Building surveying excellence requires understanding the age of a property, intricate knowledge of how it was built and to trace typical defects likely to arise from the era it was built. We call this following the trail of suspicion and is what our experienced team of Chartered Surveyors and Chartered Building Engineers do.

For those worried about all things fire safety such as façade cladding or the external wall system, if you are not sure firstly if your block of flats needs an EWS1 Survey or how to go about the improvements necessary to improve the EWS1 Certificate rating from a B1, B2 or B3 to an A1, A2 or A3 then our EWS1 Consultancy advice may help. Ringley act as the go to commentator on all things fire safety for The Daily Telegraph as well as lecture for the RICS, UK Apartment Association and MCHLG so are bang up to date with all things fire. From balcony structures to fire stopping around openings to compartmentation and grant applications under the Building Safety Fund in England or the Building Passport Fund in Wales our Engineers are here to help.

Contract Administration is the term used to cover the work involved when a Chartered Surveyor or Chartered Engineer plans, specifies, tenders and then administers the form of contract for a building works project. Typical projects might include:

• external repairs & redecorations
• internal common parts repairs and redecorations
• upgrading or replacing communal services or fire safety works
• extensions or structural alterations and adaptions

Serious and now infamous fires such as Bradford City F.C., Kings Cross Underground Station, Lakanal House and Grenfell Tower resulted in periodic updates to Fire Safety guidelines and Legislation, including the Fire Precautions Act 1971 and the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997. These and other Regulations were replaced by the Regularity Reform (Fire Safety) order 2005, which removed the removed the responsibility for issuing Fire Certificates from the Fire Brigade, putting the obligation to ensure Fire Safety onto the ‘Responsible Person’.

The RICS* Homebuyers Survey is a brief report designed by the RICS* in conjunction with the Consumer’s Association with you, the ‘homebuyer’ in mind. A Homebuyer Survey nicely draws together advice in a concise way that doesn’t leave you reading pages of technical data unsure which bits are relevant.

A building survey is a fuller health check of a building and should be an essential part of the buying process particularly if you are buying an older property, or are contemplating alterations or extension. The building survey, which will be carried out by a Chartered Surveyor will look at all elements of a property to identify hidden defects giving you the opportunity to renegotiate the price and save money.

A schedule is a list, in proeprty terms there are generally 3 types:

1. Schedule – wants of repair
2. Schedule – dilapidations
3. Schedule – condition

Most of us, share a part wall with our neighbour and few property development areas cause upset and dispute, arising from works to these shared walls.

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 (Click here to see the act in full) protects us when work is being carried out to shared walls.

Due to deaths and injuries on construction sites, to enhance Health & Safety in 1994 The Construction (Design & Management Regulations) (CONDAM) were introduced. This was been updated in 2007, and again to the current version as The Construction (Design & Management Regulations) (CDM) 2015.

These Regulations create a number of legal obligations on ‘duty holders’, which orders that Health & Safety of a construction project, is considered at the earliest stage of design, throughout the project and beyond completion, including ongoing maintenance – a life cycle approach.

A disability access audit will provide you with a list of modifications that you should make to a property to ensure it offers an ‘inclusive environment’ to guests and visitors. This can include access to a building, communal circulation areas or a list of modifications within a property required perhaps because the occupant is disabled, infirm or perhaps wheelchair bound.

Maintenance, refurbishments and renovations are essential parts of life cycle assessment of any construction.

Life Cycle Assessment consists of following aspects:

• Design,
• Construction,
• Operation,
• Maintenance,
• Renovation,
• Demolition.