Richardsons Building Surveying captures a wide range service for the built environment and local construction industry.
Like the UK, Gibraltar is a place where more and more people and commercial organisations demand greater professional standards and ethics in the construction industry. With this in mind, qualified members regulated by RICS are the best choice to safeguard your property interests and gain the most from our unique built environment.
Maintenance and refurbishment of historic buildings require a good knowledge of traditional building materials and techniques to ensure the end result compliments the buildings architectural merits.
We adopt modern construction methods and high quality materials in our innovative designs. Learn about cutting edge building technology in your next project.
Richardsons have the multi discipline expertise to deal with all of your property needs. As a buyer or seller you may wish to have a professional report and valuation of your property prior to the transaction. As an investor you may want feasibility studies and budget estimates carried out as a first step for your project.
Our surveyors use the latest software packages to create stunning 3D visualisations and accurate plans and elevations using computer aided design. The standards we use in our building specifications and contracts are in line with current UK practice standards and RICS guidance.
Property owners and purchasers typically choose one of the three RICS surveys. These are the Condition Report, the Homebuyer Report or the Building Survey.
The Condition Report is a standard visual inspection that aims to show up potential issues and defects, before any transaction takes place. The survey will also identify things that need to be investigated further.
The Home Buyer Report is a Condition Report with a market valuation and reinstatement cost to help you avoid under- or over-insurance. The report includes a more extensive roof space and underground drainage inspection where this is possible and will aim to advise you on the amount of ongoing maintenance required in the future. The report will help you decide whether you need extra advice before committing to purchase and helps you prepare a budget for any repairs or restoration.
The Building Survey is more in depth and would normally exclude the market valuation and reinstatement costs. The report will establish how the property is built, what materials are used and how these will perform in the future. Potential problems posed by hidden defects are investigated and we outline the repair options to give you a repair timeline.
Whilst the first two report types are typically used by potential purchasers and investors, the Building Survey is geared towards buildings that require considerable maintenance, a refurbishment or adaptations for a change of use between the residential and commercial sectors.
There are times when property owners or tenants require specialist advice for rectifying a particular problem with their building. In these cases we can provide a defect diagnostic survey and report. These surveys look at a specific problem and recommend cost effective and long term solutions. They can assist in disputes between landlords and tenants over repair obligations or other clauses in their leases. We also act as independent experts and provide evidence to the Civil Court in the form of a professional report.
The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive was transposed into local legislation via the Building (Energy Performance) Rules which came into force on the 4th January 2009. The rationale behind these rules is to ensure minimum energy performance standards are met in new build and refurbished properties as well as providing potential buyers and tenants a useful energy rating that indicates how energy efficient your home is. The ratings are standard so that the energy efficiency of one property can be easily compared with another property of a similar type.
The competent authority for Energy Performance legislation in Gibraltar is the Department of the Environment. In order to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your property, a Government accredited energy assessors will prepare your EPC and provide recommendation reports using a standard form that is specific to Gibraltar and its climate.
Where applicable, the report should also provide information that may help to reduce the running cost of the property.
The Directive requires that all buildings be issued with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) upon construction, sale or rental. Under the terms of this legislation a building is defined as one that uses energy to condition the indoor climate i.e. buildings with fixed heating or cooling installations.
For more information about energy performance in buildings and for contact details of accredited assessors, please visit https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/environment/energy/energy-performance-buildings.
When you buy a property you need to know exactly what you’re getting. It may have a number of problems that you can’t see, but a qualified Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) member will be able to find. So before you commit to buying your dream home, make sure that you request a RICS HomeBuyer Report from a qualified RICS member. It will help you:
The report is colour coded, to make it easy to see if and where there areproblems with the condition of the property. Make sure your dream homeisn’t a nightmare in disguise with a RICS HomeBuyer Report.
The report focuses on matters that, in the surveyor’s opinion, need to be dealt with or may affect the value of the property. The surveyor inspects the inside and outside of the main building and all permanent outbuildings, but does not force or open up the fabric. They also inspect the parts of the electricity, gas/oil, water, heating and drainage services that can be seen, but they do not test them.
To help describe the condition of the home, the surveyor gives condition ratings to the main parts (or ‘elements’) of the building, garage, and some parts outside. Some elements can be made up of several different parts. For example, a home can have a pitched (sloped) roof to the main building and a flat roof to an extension. In this case, the surveyor will give each a condition rating and use the worst one to define the element in each report section.