Commercial Building Survey in London

A commercial survey assesses the accessible parts of a building and reports on significant defects, repair needs and technical matters relevant to your brief. It is often described as technical due diligence, a pre-acquisition survey or a pre-lease survey.

The purpose is to provide useful information for your decision: what needs attention, what requires further investigation and which issues may affect expenditure or negotiations. Findings should be considered alongside legal, financial and operational advice.

A survey is not automatically a market valuation, a services test or a certificate of statutory compliance. These requirements should be identified when the appointment is agreed.

We survey offices, shops, warehouses, industrial units and other commercial premises across London and the South East. Tell us about mixed uses, multiple units or occupied areas so access and scope can be planned.

The agreed scope can consider the accessible structure and building fabric, including roofs, external walls, windows, doors, floors, internal finishes and visible evidence of damp or movement. The surveyor records significant defects, explains their implications and recommends further checks where needed.

• Condition and construction of the elements included in the brief.
• Visible defects, repair needs and maintenance priorities.
• Access restrictions, missing information and inspection limitations.
• Technical concerns relevant to the proposed occupation or transaction.
• Recommendations for specialist investigations or additional advice.

A Schedule of Condition may help define repairing obligations when properly incorporated into a lease. Your solicitor should advise on the wording and legal effect. For more on the scope of technical due diligence, see RICS commercial property guidance ↗.

Commercial survey fees are quoted individually. A small, straightforward shop and a large, occupied industrial property can require very different inspection and reporting work, so a generic starting price can be misleading.

• Floor area, age, construction and condition.
• Height, complexity, number of units and building services.
• Occupied areas, access restrictions and specialist access requirements.
• The transaction, proposed use and documents available.
• Report detail, additional investigations and any cost advice requested.
• Agreed deadlines and any separately commissioned specialist input.

Your quotation sets out the scope, exclusions, fee, applicable VAT and expected timing. Where fees are stated excluding VAT, the quotation confirms the amount payable. Compare proposals on the work included as well as the price.

Request a tailored commercial survey quotation →

Send the property address, approximate floor area, current and proposed use, and whether you are purchasing, leasing or managing the premises. Explain your concerns, plans for alterations and any deadline.

Useful documents can include available plans, proposed or existing leases, relevant schedules, maintenance records, previous surveys and information about asbestos or services. Tell us which records are unavailable rather than assuming they have been checked.

Arrange access to the areas in scope, including relevant roof spaces, plant areas and occupied units where safe and permitted. Restricted access may affect the findings or lead to recommendations for a further visit.

1. Discuss the premises

   Tell us the transaction, intended use, concerns and key dates.

2. Agree the appointment

   Confirm the inspection, documents, report, fee and any additional services.

3. Inspect and assess

   The surveyor examines the accessible areas included in the brief and records limitations.

4. Report and consider

   Review the findings, recommended enquiries and next steps with the relevant advisers.

Inspection and report times vary with the building, access and agreed work. We confirm expected timing before instruction. Any urgent transaction deadline should be raised at enquiry.

Harding is an independent, RICS-regulated firm established in 1997, serving London and the South East. Our commercial building surveyors advise on condition, repairs, schedules of condition and dilapidations.

We help you define an appropriate brief and understand the practical significance of the findings. Separate valuation, party wall or expert witness services can be discussed where relevant.

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