When building new properties, contractors often have to destroy old properties. Before knocking down old properties, contractors should invest in a dilapidation report. Removing old properties can affect traffic and create disputes between property owners. If your work involves tearing down old structures, you’ll need a dilapidation report.
What is a Dilapidation Report?
A dilapidation report assesses a property’s condition before contractors begin building around it. The report includes structural damage and areas of the property that could be affected by construction work, demolition, and excavation.
Some local agencies require dilapidation surveys before approving new blueprints and construction projects. These reports protect involved parties from claims from homeowners claiming the construction damaged their properties.
In the first step of the dilapidation report, surveyors inspect a property to look for pre-existing damage before a contractor begins building on an adjacent location.
After the construction is completed, the surveyor inspects the property to determine if any new damage occurred. The pre- and post-construction reports can keep property owners from filing claims due to damage from construction. It also protects the property owners, by giving them a tool to claim if the new construction caused damage.
When Should You Get a Dilapidation Report?
Contractors should hire inspectors to conduct surveys before they begin construction work. Inspectors should also complete a survey after the new structure is completed. Inspectors can compare the two reports to show if any damage occurred while the new structure was built and if the land around it was excavated or demolished.
Why Get a Dilapidation Report?
Third-party agencies complete dilapidation reports to show how the construction did or did not affect surrounding properties.
Independent Surveyors Remain Unbiased
The independent report records the pre-existing property’s condition and shows if the property was damaged as a result of the new construction. Inspectors will look for cracks, stresses, water damage, deterioration, and concrete damage.
They share their findings in the first report, then conduct a second one to determine if the stressed areas were damaged by the new construction. Because an independent agency conducts the survey, the report is unbiased and only shows the facts.
Contractors Know Where to Take Precautions
The dilapidation report helps contractors take precautions when building near pre-existing structures. They can reduce their movement, vibration, and water use in areas that could cause damage to weakened structures. Most contractors don’t want to pay for damage to other buildings, so they can create guidelines for their employees.
The report also serves as a guide for contractors when they are finished with their new construction. They can put landscaping and original structures back where they were before the new construction began.
Removes Fraudulent Claims
Without a dilapidation report, property owners can claim that the new construction damaged their structures. Those claims could be completely fraudulent, as the property owners look for an easy way to get someone else to pay for repairs. The report protects the contractors, and it protects the property owners for actual damage claims.
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