How To Choose a Commercial Building Surveyor?

How To Choose a Commercial Building Surveyor?

The role of a commercial building surveyor is wide ranging as they are involved in all aspects of construction and property. A commercial building surveyor can provide expert advice in relation to the condition, design and construction of a property. The services offered by a commercial building surveyor are split into two different areas, which are professional and project services. 

Professional services are typically one-off instructions, resulting in the production of a report to advise a client on a specific matter which may relate to acquisition or sale of a building; matters that arise around lease commencement/expiry; matters that relate to the current condition and maintenance requirements; and/or matters relating to ownership and boundaries. 

• Technical Due Diligence Surveys
• Leasehold Acquisition Surveys
• Vendor Surveys
• Defects Diagnosis
• Planned Preventative Maintenance Surveys
• Schedules of Dilapidation
• Schedules of Condition
• Tenant Alterations/Licence for Alterations 
• Party Wall Awards
• Rights of Light 
• Reinstatement Cost Assessments/Fire Insurance Valuations 
• Measured Surveys 

Project services relate to construction projects and will last the duration of the design and construction phase. Services are: contract administration; employer’s agent; project management; and bank or development monitoring.

• Contract Administration 
• Project Management 
• Employer’s Agent
• Principal Designer/CDM Advisor 
• Development Monitor/ Bank Monitor 

In summary, a commercial building surveyor will likely be able to assist with the majority of enquiries in relation to a commercial property and if they can’t undertake the specific instruction they will certainly be able to provide some initial advice and point you in the right direction.

Existing relationship and recommendations by others

If you have previous experience with a commercial building surveyor who has provided a good standard of service and you have built up a relationship with this surveyor or company then it is of benefit to continue using the commercial building surveyor. All clients work in slightly difference ways, with differing preferences and procedures. Using a surveyor you have built a relationship with enables both parties to understand how each operate which assists in obtaining best value from the surveyor. 

Should you not have prior experience with a commercial building surveyor you may be able to obtain a recommendation from a colleague or another reputable source. Recommendations are often a reliable way to identify a surveyor or firm who can provide a good standard of service and meet your requirements. 

Capabilities and experience

It is important to assess the experience and capabilities of any potential commercial building surveyor. All surveyors and firms who are professionally qualified under the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) will be listed on the RICS website and will display the RICS logo on their website and marketing material. All Chartered Building Surveyors have to pass an Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) to obtain Chartered status and therefore will all meet minimum criteria for their level of knowledge and capabilities.  

Building surveyors do specialise in certain fields and it is therefore important to identify a commercial building surveyor who has prior experience surveying and working on commercial property. Most surveyors will be able to provide a copy of their CV or case studies to demonstrate their experience and it is important to review this information to ensure it aligns with the services and type of property which you have in mind. 

Size and geographical coverage 

Due consideration should be given to whether you are looking to instruct a commercial building surveyor for a local one-off instruction or whether you have a portfolio of properties which may also require commercial building surveyor advice in the future. 

A one-off small instruction may be better serviced by a local practice that may be able to complete the instruction quicker and cheaper than a larger company and may also have a greater amount of local knowledge. 

A larger building surveying company will have a greater amount of resource so are likely to be able to meet demands of larger instructions whether these are regionally or nationally. A larger company will also be able to allocate an office or number of offices to a building portfolio dependent upon the location and size of the portfolio. 

Reviews and previous feedback

There are numerous sources of data providing feedback and giving reviews to given companies. A quick online search will often be sufficient to enable you to gain a high level understanding of previous client experiences which may assist with making your decision. It should be noted that these need to be read with a degree of critical analysis to ensure they are a fair reflection of the company/individual.

You can always ask to speak with one of your preferred commercial building surveyors existing clients to discuss the level of service that has been obtained and raise any initial concerns or queries. 

Cost

Once you have shortlisted a few commercial building surveyors and have spoken to these to clarify the service(s) you require then it is important to obtain competitive costs and proposals to enable comparison between your commercial surveyor costs. 

Fee proposals may differ between competing commercial building surveyors depending on a number of factors, although these could include how busy they are; whether they are a large organisation or smaller practice; what their charge out rates are; and whether they have correctly interpreted your requirements. 

It is important to review all proposals in full and not just to instruct based on cost. Sometimes surveyors may have excluded certain items which will be required, or may have not allowed for sufficient resource resulting in obtaining a lesser standard of service. 

Reflection 

Once the instructed commercial building surveyor has fulfilled their role it is important to reflect on the level of service and standard of the completed instruction. It is beneficial for both parties to provide feedback, whether they did or did not meet your requirements, as this will enable future services to be tailored to meet your specific requirements. 

We hope you found this building surveying blog helpful, at Commercial Building Surveyors, we offer Commercial Building Surveys in the following parts of the UK: Commercial Building Surveyor Bristol, Commercial Surveyor Manchester, Commercial Surveyor London, Commercial Surveyor Cardiff.