Blog
The Importance Of A Schedule Of Condition Report
Thursday 25th July 2019
Carl O'Boyle BSc MRICS FCIOB MFPWS
party wall schedule of condition
A Schedule of Condition is essential! Whilst not actually a legal requirement when it comes to Party Wall matters, it is strongly advised as it's like drawing a line in the sand to record the condition of all of the adjoining properties before the building works begin and it is essential for Surveyors to enable in most cases, to resolve disputes when it comes to reported damage.
Party Wall Schedules of Condition are normally partial in that they only record the condition of the neighbours' property adjacent to the notifiable works.
A Schedule of Condition should report on the existing condition of the neighbours property and report on whether the condition in that area is good, fair or poor.
When recording existing cracks it's important to classify them by their direction (are they vertical horizontal or inclined), whether they are tapering and finally the width and length of the crack. It's also important to determine whether the existing plaster on the party wall is sound or whether it is blown (has become detached from the subsurface).
Sometimes we find when visiting Adjoining Owners properties to carry out a Schedule of Condition that the Party Wall is completely obscured by heavy furniture, built in wardrobes and book shelves from floor to ceiling. In these instances it is not practical to remove these items and the Surveyors will note that inspection was limited due to these obstacles within the Schedule of Condition report.
We at Tayross Associates not only describe the condition of the Adjoining Owners' property but we will actually record them on a PowerPoint presentation with individually numbered photographs and individually numbered defects clearly defined.
Having a clearly defined Schedule of Condition report which is backed up with annotated photographs makes it much easier for Surveyors and owners of properties to quickly resolve issues.
We at Tayross Associates often come across cases where the Adjoining Owners will not permit the Surveyor to carry out a Schedule of Condition. In these cases, we will where possible always carry out an external Schedule of Condition of the Adjoining Owners property from the Building Owners side where possible.
Unless it's very obvious to us as Surveyors that damage has been caused by the building works we will not entertain any claims for damage where the Adjoining Owners have refused access to the properties to carry out a Schedule of Condition.
We at Tayross Associates always recommend that when carrying out reports where the scaffold is fully erected that the Building Owner or their agents take a set of further photographs as we normally find that upon closer inspection of areas such as roofs; defects are concealed and are not visible when viewed from ground level (such as lead flashing behind the chimney stacks).
If you are a Building Owner and would like a Schedule of Condition to be carried out by one of our experienced Surveyor's, then contact us today on 020 8426 1448. Alternatively, if you would like a commercial schedule of condition then click here to read about our services.
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This article was written by Carl O'Boyle BSc MRICS FCIOB MFPWS. Carl is a full professional member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a member of the Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building for which he currently sits on the CIOB professional conduct committee and adjudications panel.
If you have any Party Wall enquiries then please call us at our Pinner office on 0208 426 1448. We cover all of Pinner, Harrow, Stanmore, Northwood, Central London and the surrounding areas.
