Specific Defect Report

By Nathan Foley | 1 January 2021 | Specific Defect

What is a specific defect report / Defect Analysis?

Most of our survey reports such as Level 3 Surveys, Commercial Building Surveys are generally designed to provide advice pre-purchase or pre-lease and involve an inspection of the property as a whole. 

Our defect analysis services or Specific Defect reports are usually used by people who live in a property and want a certain item looked at for some professional advice or as has been more common during the last few months following a Building Survey on a residential property and additional analysis is needed like an endoscopic survey to check on cavity wall ties, or cavity wall insulation condition, or a roof survey by drone to get a fuller picture of roofs that can’t be seen from the ground or by pole.

Most specific defect surveys we carry out fall into one of the following categories.

  • Heritage Specific Defect (Damp, Timber defects or roofing defects)
  • Roof Surveys (Drone Surveys)
  • Workmanship issues i.e does the work conform to the agreement in place and appropriate standards such as Building Regulations and British Standards.
  • Dampness and Condensation
  • Structural Movement
  • Endoscopic Surveys
  • Unusual Construction such as steel-framed

A Specific Defect Report can provide a more detailed analysis of a problem than a Level 2 survey, and even a level 3 survey as they can be more destructive they usually allow for some opening up and they usually follow a residential survey (1, 2 or 3) when more information is needed maybe Cavity wall tie failure is suspected and where additional information or a second opinion is needed

In most cases a single inspection will be sufficient for the surveyor to advice with reasonable certainty on the causes and solutions. In some cases it may be necessary to organise opening up of the fabric of the building, inspection via safe access such as a hydraulic platform (MWEP), or specialist input such as a CCTV drainage survey or a soil investigation. All of which we can help to organise.

Specific Defect Reports will allow us to identify the problem, suggest a basic remedy, for larger works we can also bolt-on specification writing and other services such as tendering assistance and project management/contract management.