Assessing a flat and its shared maintenance risks

Building Survey, Belsize Park, London NW3

The brief

A purchaser needed to understand the condition of an apartment within an interwar block and the likely maintenance obligations associated with ownership. Our inspection considered the flat and the accessible shared elements.

Our work

The building appeared broadly sound, but the roof’s age and condition raised the prospect of significant communal work. Within and around the flat, the report highlighted electrical documentation, gas-safety checks, the entrance door’s fire performance and attention to corroded or leaking rainwater goods. These were assessed separately from general wear and decoration.

The outcome

The report combined a list of immediate specialist checks with enquiries into the management of future roof and external works. This helped the purchaser distinguish items they could address within the flat from larger liabilities requiring information from the freeholder or managing agent.

Scope and limitations

• Visual, non-intrusive inspection of the flat and accessible shared elements.
• Electrical documentation, gas safety and the entrance door's fire performance were referred for specialist checks rather than tested.
• The scale of future communal roof work depends on information from the freeholder or managing agent.

The client is identified here by role only, and the exact address is not published.