Property Services
Building surveying services
Whether you’re buying, selling, leasing or managing a property, our professional surveyors can help you make sound and informed property decisions.
Our surveyors are ready to advise on all property and construction matters – whether you’re interested in the condition of a building, the quality of workmanship or the cost of building works. We offer acquisition surveys, support with lease agreements and advice on the management and demolition of buildings. Our trusted expertise is often used by solicitors, trading standards officers and the police when expert evaluation of a building is needed in court.
Our experienced team provides sound advice on any building related issues before, during and after occupancy. We offer
Pre-acquisition surveys
To aid decision making and negotiation process, establish the condition, outstanding maintenance liabilities, and the need for future investment – before you commit funding.
Schedules of condition
Formal records of the condition of a building on a particular date, which is important at the start of a lease – so that disturbance caused by the development (e.g. piling) can be identified.
Maintenance planning
We can devise a maintenance plan tailored to your financial situation, prioritising work to get the best of the available funds. The plan will accommodate lease requirements and other work to preserve the fabric and function of your buildings.
Repairs at the end of a lease (dilapidations)
Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, we can help you address the outstanding repair liabilities and works required at the end of a lease.
This will typically involve reviewing the lease requirements, scheduling the necessary repairs, negotiating and agreeing this with the other party and then managing the deployment of the works or agreeing a financial payment.
Management of vacant buildings prior to reuse or disposal
Vacant buildings carry substantial risks – vandalism, theft and fire being some of the key concerns. With tried-and-tested processes that start before the building becomes empty, we can help you mitigate those risks. We’ll manage the vacating of the building for you, carefully coordinating the timing of staff moving out with the introduction of security, the turning off of services and any other protective measures needed.
As part of a long-term agreement we’ll make reviews during the period when the building is vacant to reduce or increase measures – adapting to varying levels of risk.
Demolition management
When the life of a building comes to an end, our experienced professionals deal with the management of the site, ensuring compliance with statutory obligations, tendering for the demolition work, and managing processes to ensure that the site is left clear and safe on completion.
Expert witness work (civil disputes)
When civil claims are made against public authorities, perhaps where trees or drainage on an authority’s land are causing damage to an adjacent property, our building surveyors can carefully examine the issue and provide a detailed report to solicitors.
Their expert view on the problem, the cause, and who is responsible can allow an authority’s legal team to make a decision on whether to accept liability or reject the claim. If necessary our surveyors will attend court and provide expert evidence to explain their views on liability.
Expert witness work (criminal disputes)
We also support criminal investigations of ‘rogue traders’ in the construction industry. For your police or trading standards investigation we will:
- inspect building works
- report on quality of workmanship and the value of works
- provide expert witness work at trials
As a result of the submission of your comprehensive report dealing with the building work carried out by HCC Property Services, he has pleaded guilty to the charges. There will therefore not need to be a court hearing, which in itself will represent a considerable financial saving.
Another successful case will send a further message to those involved in this type of work (i.e. low quality/high cost building works).
Hampshire Police
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