Residential

“Effective communication between service providers, owners, tenants, lessees and landlords is vital, irrespective of the service being provided.”

Building Surveys

Building Surveys are undertaken for a variety of reasons including for the assessment of overall condition of a property, through to investigating causes of movement, cracking, leaking, dampness and so on.

Due diligence and pre-acquisition surveys are usually undertaken where advice is sought by a client on the condition of the building fabric prior to an investment or purchase of a property. That investment may be an outright freehold or long leasehold purchase or it may be a short or medium term lease investment. Irrespective of the nature of the investment an assessment of risk is of paramount importance and usually this type of survey would also include the identification of defects & remedial works, advice on any proposals / planned alterations and advice in connection with on-going maintenance liabilities.

CDM Principal Designer

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) came into force on 6 April 2015, replacing CDM 2007. A Principal Designer is required to be appointed by a Client where a project involves more than one contractor and are responsible for the planning, monitoring and coordination of health and safety in the pre-construction phase of a project.

The Principal Designer is also required to prepare and provide relevant information to other duty holders under the CDM Regulations and will also continue to assist the Principal Contractor during the construction phase.

Contract Administration

A core part of our service provision involves us running capital works projects. These range in value from sub £10K up to £3M+ across the residential and commercial sectors. Typically, our involvement is split into Pre-Contract and Post Contract phases.

PRE-CONTRACT

Detailed site inspections and investigations
Preparation of a detailed specification of works
Selection of suitable contractors for tendering
Collation of tender documentation
Tendering
Full analysis & recommendations
Post Contract

PLACEMENT OF CONTRACT

Collation of formal contract documentation and overseeing signing
Chairing meetings and carrying out regular site inspections
Monitoring & administrating the contract works
Monitoring contractor (against parameters of programme, cost & quality)
Contractual financial management including valuations
Contract certification (including variations, payments, time related certificates)
Final accounting & sign off

Defect Analysis

Our services in respect of this area of our business range from identification of a building defect, through to its remedy which will often require the preparation of schedules of repairs and overseeing the implementation of the works to completion.

We will undertake all investigation and exploratory work and will provide advice on options for repairs and costs. Where required we arrange for other consultants to provide specialist advice. We also select suitable and approved contractors and co-ordinate the works to completion.

Development Monitoring

Acting on behalf of funders, investors and other project stakeholders, we advise and report on all aspects of a project including technical, financial, statutory, programming and legal issues.

Our primary role is one of due diligence, to ensure that our client’s interests are not exposed to undue risk as a project develops. We carry out monitoring to ensure that quality standards are adhered to throughout the design and construction process and provide regular updates via a strict reporting procedure.

Expert Witness

Shaun Harris acts as Expert Witness for both landlords and tenants, freeholders and leaseholders, primarily within the residential sector providing expert opinion in connection with the repair and maintenance of property, including planning and forecasting works and expenditure, procurement, management and execution of works contracts. Andrew Shepherdson and David Royal are also both equipped and experienced to act as expert witnesses in fields ranging from contract disputes through to latent defect identification and insurance claims.

Fire & Flood Reinstatement

Working on behalf of freeholders and landlords and in close harmony with the insurance companies and the loss adjuster community we have over the years built a reputation for calm heads and efficient administration. Whether a property has been fire damaged or flood damaged the key is to follow the process of reinstatement methodically whilst instilling a sense of steady speed.

We place a great deal of stock in working closely with all parties and communicating the how, the why and the when. With both fire and flood reinstatement projects our involvement requires our teams to commit to higher than normal frequencies of on-site management and direction.

Landlord & Tenant Advice

Harris Associates provides independent advice to landlords and tenants on a myriad of L&T related issues. Often working alongside legal representation at due diligence or pre-acquisition stage we can advise on covenant liability, interpretation of specific clauses and provide practical advice and guidance by referencing the liability to the actual situation “on the ground”. We are also asked by agents and representatives of both landlords and tenants to carry out assessments, prepare reports and assist in negotiations either relating to disputes or where a lease is being assigned / purchased or surrendered.

Licences for Alteration

We provide advice and guidance to freehold and management companies, primarily in connection with residential mansion blocks, where lessees wish to carry out alterations to their flat or apartment that require a formal licence for alteration.

Our involvement differs from client to client but typically includes the following:

Initial review of tenant alterations
Liaising with tenant / tenant’s team to advise and agree “technical aspects”
Coordinate appointment of landlord specialists (if required)
Advise on Licence terms, including technical aspects, requirements for damage deposit, Schedule(s) of Condition, etc.
Carry out Schedules of Condition
Ensure that all documentation is in place ahead of works commencement
Ensure tenant has satisfied the requirements of the licence
Carry out third party checks such as reviewing contractors insurances
Where required, monitor and inspect the works regularly
Sign off works on completion
Sign off and check Schedules of Condition
Ensure all documentation is in place and that works have been carried out in accordance with the Licence to Alter

We are engaged by clients to compile and draft leaseholder guidance relating to tenants’ proposals for carrying out alterations. This service often involves re-writing existing guidance and modernising the documentation to incorporate up to date best practice, regulatory and legislative stipulations.

Planned Maintenance Programming

The formulation of a Planned Maintenance Programme (PMP) gives the building owner and / or maintenance provider a management tool which can be used to set in motion a maintenance and improvement strategy. Having a PMP in place is the keystone to ensuring that the requirements of the property are understood, the necessary works are planned for and a sustainable financial plan is adopted.

Lease obligations, best practice, technological advances, financial parameters, services provision and legal constraints are among the factors that need to be considered when drawing up a PMP. It is also imperative that as chartered building surveyors we are not overly dictatorial but moreover we concentrate on working with our clients to ensure that any PMP remains flexible to the clients sometimes changing priorities.

We work with other professionals, including services consultants and where possible we will assess the options available in the context of future proofing and identifying areas where changes might lead to a far more effective energy strategy.

Reinstatement Cost Assessments

The regular and cyclical review of the sums insured for fire reinstatement purposes is vital to ensure that the property rebuilding cost is accurate. Under or over-valuation can result in over exposure to unnecessary risk. We have the experience and expertise to carry out insurance valuations whether the building be a grade 1 listed townhouse, a mixed use town centre office and shopping centre or an out of town science park.

Statutory Approvals

Our core services see us working on some fabulous buildings, many of which are listed and / or architecturally outstanding. Our Design team will very often take the lead on projects where statutory consents are necessary including building control approval, listed building consent, conservation area consent and planning permission.

The complexity of a specific project will dictate the detail and scale of the submissions to achieve the required consents. We have a wealth of experience in dealing with a wide range of projects including office to residential conversions, extensions, major window replacement schemes, over-cladding of 1960’s blocks through to smaller apartment reconfigurations and small scale alterations.

We also work alongside some market leading Approved Inspectors to ensure that Building Regulations standards are complied with, yet we often consider alternative solutions to satisfy the relevant guidance without compromising compliance.

Feasibility

More often than not before a project really gets underway the client will need to assess the feasibility of a scheme. At feasibility stage it is not just about the design. Technical requirements, statute, environmental considerations, services options, structure and of course cost will all need to be considered and the relevant constraints and parameters identified.

The design aspect of any scheme is of course critical but is not considered in isolation. Procurements and contract considerations would also be considered at feasibility stage as well as other external factors such as location, surroundings and neighbourly matters.