Nationwide Commercial Building Consultancy Services

Designed to help you truly understand an asset before you commit to your purchase; this type of survey is targeted at commercial property and follows RICS guidance. It provides a point in time assessment of the condition of every element of the building along with providing an overview of leases, contracts, and statutory approvals. It highlights areas of concern and if required it can provide indicative budget costs for remedial works. Depending on the size and complexity of the building we would advise on whether additional consultants are required (such as MEP, planning, environmental, structural consultants) to feed into the report. We manage the process and coordinate all findings into a single report that enables you to move forward with confidence.

Our expert team provides RICS-compliant RCAs for a wide range of property types across the UK – giving you clarity, compliance, and confidence.

We assess the cost of rebuilding your property from the ground up, including demolition, site clearance, professional fees, and compliance with current building regulations. Whether you’re a landlord, investor, occupier, or managing agent, we help you avoid the risks of underinsurance or overpaying on premiums.

An essential component of your long term asset management strategy; a Stock Condition Survey and/or PPM survey provide a point in time assessment of condition in a simple, easy-to-digest way, and are usually completed in detail every 5 years and reviewed annually. They enable reactive and planned maintenance works to be captured and planned for over a prescribed period, typically 10 years (although we can forecast further). This is particularly useful to manage Service Charges and maintenance budgets along with capital required to enhance or maintain the property. SBC can complete this on one property or entire portfolios and in varying levels of detail bespoke to your requirements. If required, we can also assist with the procurement of maintenance providers such as window cleaning and HVAC maintenance.

Buildings deteriorate over time and occasionally specific issues arise like leaks, damp, or aesthetic decay. SBC can complete a fully independent survey specifically aimed at the problem and identify the root cause of the issue and recommend the required remedy. We can also procure and manage the repair if required.

Most commercial leases will have some form of dilapidations liability, usually in the form of repairing and reinstatement clauses. They are not always the easiest to interpret and many are overlooked when entering new leases, it is only upon lease exit that they come to peoples’ attention. And they can come with very large, unexpected costs.

With a decade of experience working within the office/workspace lettings sector, we have an innate commercial acumen. Whether working for a landlord or tenant, we’re able to protect our customers against unnecessary expenditure and find the best possible resolution. Our approach to dilapidations is guided by our client’s requirements; considering the impact of the lease and the law, both common and statutory. SBC can advise on the dilapidation situation of your property and undertake interim and terminal schedules of dilapidations and negotiate settlements. If you are acquiring a commercial premises or a business with active leases, it is worthwhile understanding them in detail so that you can adequately plan for the lease exit.

Schedules of Condition are typically the best way of demonstrating the condition of a premises at the start of a lease. It is a photographic schedule of all elements with brief descriptions of the items and their condition. They provide an invaluable reference in dilapidation claims for the original layout, condition, and specification that the premises is required to be returned to.

Usually completed under a “Licence to Alter” (LTA) which documents the alteration the tenant is proposing to make to a building. This may be putting up partitions or installing new equipment on the roof. Capturing this information is important for all parties to ensure the works are not detrimental to the building as a whole and that they can be identified as part of dilapidation claim at lease expiry. It can also ensure that the works being carried out are of sufficient quality and completed by competent and insured contractors. SBC can assist with the LTA process for Landlord or Tenant, to ensure it is a quick and hassle-free process.

SBC has an abundance of experience of managing refurbishment projects of all shapes and sizes on a large variety of building types. Whether it is a small office refurbishment, roof replacement or a full building renovation, we can assist in ensuring the works are specified and managed safely and delivered on time and on budget. We can assemble and manage design teams from concept to completion and offer initial feasibility advice before the scheme even gets moving to discuss the opportunities and challenges it may face.

Energy efficiency and Net Zero Carbon are hot topics globally, specifically within the property, building and construction sectors. Limiting the carbon footprint of property is a main driver and metric for the UK to meet its Net Zero aspirations. Therefore, regulation and legislation in this area are only going to tighten year on year. Like most things, it comes with a cost, but if a plan is put in place early and carefully thought through, that cost can be limited and planned for. In September 2023, UK government scrapped the MEES targets set in 2021 for the residential property market and left the commercial sector with lots of questions as it was somewhat unaddressed. The MEES regulations require all commercial property to have an EPC “C” or above by 2027 and a “B” or above by 2030, although this is not yet enforceable. The lack of clarity is likely due to the Government coming to terms with what this actually involves. While enforcement of the current proposed standards, or a new set of targets, is yet to be confirmed, they are still likely to come into effect in the not-too-distant future. Therefore, moving towards these targets now will pay dividends in the future. SBC has experience working on large complex portfolios across the UK to establish a MEES and Net Zero Strategy for each individual asset to ensure it can maintain its saleability, improve profitability and – as a result – reduce operating costs.

Last year, the government announced a £650m growth package to drive forward the UK’s life sciences sector. As a result, the development and management of life science facilities, including wet and dry lab space, continues to skyrocket. With a number of years of experience in life science project management, SBC is able to assess the viability of a building or space for your lab requirements, whether that be retrofitting an existing lab or creating a new one in a newbuild or in an office building. The key fundamentals don’t change and we apply real life experience and extensive MEP and building knowledge to determine the feasibility and practicality of creating lab space that meets your business requirements. Not only can we assist in the feasibility of your plans, but we can also ensure your requirements are clearly documented and captured by the design team as well as being able to project manage the delivery of the scheme.