Commercial Building Surveys & Technical Due Diligence
RICS-regulated pre-acquisition and pre-lease surveys for office, retail and industrial property across London, Surrey and Sussex — so you understand your liability before you sign, not after.
What is technical due diligence?
Technical due diligence (TDD) is the systematic review of a commercial property’s physical condition before you commit to buying or leasing it — the structured discovery and analysis of everything affecting a building’s fabric, services and compliance risk, giving you a clear view of the costs and liabilities attached to the asset.
Our reports work through the building element by element and answer the questions that matter: what, if anything, is wrong; what it would cost if left unrepaired; who is responsible; and what further investigation is needed. Every issue carries a clear traffic-light risk rating, so you see at a glance what needs action now and what can wait.
As an RICS-regulated practice we work to the RICS Technical Due Diligence of Commercial Property professional standard, with direct client-to-surveyor contact throughout. TDD is distinct from a residential RICS Level 3 building survey and from a valuation — it targets the physical and compliance risks specific to commercial assets.
What our commercial surveys cover
Building fabric & structure
Roof, walls, windows, structure and external envelope, with projected major cost items across your hold period.
Mechanical & electrical services
Review of M&E installations; for larger or more complex buildings we coordinate with an M&E specialist.
Statutory & fire safety
Fire safety, asbestos and health-and-safety compliance, flagging anything that needs immediate action. We can also advise on specific defects and damp.
O&M & building documentation
Review of available O&M manuals, BMS data and statutory records held on site or in the data room.
Roof & high-level inspection
In-house aerial drone surveys for safe, close inspection of roofs and elevations without costly access.
Dilapidations & lease liability
On leasehold deals, a Schedule of Condition records the building’s state at lease start and limits your end-of-term dilapidations liability.
The four types of due diligence we provide
RICS recognises four distinct due-diligence scenarios — we tailor the report to yours.
Acquisition
Buying freehold or long-leasehold: understand risk and future capital expenditure before you exchange.
Occupation (pre-lease)
Taking a lease: know your repairing obligations up front and protect your position with a Schedule of Condition.
Disposal (vendor survey)
Selling: a vendor report gives buyers confidence and keeps your transaction on track.
Refurbishment / development
Planning works: a technical baseline to scope and cost the project accurately.
What to expect
A straightforward process, with you in direct contact with your surveyor throughout.
1. Instruction & scope
We agree the scope, property type and any specific concerns, and confirm timescales and fee up front.
2. Inspection
A chartered building surveyor inspects the fabric, structure and services on site — using in-house drone survey for roofs and high-level elevations.
3. Traffic-light report
A clear, methodical report scoring each issue red, amber or green, with projected costs and who is responsible.
4. Follow-up advice
Direct access to your surveyor to talk through findings, further investigations and how they affect your deal.
Why it pays to look before you sign
Skipping technical due diligence is how buyers inherit unforeseen capital expenditure the day after completion — and regulatory breaches that can stop a building being let at all.
Energy (MEES): a commercial property currently needs an EPC of at least E to be let in England and Wales. The standard is tightening — the government’s June 2026 response confirmed buildings over 1,000 m² will need EPC B from 2031 (subject to cost-effectiveness). A poor rating can make an asset unlettable.
Fire & asbestos: undisclosed fire-safety or asbestos issues can mean immediate, unbudgeted cost and legal exposure — which is why we screen for them as standard.
Dilapidations: full repairing and reinstatement obligations can turn an attractive lease into a major end-of-term liability, especially on older buildings. See our guide to dilapidations surveys.
Property we survey
We carry out technical due diligence and commercial building surveys on office, retail, industrial and warehouse units, hotels, healthcare, education and mixed-use property — across London, Surrey and Sussex, and the wider UK.
Your key contact
Ben Salvage MRICS C.Build E MCABE
Director | Chartered Building Surveyor
Ben leads Blackacre’s commercial building surveys and technical due diligence. Speak directly to a chartered surveyor who will scope the work, run the survey and talk you through the findings — no call centres, no hand-offs.
Commercial surveys: your questions answered
A commercial building survey (technical due diligence) assesses the physical condition, defects, services and compliance risk of a property — what it will cost you to own or occupy. A valuation gives a professional opinion of market value. They answer different questions, and most acquisitions need both.
It’s strongly advisable. On a full repairing and insuring (FRI) lease you take on the building’s condition, so a pre-lease survey and a Schedule of Condition record its state at the start and limit your end-of-term dilapidations liability.
It depends on the size and complexity of the property and how quickly documentation is made available, but a typical commercial TDD runs from inspection to report within roughly one to two weeks. We agree timescales up front and keep you in direct contact with your surveyor.
Fees depend on the size, type, age and complexity of the building and the scope you need — a single retail unit is straightforward; a large mixed-use or industrial asset takes more work. We quote each instruction individually, so you only pay for the scope required.
RICS Level 3 (formerly a ‘full structural survey’) is the residential standard. Commercial technical due diligence follows the RICS Technical Due Diligence of Commercial Property standard and additionally covers M&E services, statutory and fire-safety compliance, O&M documentation and lease/dilapidations risk. See our RICS Level 3 building surveys for residential property.
Yes. We screen for asbestos-containing materials and review fire-safety and health-and-safety compliance as part of the report, flagging anything that needs immediate action or specialist follow-up (such as an asbestos management survey or a fire risk assessment). Undisclosed issues here are among the costliest a buyer or tenant can inherit.
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) mean a commercial property generally needs an EPC of at least E to be let in England and Wales. The government’s June 2026 response confirmed buildings over 1,000 m² will need EPC B from 2031, subject to cost-effectiveness. We flag the current rating and the risk to lettability as part of due diligence.
Following RICS guidance, every issue in the report is rated red, amber or green — so you can immediately see what needs urgent action, what to budget for, and what is routine.
Office, retail, industrial and warehouse units, hotels, healthcare, education and mixed-use buildings — across London, Surrey and Sussex, and the wider UK.
Related services: measured building surveys, schedules of condition, dilapidations, contract administration and drone surveys.
Considering a commercial acquisition, lease or disposal?
Talk to our RICS-regulated commercial building surveyors. We work across London, Surrey and Sussex — and cover the wider UK — with fast, thorough reports and direct client-to-surveyor contact.
London: 107–111 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2AB · Sussex: Curtis House, 34 Third Avenue, Hove BN3 2PD