Frequently Asked Questions

No. We specialise and focus solely on commercial properties.

Tenants, Landlords and Investors who see the value we can add to their investment. Our enviable client list includes the blue-chip companies and the UKs largest retailers.

Because you appreciate the value that can be added by appointing an experienced professional team, focused on achieving the best outcome for you. We want you to be delighted with the service we provide which is why we will exceed your expectation.

Many years of commercial experience allows us to provide an insight into specific market, statutory or investment requirements, meaning our involvement will protect your asset, save you time, risk and expense.

That depends on whether you value the knowledge of a professional team who excel in their field. If your objective is to use the cheapest consultants, rather than the best, then you are unlikely to see the value we can bring. Ask yourself, would you buy the cheapest parachute?

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is the world’s leading property related professional body who promote and enforce the highest professional standards. MRICS denotes an accredited professional member, a Chartered Surveyor.

Absolutely not. Our team WILL ADD VALUE through your instruction and the benefits will be clear to see.

‘Planned Preventative Maintenance’ (PPM) allows you to reduce reactive maintenance, whilst maintaining buildings and assets in good condition. Planned preventative maintenance is either time-based or condition monitored, and our reports will provide quantified elemental schedules, allowing you to budget accordingly.

‘The Act’ is an enabling piece of legislation that seeks to permit works by protecting all involved parties. Notices are time dependant and often a schedule of condition is required to accompany ‘The Award’ and protect both the building owner and adjoining owner from liability or dispute.

ACM Asbestos Containing Materials

ACM Cladding Aluminium Composite Material

BCIS Building Cost Information Service

BWO Building Warrant Officer

CAD Computer Aided Design

CDM The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015

DPC Damp Proof Course

DPM Damp Proof Membrane

DV Diminution Valuation

EHO Environmental Health Officer

EPC Energy Performance Certificate

FFL Finished Floor Level

FRCA Fire Reinstatement Cost Assessment, insurance valuation

FR&I Full Repairing and Insuring

FSO Fire Safety Office

HAC High Alumina Cement (Often referred to as a deleterious material)

HOC Heads of Claim

HRRB High Risk Residential Building

IR&I Internal Repairing and Insuring

JCT Joint Contracts Tribunal

LABC Local Authority Building Control

LPA Local Planning Authority

M&E Mechanical and Electrical

MEES Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards

PM Project Management

R&D Refurbishment & Demolition survey (An intrusive asbestos survey. Required prior to any disruptive works being undertaken.)

RICS The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

SOC Schedule Of Condition

TA Tender Analysis

These are common abbreviations when referring to the lease obligations. FR&I, or full repairing and insuring, means that the Tenant is responsible for maintaining the external elevations, roof, external areas and all parts of the demise. IR&I, internal repairing, and insuring refers to the fact that the Tenant is obliged to maintain the internal areas only. However, IR&I will often include reference to windows, glazing and window frames.  You must be clear about your lease obligations and it is always recommended to instruct a survey prior to your commitment to enter a lease.

This is common misconception. Under an IR&I lease are you directly responsible for repair or replacement of the roof covering? Probably not, however, it is highly likely that costs associate with external elements, areas and common parts are recoverable under service charge provision. You should always be aware of your liabilities and exposure to ongoing risk, i.e potential for disruption. If the roof does fail and prevent you from trading, who will repair it and how long will it take?

Dilapidations are simply a schedule of works required to return a leased property back to a state required by the lease between the Landlord and Tenant. These works will often identify repair, reinstatement, decoration, statutory compliance, professional fees and consequential loss.

Dilapidations are simply a schedule of works required to return a leased property back to a state required by the lease between the Landlord and Tenant. These works will often identify repair, reinstatement, decoration, statutory compliance, professional fees and consequential loss.

Terminal, meaning end, final, last, or closing, is the term given to a schedule of dilapidations prepared nearing the end of a lease. Technically a terminal schedule of dilapidations can be served within the last 3 years of a lease term.

Your liabilities and obligations are contained within the covenants of the lease. A suitably qualified chartered surveyor or solicitor will assist if you require clarification of your specific lease obligations.

Contact RB Surveyor Services, we will request a copy of the dilapidation schedule, a copy of the occupational lease and provide advice regarding the options available to you. This will depend on proximity to lease expiry, intentions of the parties and other property specific considerations.

Yes. As a rule a dilapidation claim should reflect the actual loss that will be suffered by breaches of lease covenant. An effective tool for determining loss is a Section 18(1) valuation, found within the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927.

Understand your liabilities, identify risks and limit your ongoing exposure. Once head of terms are agreed and you are confident the property and terms work for you, it’s then time to engage RB Surveyor Services to complete a pre-lease assessment.

This report will provide principal considerations and offer recognised negotiating tools to limit exposure to risk, expense and ongoing liabilities. Our reports also include a ‘notional’ dilapidations assessment, clearly establishing immediate dilapidation liabilities if the lease were to be entered with the property in its current condition.

Absolutely. Working with international blue-chip companies, the UK’s largest retailers and investment funds, we are very familiar with portfolio instructions and have the capabilities to assist to any extent required, from full management of the property team to simply compiling a suite of reports.

A break clause is a lease provision allowing parties the option to determine a lease early, i.e before natural expiry. These provisions are often conditional and time dependant, if you are considering operating a break you should seek professional advise from your legal team or property professional as soon as possible.

We have many years of specialist experience, allowing us to fine tune our pro-active management and communication skills for your benefit.

A detailed specification is the starting point of a good project. We make effort to clearly understand the brief and the desired outcome, ensuring that all parties are aware of critical factors. Incredible levels of communication allow unforeseen events to be identified early and resolved with minimal impact on budget or programme.

Thursday 05^th November. Please, no presents a card and your gratitude will suffice.

Leading a team to achieve desired goals and deliver results within an agreed time and budget. Communication, problem solving, identification of risk and the ability to use experience and industry knowledge at all points from feasibility and understanding the brief, to delivering projects and achieving practical completion.

An experienced project manager will save your project time and money, reducing your exposure to risk and delivering a project to achieve the desired outcome. Knowledge and experience are crucial, as well as these three points – communication, communication, communication.

This is an accurate record of the property construction and condition as exist at the time of inspection. These schedules are often included within new leases where parties seek to record the property and limit their exposure to risk or expense once the lease is entered.

Yes. When correctly prepared, referenced and engrossed an SOC will limit liabilities.

Yes. This type of schedule will simply record the condition or the premises, it will not comment on cause of defect, life expectancy of building elements, consider the length of your lease term or provide a quantified assessment for repairs identified. Whilst a defective item is recorded within the SOC report, you may still need to repair or replace to avoid disruption to beneficial occupation.

Because it is the sensible thing to do. A pre-lease assessment will highlight your exposure to risk, liabilities and matters that will affect beneficial occupation, providing a quantified assessment of the same and making recommendation to reduce risk, expense, and disruption.  We guarantee to reduce your exposure to costs by significantly more than the professional fee for completing this survey.

The answer to this question lies within your lease. Send it across and we would be happy to provide clarity on who, how, why, and when insurance premiums should be paid. Often the Landlord will be responsible for insurance and the premium is recovered from the Tenant.

Yes, on a regular basis for our pro-active and well protected client base. You will find our insurance valuation reports to be uniquely detailed and are preferred by insurance brokers. We do not adopt a generic approach to simply apply a Sqm rate per building, our reports will often allow your broker to omit the averages clause from the policy because they immediately appreciate the skill and detail provided within the report.

It is recommended that an annual ‘desktop’ review is undertaken, and a physical inspection completed every three years. However, if alterations, building works or major projects are undertaken, an immediate review of the insurance value, or declared value, should be instructed.

Yes, an extremely detailed valuation on a ‘Day One’ basis. Our insurance valuation reports provide a comprehensive breakdown of figures to include and consider site demolition costs, deleterious materials, statutory consents, professional fees, site constraints, VAT etc. Your insurance broker will be extremely pleased to receive our clear and considered report.

A natural occurring mineral originally thought to be a ‘wonder material’ and latterly found to be extremely hazardous to health, known as a deleterious material. There are six types of asbestos but three are commonly found within the UK building stock, Chrysotile (White), Amosite (Brown) and Crocidolite (Blue). Officially banned for use in construction in 2000, this material is highly likely to have an adverse effect on your property, project cost or programme. Used in materials ranging from toothpaste to toilet seats, fake snow to fireproofing and brake disks to boiler seals you must be aware of your statutory obligations. Use this link for government guidance on the subject – https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/information.htm

You must be the best of the best. Send us your CV and we will determine if your level of experience warrants a stage 1 interview. We will establish if your drive, commitment to excellence and attention to deliver client focused results will fit with the company culture. Attitude is as important as commercial experience.

Yes. We believe is giving graduates the best possible experience and provide a breadth of work to cover all areas of building surveying and project management. We have a 100% success rate in mentoring and preparing graduates for RICS APC success.

It all starts with the individual, their commitment to company and colleagues. Our company culture dictates that our team must be at their best to deliver the best for our clients, time is taken when needed and we don’t limit your ability to take time to rest, clear your head and re-charge.