Practical Surveying

A commercial building survey, sometimes referred to as technical due diligence survey, helps you understand the condition, risk and potential liabilities attached to a commercial property.

This type of survey is often arranged before purchasing a commercial building, acquiring a business with property assets, taking on a lease, reviewing an existing property portfolio or planning future maintenance.

Commercial property decisions often involve a combination of building condition, lease responsibilities, statutory information and future repair costs. Our role is to provide clear, practical advice so you can understand the issues that may affect the property before agreeing terms, completing a purchase or taking on new obligations.

We are highly experienced lead consultants across all stages of the construction process. Whether repairing, refurbishing or building a new property, we offer a highly personalised project management service, keeping you fully informed throughout.

A Schedule of Condition is a document containing a detailed description of the visual condition of a property. They are most commonly used to document a property's condition at the start of a lease, or before works begin to a party wall or boundary.

Planned preventative maintenance (PPM) surveys are a popular way of proactively maintaining a property, by extensively planning for all maintenance works over the coming years.

A PPM survey involves a detailed inspection, followed by a PPM schedule detailing the expected works required to the building over a period of years (usually between five and ten).

The survey will also include budget costs, allowing you to budget for upcoming maintenance works.

Dilapidations are claims for damages, made by the landlord of a commercial building in relation to its condition. A schedule of dilapidations may be needed if a leased property has fallen into disrepair, or if a tenant has made alterations to the property without permission. Dilapidations claims can be made either during the course of a lease, or when the tenant gives back the premises.

As dilapidations surveyors, we produce schedules of dilapidations for all types of commercial buildings. A schedule of dilapidations will include a review of lease documents, inspection of the property and a review of the costs involved for any works required.

We provide bespoke advice for landlords, recommending the best course of action before any claim is made. We will also handle the negotiation with your tenant or their dilapidations surveyor (if required).

If you are planning works close to a neighbouring property, or you have received a party wall notice, it is important to understand your position before the works progress.

Practical Surveying provide party wall advice for homeowners, landlords, tenants, commercial property owners and adjoining owners across Bristol, the South West and the wider M4 corridor.

The Act can apply to residential projects such as extensions, loft conversions, chimney breast removals and basement works, as well as commercial refurbishments, fit-outs, structural alterations, new walls and excavation works close to adjoining buildings.

Our advice is practical, clear and focused on helping the process move forward properly, reducing the risk of avoidable delays, disputes or uncertainty.

A specific defect survey is a focused inspection of a known or suspected building defect. It is useful when you do not need a full building survey, but you do need professional advice on one particular issue affecting the property.

Practical Surveying provide specific defect surveys for residential and commercial clients in Bristol and the surrounding areas. As RICS-regulated chartered surveyors, we provide clear, practical advice to help you understand what may be causing the defect, whether it appears serious, and what action may be appropriate.

This type of survey can be useful if you have noticed damp, mould, water ingress, cracking, movement, roof problems, timber decay or subsidence concerns. It can also help where a mortgage valuation, RICS Home Survey Level 2 or previous property inspection has recommended further advice on a specific issue.

A full building survey, also known as a level 3 building survey, is the highest level of pre-acquisition survey for a residential property. This survey aims to cover all aspects of the property to help you make an informed decision before committing to purchase.

We are highly experienced in undertaking level 3 building surveys, which offer a deeper level of detail and advice than the content of a level 2 building survey.

Level 3 residential building surveys are essential for older or more complex buildings, or where you already have any particular concerns about the property.