Commercial Inspections

Property condition assessments are needed for many purposes and for many different groups, here is an overview of each and how we can help.

PCA’s typically follow the layout of the ASTM 2018-08 standards, but this really depends on the depth of inspection our client needs.

Lenders

Sometimes lenders need PCA’s to determine the condition of the real estate they are about to take on as an asset. Key issues for these clients usually include life safety components, immediate repair or replacement liabilities, general condition and life cycles and costs relating to the same.

Once we understand the needs of the lender, we will customize a inspection program according to their instruction.

Here is an overview of a typical Property Condition Assessment outline based on ASTM standards.

Real Estate Investors

Whether you are purchasing a warehouse or a 20-story building, making informed investment decisions is critical and this is where an AmeriPro Property Condition Assessment can help.

Each PCA will be determined based on your needs. Typically, we conduct an evaluation of all the major components of the building or group of buildings and report accordingly. The degree of evaluations will depend on the depth of inspection you require.

For example, we typically conduct an overview utilizing our “general practitioner” building inspectors first. These inspectors are extremely knowledgeable in all areas of construction and building diagnostics. This is the most cost effective approach for all prospective clients. Our findings can then determine if a more detailed review is needed and by whom.

Sometimes our client’s needs far exceed the “general practitioner” approach and the need for a “surgeon” is essential as part of the team from the beginning. In this case, we deploy specialized individuals in the various areas of concern based on your instructions and budget.

While our fees can be high in price depending on the scope of inspection, the peace of mind from an investment perspective is invaluable and more often than not, far exceeds the cost to remedy list.

Property Condition Assessment:

• Scope
• Site Assessment
• Interviews
• City Building Department
• Building Systems Evaluated
• HVAC Systems
• Elevators
• Plumbing
• Data and Telephone
• Boilers
• Electrical
• Fire Suppression Systems
• Building Evaluation
• Foundation
• Structure
• Roof Diaphragm
• Interior Finishes
• Building Envelope
• Site Improvements Evaluated
• Pavement
• Drainage
• Signage
• Lighting
• ADA Access

Almost all building owners/managers have dealt with moisture intrusion and microbial activity and the significant costs associated with the same. In all cases we have seen, the owner/manager has submitted to doing whatever the contractor says needs to be done without stopping to question the validity or the expense, often because of the legal implications these issues lend themselves to.

At AmeriPro, we do not conduct any repairs, we are consultants only. That means that we do not benefit from the cost of the remediation, large or small.

Mold screening or sampling can be conducted as a precautionary measure to minimize risk or where issues are noted by owners, building managers, condominium associations, etc. Determining the requirements for actual mold-related issues is never straight forward as each case must be individually reviewed, so that we can prepare an effective sampling and assessment plan. Where you know you have a mold problem, it is very important that we are informed of all the details of the problem.

When mold screening assessments or sampling is conducted as a precautionary measure by new homeowners, investors, commercial purchasers or owners to minimize the risk of microbial issues with the building they are buying, renting or owning, it is not as difficult.

Typically we recommend following the Indoor Air Quality Associations (IAQA) standards, which suggests one sampling test per thousand square feet plus exterior baseline testing. These samples are sent to a laboratory for analyzation and reporting on the contaminants found.

These are baseline mold inspection evaluations designed to minimize the risk of mold contamination in your new home or building. They are typically based on visual inspections of the building in question and may or may not include testing.

The inspection will outline any visible areas of moisture or moisture-related issues throughout your home or building. Testing is based on the date and time of inspection only. Testing for moisture content and percentage of relative humidity are included as part of this service.

If your funds are being drained by a handful of remediation companies, maybe it is time to change and work with an independent company that represents you and oversees the works being conducted. Call today for more information.

Are you spending literally thousands of dollars on moisture intrusion issues? Are you using remediation companies/contractors for analyzing the repairs or are you using a third party vendor that only provides independent consultancy services to their clients?

Moisture intrusion is a hot topic today because many building owners/managers are suffering; having given companies an open checkbook to conduct so-called remediation repairs!

Refer to the information on Mold Screening Inspection / Pre-Sampling Mold Inspection / Moisture Intrusion.

At AmeriPro, we can help by providing unbiased evaluations of the true condition of the issue at hand. We use infrared diagnostics as part of this analysis, but there is much more to consider! Our senses are a critical part of this inspection.

With our state-of-the-art infrared diagnostic cameras, we can track leaks, evaluate building facades, analyze flat roofing materials, and determine plumbing defects. We also back the cameras up with additional testing and tools, such as moisture metering devices, inner wall analysis, humidity testing devices and much more. We also use our infrared cameras to analyze electrical panels, switches, receptacles, aluminum wiring, and to determine vulnerable areas for leakage in roofing, wall surfaces, water heaters, HVAC equipment and much more.

If you are looking for unbiased reporting on building components and conditions, from a company that does not conduct construction work, then call AmeriPro as your third-party quality assurance provider. We know we can save you money and expense and reduce the open checkbook affair you have become accustomed to.

Our insurance inspection experience has shown that many homeowners, apartment communities and condominium associations have suffered storm damage, only to have to pay for repairs themselves when the roof leaked prematurely or because it went unnoticed until the home or building sold and a buyer’s inspection was conducted. Some insurance adjustors are not motivated to find every issue with regard to your insurance claim. Some may or may not enter your attic or spend the time necessary to conduct a detailed evaluation of your issue. Having your home or building inspected by an independent inspector qualified in building defects following damage after a storm will give you the exact picture of your home or building to present to your adjustor. Get what you deserve and make sure your home or building is fixed correctly.

AmeriPro offers affordable storm damage assessments for building owners/managers. Having pre-storm documentation and post-storm reports is an excellent way to ensure you are protected when and where you need to be.

Our partner, Inspection Depot, Inc., has developed a management system for your quality assurance needs which we currently use. The inspection reporting module (automated report builder) allows us to deploy completely customized inspection reporting online for data collection in the field, within 24 hours or less.

This means that we can completely customize inspection reports for your company based on your needs. Our automated in-house auditing and validations embedded in each report also reduce the inaccuracies of reporting that many builders have been plagued with over the years.

All the data we collect enables you, as a builder or contractor, to pinpoint problems with construction details, specific projects, certain house plans, individual superintendents and much more.

We give you 24/7 access to your data, inspection reports and quality assurance reports. We are continually enhancing the functions and features to ensure your risk is further minimized.

By knowing where repeated mistakes are made, we know we can help you eliminate waste and reduce your costs even more.

This is a service we offer that is available to insurance carriers, banks, builders, lenders or any client bringing a volume of inspections. There are two programs which we currently offer.

Third Party Administrator

Under this program, we offer the client their choice of inspection companies and allow these companies to register and conduct their inspections through our application. Inspection Depot, Inc., acts as a third party administrator, ensuring that all inspections and inspectors are qualified through our system. It is not exclusionary, as any inspection company approved by the client can become a member, so long as they meet our minimum insurance, experience, training, and standard inspection business requirements.

Our clients benefit tremendously from standardized reporting and data collection, centralized storage of and access to information, quality assurance auditing on the data collected, and one point of contact for inspection questions or issues.

Inspection companies also benefit by having the additional oversight provided by our quality assurance team and application validations. We help limit their liability as well as our client’s. The QA review entails an in-house review of all submitted reports before approval/release and a random, quality control re-inspection program. Everyone wins.

For more information on this service, please send us your information by Clicking here. One of our representatives will contact you promptly.

Quality Assurance Re-Inspection Program

The second service we provide is a quality assurance re-inspection program. We are appointed by lenders, banks, insurance carriers, builders, homeowner associations and more to re-inspect properties previously inspected by another firm. Because of limited regulation in the inspection industry, reports and accuracy of data are often questioned by many of our clients. The goal of this program is to determine the performance of our client’s inspection management or property management companies to ensure they are receiving what they are paying for.

With this program, our clients get the peace of mind of a second set of eyes. For insurance carriers, it is probable that this service will save you millions of dollars based on our findings. For homeowners associations and property managers, we can save you thousands of dollars in incomplete or inflated repair findings, lower your remodeling bills or save you the headache and expense of replacing roof coverings prematurely. For banks and lenders, there are tremendous pressures to qualify your assets through an appropriate inspection program. Builders will receive higher quality and our program will enable you to hold your subcontractors to a higher standard.

With our QA re-inspection program, we will validate the quality, accuracy and integrity of your current contractor’s work/inspection.

For more information on this service, please send us your information by click here. One of our representatives will contact you promptly. Goes to contact us

With both programs, all of your inspection data is centralized on our validated inspection reporting system and accessible 24/7 by you and any users you approve to view your account. This is a service available to insurance carriers, banks and lenders that is two fold.

Quality Control Re-Inspections

Random, quality control re-inspections are offered as part of our inspection service to ensure the validity of our data, or to conduct second opinion inspections where previous inspections were red-flagged or rejected for possible invalid or incomplete data.

Centralized data is major consideration of any inspection management or property management company contemplating conducting large volume inspection contracts. Whether it be foreclosure, insurance, preservation or other inspection contracts, having hundreds of contractors working with their own inspection report types and systems creates a headache for the person organizing the project. In addition, without centralized data, the quality assurance processes cannot be undertaken and the risk of erroneous or fraudulent reporting is much higher.

Relying on PDF reports, email communications, manual tracking, hard copy filing, manual QA, etc. is not good enough when you can have all your contractors submit through an easy-to-use system collecting your data in one place at little cost to you!

As a qualified inspection management company, you must be equipped to handle the needs of multiple inspections and inspectors efficiently. We can help you do just that. Having an online management system with sophisticated quality assurance and client management allows us to deploy a qualified and trained inspector anywhere in the country.

Our online system enables all users, including our banks/lenders and respective underwriters to see and track real time the data collected and the status of the inspection.

For more information on an inspection management system Click here

AmeriPro provides building owners, property managers and condo managers the most up-to-date technology to manage your inspection orders, reports and more.

If appointed as your building consultant, you will be given an account in which you can log in at any time to review any inspection conducted for your association. We store all reports for a minimum of 5 years.

If you need to see the roof verification inspections, condition audit inspections, contractor progress inspections including dated photographs and other uploaded documentation, from past inspections, simply log in and download. They are always available!

New board members have the ability to review all historical data without having to rummage through thousands of files and pieces of paperwork.