What We Do For
Commercial Property Owners & Purchasers
Services
Technical Due Diligence Reports
For companies looking at potentially purchasing commercial premises for example retirement villages, hotels, warehouses, office buildings. This includes ordering the council property file and reviewing all documents on record, visiting and inspecting the entire building/s and providing essential commentary on the condition of the entire building/s, identifying any concerns or risks in terms of condition, weathertightness concerns, seismic performance, fire safety performance and any other potential risks that may affect the purchase decision. For buildings that have difficult to access roofs ABS use a drone, so there will be no area that is not able to be viewed.
Weathertightness Investigation / Leak Investigations
This includes a full forensic investigation of all issues, remedial recommendations and monitoring of repairs. In many cases this will involve a “destructive survey” where discrete parts of the building cladding will be cut open at suspected compromised locations for detailed examination, and then neatly put back together again. ABS surveys and reports may also be required as “Expert witness reports” These surveys and reports will be able to prove whether the building is performing satisfactorily or not and what risk the type of cladding and details pose. In addition ABS has a structural engineer, architectural draftsperson and builders that we can utilise to help you, and they will all be at very competitive rates. However, you are welcome to make use of your own consultants and contractors should you wish to.
Air Testing
ABS offers air sampling of commercial premises such as retirement village apartments where there is a situation of vulnerable people living in spaces that have had a history of leaking building cladding, leaking roofs or ground water problems. We are able to attend at short notice and carry out air sampling within various living spaces, return the samples to the laboratory, and obtain the analysis within a short timeframe, then produce a summary that can assist the owners in terms of managing mould issues and potential health issues for their residents, thereby reducing the risk of legal liability from health complaints or deaths that may occur. ABS has a long relationship with Biodet laboratories, who have an excellent reputation. In addition to the air sampling we also can include mould swab sampling to determine if there is any risk of faecal contamination.
Obtaining Council Sign Off
For your commercial property CCC or COA (Code Compliance Certificate or Certificate of Acceptance). This includes a full forensic investigation of all issues raised by council, remedial recommendations and monitoring of repairs with updated report of completion to council prior to sign off. This includes arranging council inspections and liaising with council inspectors. This may be required for example if you are planning on selling the building in the near future, but there are issues that are not signed off by council. Unless you obtain full council sign off, you will not achieve a good sale price, and will have to sell at a discount. In addition, some lending institutions are reluctant to provide finance for buildings that have not been signed off by the council. ABS have a relationship with structural engineers, architects and builders that we can utilise to assist you at short notice, and they will all be at very competitive rates. However, you are welcome to make use of your own consultants and contractors should you wish to.
Insurance Assessment & Reinstatement
Does your insurer require a report from a qualified building surveyor in order to assist with the processing of an insurance claim? ABS can report on the damage, and can identify the cause of the damage, and who is liable for the repair costs. In addition, we can recommend the repairs and monitor the repair work.
