Octavia Housing and Care – Due Diligence Surveys
The stock for Octavia Housing and Care comprised 47 flats within five blocks, situated in the Pimlico district of the City of Westminster. The blocks comprised a large sheltered housing scheme and four converted Victorian properties (one of which had undergone significant rebuilding in the late 1980s).
Faithorn Farrell Timms' instruction was two-fold. Firstly, Octavia Housing and Care required a building survey of the properties to identify if there were any immediate wants of repair that may give them cause for concern. Secondly, we were to capture stock condition survey data in electronic format, for importing into their newly purchased asset management database.
The surveys were undertaken over a three-day period and, with co-operation from the residents, 40 of the 47 properties were inspected internally - a higher proportion than was originally anticipated. This survey return enabled us to confirm to our client that the sample of properties inspected was more than representative and that any extrapolated results would have a high degree of accuracy.
The electronic survey data was captured with handheld computers, loaded with ECMK's Pocket Surveyor. It was then uploaded into Integrator, their new asset management database, to provide data analysis and reports to our client as and when they required.
Within our report, we provided the client with a detailed written description of the building components and their condition, an estimate of the planned maintenance liabilities over a 30-year period (together with an assessment of compliance with the Decent Home Standard) and energy ratings.