In this blog post, we will be discussing what is a Schedule of Condition report and in when it can be useful to you...
What is Schedule of Condition Report?
A Schedule of Condition is generally a report which assesses the condition of a property at the time of the inspection.
This Schedule of Condition Report usually provides a descriptive analysis of specific parts of a property or in some instances the whole property.
The descriptions usually outlines the title of the feature being described, the material of this feature, the finish applied to this feature and also the condition of this feature; whether it is intact without any damages. If there is damage then this is to be described in the most accurate way possible, usually the description of the damage references the type of damage it is, the width of the damage, where the damage originates from and how long the damage extends for. As well as the descriptive aspect of the report, a photographic inspection is completed in order to relate the descriptive aspect of the inspection to the relevant image.
Additional Read
How are the Party Wall Procedures Executed?
When and Where is the Schedule of Condition Report Used?
The fundamentals of a Schedule of Condition Report mentioned above can be useful in many instances, one of the circumstances it is typically used in is under the Party Wall etc Act 1996 whereby an agreement is produced to ensure that both a Building Owner and Adjoining Owner is safeguarded from proposed building works carried out by the Building Owner. One of the ways to reinforce this is by carrying a Schedule of Condition inspection of the adjoining owner’s property prior to the building works commencing. This can be useful if a possible claim arises as if damage occurs during the building works or after the building work is completed then it will provide an accurate representation of the condition of the property before the works and therefore highlighting if there is a valid claim or not.
A Schedule of Condition report can also be used with general construction works in instances the Party Wall etc Act 1996 may not apply or when it has been avoided. Sometimes a client may ask this inspection to be carried out at a neighbouring property or properties as a precautionary measure in case damage later arises at the neighbouring properties.
Other instances a Schedule of Condition Report is useful is when a client is carrying out a Licence to Alter when moving into a new lease. As a Licence to Alter is an agreement which sets out conditions under which any alterations may be carried out so that no unexpected conflicts later arise. Typically, before carrying out the alteration it would be sensible to carry out a Schedule of Condition Inspection and subsequent report to provide an accurate representation of the premises to the leaseholder before the alteration takes place. This can be useful for many reasons, as the leaseholder can determine whether any charges apply at the end of the lease or may be used as an instrument to instruct the license holder to return the premises in the same condition and layout as it was prior to the alteration.
