to reach out and find out how we can help you.
Looking for a Chartered Surveyor? If you are buying a property, contact us for a building survey. Our panel of CIOB, RPSA and RICS surveyors will help you with the Level 2 or Level 3 property survey you need in Notting Hill. We can also assist you in Red Book Valuations, Party Wall Awards and other services. Reach out to us today for building surveyors, valuers and party wall surveyors in London!
