Schedule of Condition
If you are undertaking construction work to your property, it is advisable to ensure that a thorough Schedule of Condition Report of the neighbouring property is prepared in advance of your proposed works commencing.
What is a Schedule of Condition Report?
A Schedule of Condition Report involves a qualified Surveyor visiting an adjoining owner’s property prior to the building owner’s construction work commencing.
The Surveyor will prepare a thorough report which fully confirms the condition of the property and all elements within it. This report then acts as a record of proof for the condition of the property in advance of the construction works commenced.
Once all the building owner’s construction works are complete, the original report is then checked off by one of our Surveyors to ensure that the property remains in the same condition that it was in advance of the works commencing.
Why is a Schedule of Condition Report important?
In our experience, a Schedule of Condition Report is one of the key parts of the construction process and as a result we recommend them in all cases.
The Schedule of Condition Report not only adds clarity to a potential damage claim, but it also avoids a potential dispute between the respective property owners, thereby ensuring that no strain is put on the all-important neighbourly relationship.
The Schedule of Condition Process:
1) Construction Work Review
A Surveyor reviews the existing plans and proposed plans in advance of the construction works commencing.
At this key stage the Surveyor will review the proposed construction works from the perspective of the adjoining owner’s property, thereby identifying those areas within the adjoining owner’s property that will be included within the Schedule of Condition Report.
2) Surveyor Site Inspection
A Surveyor visits the adjoining owner’s property in advance of the construction works commencing to take a recorded schedule of its current condition.
The aim of the inspection is to ensure that there is a thorough and impartially prepared record in place prior to the construction works commencing. That being said it isn’t uncommon for a Surveyor to leave site with hundreds to thousands of photographs and pages upon pages of descriptions.
3) The Schedule of Condition Report
A Surveyor will now prepare the full report that sets out the existing condition of the adjoining owner’s property.
The report will include a thorough written record of the property condition, fully indexed photographs (usually in the region of 100 to 1,000) and finally a copy of the photographs on a USB stick or CD.
This Report will then be provided in both PDF format and hard copy to both the building owner and adjoining owner.
