Commercial buildings-Common defects
When investing in a commercial property, it’s essential to know the overall condition of the building and at the same time checking that it complies with building regulations. Being informed about the potential problems of the building can help save you thousands of dollars, many headaches and lots stress!
Though each building will present a range of defects, some issues are more common than others. The following is a list of the top four most common defects that our Inspectors have come across during a commercial building inspection.
- Cracking
A crack, while it looks unsightly, does not generally indicate a major structural problem but can be found regularly in commercial building inspections. To be sure about the severity of the crack, it would help to engage the services of a property inspector or structural engineer, as they can ascertain the cause and extent of the problem and give you some professional advice on the next steps to take.
- Essential Safety Measures are not maintained
Essential safety measures (ESM’s) include the fire, life safety and health items installed or constructed in a building to ensure adequate levels of fire safety and protection over the life of the building. In most of our building inspections, we have noticed that their ESM procedures are not correctly followed and end up by costing more for the owner in the long term with regards to repairs.
- Leaks
Whether the waterproofing was incorrectly installed or there has been too many bad weather days, many have leakage problems which can lead to the deterioration of the building.
- Roof defects
Some common roof issues that we come across include moisture and roof leaks, fascia boards rotting, rusty and leaking gutters and general lack of maintenance.
To learn more about our Building Condition reports, a downloadable pdf version is available on our website. In the pdf document, we cover what’s involved in a commercial inspection and how our Inspectors can take the anxiety out of making that purchase or lease decision.
If you or one of your clients has a particular building that needs inspecting, we would be happy to provide a quotation. Protect yourself when investing in a commercial property by carrying out your due diligence. Contact a member of our team today on 1300 721 032 or email us at info@spipropertyinspections.com.au.
