Vacant Property Inspection

The main reasons to inspect vacant property are to mitigate property loss and comply with insurance indemnity conditions.

The design of routine inspection form is based primarily on management to reduce and control risk to property which is recommended by insurance company such as Allianz. They typically look at topics such as fire safety; security; H&S; business continuity and weather-related risks.

The property inspection is not a standalone activity. The action in itself does not make the building safe for occupiers and visitors. The property services must be regularly maintained to an acceptable standard such as CIBSE Guide M. The control of contractor activities is equally important to provide a safe working environment in a commercial property hence the need for Site Safety Rules.

An inspection form should include fire risks; safety related building services; security; H&S; occupier and general condition. The form ideally is a one page document. It is not designed to be a comprehensive checklist of facilities management. It is intended to be an observation aid on the general appearance of the building with particular attention to insurance breaches. This form can therefore be used as a record that “an inspection” has taken place on the date and location shown. In summary, the routine inspection form is a brief record of a site visit carried out by FM as one operational element of property management.

This type of inspection is frequently carried out by security company as an add-on service where they already provide either keyholding or periodic external security patrol. The main disadvantage of such service is heavily reliance on the inspection form alone. It lacks the FM perspective which goes beyond a standalone activity. 

Vacant property inspection should be carried out by a FM practitioner.