Initial Inspection Record and Option Appraisal Summary

Property procurement

Initial inspection record and option appraisal summary

Introduction

Client details1

Initial inspection record2

Estate management2

Maintenance 4

Services11

Option appraisal summary16

Agreement18

Property procurementInitial inspection record and option appraisal summary1

Version 1.0

Introduction

1. This is an initial inspection report only. It is designed to be used by property services staff when considering a property with a view to obtaining it for Cornwall Council. It allows relevant facts about a property to be obtained quickly, which enable well informed decisions to be made about whether to proceed and will ensure that when a building is taken on, all the relevant directorates are informed.

Client details(to be completed by the client)

Initial inspection record

Estate management (to be completed by the asset manager/valuer)

1) Freehold or leasehold?

•Freehold - the buyer of the property owns both the property and the land on which it is built

•Leasehold - there is a limited time span for the ownership/occupation of the property, for which a rent is paid and at the end of the lease the property reverts back to the owner of the freehold

2)Refurbish, demolish, extend or alter?

•Refurbish - to brighten, freshen or make clean again

•Demolish - to completely destroy, raze to the ground

•Extend - to change the layout/capacity of building through addition

•Alter - to change the layout of the property either internally or externally without encroaching over the existing footprint

3)Encumbrances?

•Are there any liabilities that rest with the property, e.g. a property purchased with an outstanding mortgage on it?

4)Way leaves?

•Are there any way leaves, for example, permission to cross, or a right of way across land and rent paid for such a right (for power lines crossing above property, a telegraph pole on land etc)?

5)Rights of way?

•Are there any rights of way (the right to pass over property owned by another party or the path or thoroughfare on which such passage is made)?

6)Covenants

•Are there any covenants (a binding agreement, e.g. an interest or condition that the property is sold subject to)?

7)Restrictions

•Are there any use restrictions on the land?

8) Ground conditions

•What kind of land is the property built on, e.g.is it on landfill or contaminated land etc?

9) Topography

•Is the property in a position that would be accessible to users?

Maintenance (to be completed by the contract manager)

10) Condition report

•Is a copy of the last inspection report available?

•Who carried it out?

•Were there any significant findings?

11)Construction

•What is the type, age and life expectancy of the building (e.g. c1950s bricks and mortar construction, pitched roof, timber framed windows etc)?

12) Fabric (external)

•Is there any sign of serious deterioration to the outside of the structure?

•Is it of sound construction with no water ingress and a damp proof course where appropriate?

•Is external cladding and render in good condition for the age of the property?

•Are there any signs of subsidence, cracks or excessive weathering?

•How secure is the property?

•Can the doors and windows be satisfactorily fastened?

13) Fabric (internal)

•Is there any sign of deterioration to the internal fabric of the property?

•Is the decoration generally standard throughout?

•What would be the approximate cost of redecoration?

•Are the floor/ceiling coverings in reasonable condition or will these have to be changed?

•Are the wall coverings and internal fabric DDA compliant?

•Is the lighting sufficient for the intended use? If not, what would be the approximate cost of upgrading it?

14) Boilers/heating

•Is the means of space/water heating operational?

•Is there a record of servicing?

•Are the appropriate certificates available?

•By what means is the property heated?

• Is it controlled manually or by a building management system?

•Is it heated by radiators or convector heating?

•What is the approximate age of the system?

15) Lifts

•Are they operational?

•Is there a record of servicing (for insurance purposes, lifts should be tested every six months and in accordance with the manufacturers guidelines with a certificate of compliance issued)?

•Are they fully functional?

•Do the controls/emergency systems work?

•Would the load bearing be sufficient for the intended use?

•Are they DDA compliant?

16) Fire alarms

•Are they operational and is there a record of servicing (a fire alarm system test certificate should be available, dated within the last twelve months)?

•Are there any records from previous tenants showing weekly fire alarm test dates and results?

17) Fixed wiring

•Do the fittings and distribution board look old or modern?

•Is there evidence that these have been fully tested every five years with a certificate issued?

18) Operation and maintenance manuals

•Are there any on site?

19) Health and safety files

•Are there any on site?

Current readings for services (20-24) are to be obtained, recorded and forwarded to the energy management team prior to occupation.

20) Gas

•Have boilers been tested periodically and a certificate of soundness produced (specialist items should be tested separately and the appropriate certification issued)?

•In a landlord controlled property there should be a record of the annual landlords gas safety check.

21) Oil

•What are the arrangements for oil to be delivered?

•What condition is the oil storage tank in?

•What capacity is the tank and would it have to be enlarged to facilitate use of this property?

•Approximately how much oil is used each quarter?

•Is the tank bunded where appropriate?

•Have surface and foul drains been identified within the property boundary and a plan of the site clearly marked up for use by the fire brigade in case of an oil spill?

22) Water

•Is the property connected to a mains water supply?

•Is the meter easily accessed?

23) Electricity

•Is there an existing electricity supply?

•Is it fitted in accordance with NICEIC rules?

•Will the power requirements of the occupier be met by the current distribution board and if not, does it have the capacity to accept additional load?

•How large is the existing supply – will it serve the requirements of the property?

24) LPG

•Have annual services been carried out?

•Is the fuel stored appropriately?

25) Communication infrastructure (telephone points, data sockets etc)

•Is the property going to be used for a similar purpose as previously?

•Will the existing infrastructure be adequate or will it need to be increased?

•Will the phone lines support high bandwidth pieces of equipment such as servers?

26) Building regulations

•Is there evidence that alterations to the property have been carried out that would need building regulation approval?

•Was this secured?

27) Radon

•Has a radon survey has been carried out?

•What measures (if any) have been taken to deal with the findings(actions will depend upon how much higher than the legal levels the readings are and what the property is to be used for)?

28) Asbestos

•Has an asbestos survey been carried out?

•Does the construction appear to indicate that asbestos could have been used?

29) Legionella

•Are there any risk areas such as cooling towers, showers or air conditioning systems?

•Is there a record of a testing regime?

30) Environmental issues

•Is the property in a position where it is going to be exposed to adverse weather conditions?

•Is it in an area of outstanding natural beauty?

•Does an ecological survey need to be carried out?

•Is there a record of any protected species in the area or within the property boundary?

31) Flood/drainage risk

•Is the property on a flood plain?

•Have there been any cases of flooding in the past?

•Does insufficient drainage pose a risk?

•Are the car park, entry and egress routes free of puddle forming areas?

•Are all drains free flowing etc?

32) Energy efficiency

•Is there an energy performance certificate for the building?

•Where there is no energy certificate supplied is it possible (from the age and construction of the building) to gauge the likely performance of the building?

•Are utility bills available for analysis by the energy management team?

Services (to be completed by the contract manager)

33) Travel plan

•Is there a travel plan?

34) Proposed/existing capacity

•How many people does the property need to accommodate?

•Is it big enough?

35) Car parking

•How many spaces are available?

•Is the car park illuminated appropriately?

•Is the car park adequately drained?

•What measures are in place to control access?

•Is access restricted by barrier, shutters or a manned booth?

•Would the car park be available for staff or the public or both?

•Is the car park secure?

• Are there any planning restrictions on parking arrangements?

•Can additional spaces be added at a later date?

•Could the area be used for another purpose – such as a building?

36) Proximity to services

•Is the property close to a railway station or on a bus route?

•Is it close to a local settlement?

37) Location

•Is the location rural or urban?

38) Access

•Is an access audit available?

•Is the building suitable for its intended purpose; if not, should alternative property be sought, or costs produced for the modification of non compliant areas?

39) Grounds

•What grounds are contained within the property boundary?

•Is the area turfed, landscaped, paved or a mixture?

•Are there borders or planters which will require maintenance?

•Are there any trees or hedges?

•Is there a water feature or seating area?

•What lighting is provided?

•Is there evidence of fly tipping, vandalism or litter?

•What are the grounds bordered by?

40) Security assessment

•Are there any obvious security implications (bearing in mind the purpose for which it is to be used)?

•Is it in an area of high graffiti or vandalism?

•Is the building in a high crime area?

•Did the previous owners experience any security issues?

•Does the building have an intruder alarm?

–Is it hard wired or wireless?

–Is it a monitored system?

–If it’s a monitored alarm, is the police response active?

–When was the last time the alarm was serviced and is there a maintenance agreement for it?

•Are all external windows and doors operable and do they have functioning ironmongery?

41) Tree survey

•Has a tree survey been carried out and if so, are there any implications?

•How many trees are there, where are they, what species are they, what condition are they in and what liability (if any) will apply to the owner of the property?

42) Fire risk assessment

•Is a fire risk assessment available? If possible, a copy of the current assessment should be obtained (if the property is taken on then the new occupier will need to carry out their own assessment).

43) Shared services

•Are any areas shared with other tenants?

•Is there an intruder alarm for each separate area of occupancy?

44) Welfare facilities

•Are welfare facilities suitable, sufficient and adequate to serve the proposed number of staff who will be using the property?

45) Showers

•Are there showers at the premises (unless the work which is to be carried out there is such that not to have showers would be detrimental to health, there is no legal requirement to provide shower facilities)?

46) Toilets

•If the building is to be open to the public, are there separate staff and public toilets?

•Does the decoration enable easy cleaning?

47) Kitchen

•Is drinking water available?

•Is there a suitable seating area for staff to use during breaks (with washing facilities nearby and a means of heating food or water for hot drinks)?

Option appraisal summary(to be completed bythe asset manager/valuer)

Agreement (to be completed by the client)

Are you prepared to proceed with the acquisition accepting the shortcomings noted in the initial inspection record and option appraisal summary above?

Comments:

Do you have sufficient budget to make good the deficiencies noted in the initial inspection record and option appraisal summary above?

Comments:

Signed: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Date: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Prepared by:

Chris Jackson

Policy and Training Manager

Property Services

14 June 2011

If you would like this information
in another format please contact:

Cornwall Council
County Hall
Treyew Road
Truro TR1 3AY

Telephone: 0300 1234 100

Email:

Property procurementInitial inspection record and option appraisal summary 1

Version 1.0