While selecting a reliable and competent Building Inspection Company, the following should be considered.

A Building Condition Assessment objective is to outline physical deficiencies in that property and recommend repair and replacement cost. The Property Condition Assessment guide is ASTME_2018-15. Whether the inspection company is following the standard in preparing the report

Tips to Consider for Reliable and Competent Building Inspector

  • The Building Condition Assessment comprises of 1. Walkthrough survey to identify physical deficiencies of the property 2. Document Reviews and Interviews -Document reviews, research, and interviews are done to help in assessing the physical deficiencies of the property. 3. Preparing the building condition report- Information is gathered from the document review. Interviews are conducted. The site inspection observation is also noted. Al these observations are incorporated in the report.
  • The inspection and the report cover the following section of property 1. Site inspection, which includes topography, drainage, parking, utilities & landscaping. 2. Structural Frame & Building Envelop- This is comprised of Foundation, Roofing & Exterior 3. Mechanical & Electrical System- This is comprised of Electrical, Heating & Cooling, Insulation, Ventilation & Plumbing. 4. Interior – This includes interior finishes of ceiling, wall & floor. 5. Vertical Transportation – Like elevator & escalator 6. Fire Protection- What sort of fire protection system is in place in the building.

The client should ensure that the report covers all these aspects before finalizing the Commercial Building Inspection company.

  • Not all Building Inspection Company can do a Building Condition Assessment. Home inspection and commercial property inspection are not the same, and the reports are different. In order to make more money, some home inspector thinks that they can also do a commercial property inspection. Not all Building Inspection Company can do a Property Condition Assessment. Companies with prior experience should be engaged to do the work. They should be able to evaluate and recommend the opinion of the probable cost of repair or replacement. Should be able to comment on the remaining useful life of each component and the remaining useful life of the building.

Read Also: What do Commercial Building Inspectors look out for During an Assessment?

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  • Some financial institutions have specific requirements as to who can do the commercial property inspection. The client should be aware of those requirements before finalizing the inspection company. Otherwise, if he engages on his own not doing the due diligence, then he will end up spending more money and lose valuable time as the lending company sets up a specific date by which the report needs to be submitted.
  • As per ASTME-2018-15, The field observer is the person or entity engaged by the consultant to perform the walkthrough survey; the field observer also maybe the Property Condition Report (PCR), reviewer. The field observer should have the required qualification and experience to conduct the walkthrough survey.

Based on the nature and complexity of the work, there may be multiple field observers conducting the walkthrough survey, and each observer may be specialized in a particular discipline.

Related Read: Building Inspector Checklist During an Assessment

The guidelines stipulate that the field observer should be identified in the PCR, and the report should state the qualification of the field observer. The PCR reviewer is responsible for reviewing the work and should be qualified enough to carry out the review process. However, ultimately the consultant that is the entity carrying out the Commercial Building Inspection is responsible for the PCR.

  • The guideline requirement is that all PCR prepared as per the guideline should be reviewed and signed by the reviewer. The qualification of the reviewer should be stated in the report.

The guideline recommends that a PCR reviewer be either an architect or an engineer or construction professional with appropriate experience and certification. The PCR reviewer should have experience in preparing a PCR for the type and complexity of the subject property.

The guideline recommends that professional architecture or engineering licensure/registration and/or appropriate experience and certification in the related field are considered eligible for reviewing the PCR.

Read Also: General Knowledge of Cost to have a Building Inspected

  • Hence it is recommended to use a company having the required experience and certification to carry out a commercial building inspection as all commercial building inspections may not have either the required experience or the relevant certification to carry out this type of work.

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Patrick Buffalo

Project Coordinator at prycoglobal
Patrick Buffalo is a Construction Engineering Technology graduate conducting Building Condition Assessments and Project Estimations. He has developed advanced knowledge on building science and is our lead BCA personnel. He also assists the project managers with day to day activities.
Patrick Buffalo