Commercial Inspections

A commercial inspection is the core building condition report: every accessible system inspected, documented, and rated. A Property Condition Assessment performed to ASTM E2018 packages that same report with an accessibility survey and opinions of probable cost into one coordinated deliverable.

If your lender's commitment letter calls for a "PCA per ASTM E2018," you need an ASTM E2018 Property Condition Assessment. If you're a buyer or owner who wants to understand the building's condition, the commercial inspection is usually the right place to start, and you can add pieces as you need them.

For more on how the two standards relate, read ASTM E2018 and the ComSOP: How Two Standards Work Together.

The best time is before a decision that depends on the building's condition, and that looks different depending on who you are.

Buyers: as early in your due diligence period as you can, so there's time to get contractor bids, negotiate, and decide whether to move forward before contingencies expire. If you're new to the process, What Is a Commercial Property Inspection, and Do You Need One? walks through it.

NNN tenants: before you sign or renew. Under a triple-net lease, maintenance and repair costs often fall to the tenant, so documenting condition up front helps you negotiate terms and gives you a baseline to point to when the lease ends.

Owners and property managers: ahead of your annual budget cycle, when you take over a building, or before a major system's warranty runs out. The report separates routine upkeep from the larger replacements coming down the line.

Institutional investors: on a regular cycle across your portfolio, or before a refinance, recapitalization, or sale. Reports built on the same standard make it easy to compare condition and capital needs from one property to the next.

No. It's a visual evaluation of the condition of the building's accessible systems, not a code inspection or a technically exhaustive engineering study. We don't open walls, excavate, or dismantle equipment, so concealed defects can go undetected.

Where we see a safety concern or a condition that needs a closer look, we flag it in the report and recommend further evaluation by the appropriate specialist, such as a structural engineer or licensed contractor.

Not necessarily. Seeing the whole building is our specialty, and a full ComSOP inspection of every accessible system is the right fit for most acquisitions and condition baselines. If your concerns are more specific, though, we can narrow the scope to the systems that matter to you, like the roof and HVAC ahead of a lease renewal, or electrical and life safety before a change of use.

Tell us what you're trying to find out and we'll build the scope around it. Just keep in mind that systems left out of the scope won't be covered in the report, and a limited inspection may not satisfy a lender that requires a full assessment.

Because the ComSOP is visual and non-invasive, concealed conditions behind walls or underground, load testing of equipment, elevator and escalator operation, and environmental assessment are all outside the standard scope. Tenant improvements are looked at only as they relate to base building conditions.

Many of those gaps can be filled in the same engagement, like a sewer lateral inspection for underground drain lines or a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment for environmental due diligence. The Phase 1 ESA vs. PCA article explains where each one fits.

Yes. Add a Cost-To-Remedy Report for written opinions of probable cost on the deficiencies we find, or a Capital Forecast Table for replacement planning with inflation factoring, over whatever number of years you need. Both are structured to line up with the inspection report, which makes them useful for price negotiation, repair credits, and underwriting.

Very little. The inspection is visual and non-destructive, and nothing is opened or removed. We'll need access to the roof, mechanical and electrical rooms, and occupied spaces, so we coordinate entry with you or your property manager ahead of time.

The one exception is a sewer lateral inspection, if you add one. The building's plumbing can't be used while the camera is in the line, so we'll schedule that part with you to keep the interruption short.

For apartment buildings, the ComSOP allows us to inspect a representative sample of units rather than every one.

It depends on the building's size and type, the number of buildings or units, access, and any add-on services. The fee is typically a fraction of a percent of the purchase price, which is small next to the cost of discovering a major repair after closing. Request a proposal with the property address and we'll put together a quote.