As a tenant taking on a new lease it is essential to understand the condition of the building you are about to lease, as during the lease period you are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the property. At the end of the lease period your landlord will expect the property to be handed back in the same condition as it was received – often a cause for disagreement.

The Schedule of Condition can be attached to the lease and can be used to determine your liabilities during your dilapidation negotiations, providing peace of mind and a useful “snap shot” to the beginning of the lease period, potentially saving you thousands in repair costs.

Our building surveyors frequently prepare Schedules of Condition alongside Pre-Acquisition Surveys or Lease Negotiation Reports, providing a consistent and defensible record for both landlords and tenants.

If you are a landlord, property manager or property owner having an understanding of your likely maintenance costs is really helpful to determine budgets, service charge requirements or upcoming costs looking ahead from 5-20 years.

It is really helpful to determine budgets, service charge requirements or upcoming more immediate costs.
PPM is the maintenance that is performed purposely and regularly to keep the structure and fabric, facilities, plant and equipment of a building in satisfactory operating condition. This is achieved by providing for systematic inspection, detection and correction of failures, either before they occur, where actually present or before they develop into major defects.

PPM programmes are usually prepared to cover 5–10-year maintenance periods.

Our PPM reports often complement Building Surveys and Defects Investigations, allowing clients to move from diagnosis to a managed maintenance strategy.

Construction projects are often administratively complex and time consuming, the role of our surveyor is to monitor, advise on and manage the contractual aspects of the project delivery.

This involves understanding the client requirements, provide documentation to describe the works often as part of a design team, to obtain competitive tenders for the work and quality assess each bid. Once the best bid is agreed with the Client produce the contract and oversee the works managing time, quality and cost of the project.

The surveyor is responsible for the management of the construction project lifecycle from start to finish. This means managing the development process from conception, through design, procurement and construction and delivery stages until final handover.

Many of our Project Management instructions evolve directly from our Development Appraisal and Building Survey work, ensuring technical and financial advice are perfectly aligned.

Our Defects Surveys provide a focused assessment of specific building issues, from structural movement and damp ingress to roof failure and drainage defects. Each inspection is undertaken by a Chartered Surveyor with the technical experience to identify the root cause, not just the symptoms.

Our reports set out the nature, cause, and likely extent of the defect, together with practical recommendations for remediation. Where appropriate, we also include indicative repair costs to help clients plan remedial works and negotiate effectively.

Defects Surveys are often undertaken in conjunction with our Valuation or Purchaser Reports, allowing clients to understand both the technical and financial impact of an issue.
Where remedial works are needed, our Contract Administration and Project Management teams can take the project through to completion, offering a complete, end-to-end solution.

Beyond financial appraisals, we offer tailored development consultancy services to help clients maximise returns and achieve their long-term goals.

Our consultancy approach begins with financial modelling to assess a range of development options. We leverage our commercial expertise and market knowledge. Synergy between project admin, construction costing and building surveying. This enables us to identify the most viable and profitable strategies based on market conditions, site constraints, and the client's objectives.

We also provide cost-saving recommendations that improve project margins without compromising on quality. From value engineering to phasing strategies, our insights help reduce risk and strengthen the overall business case.

In addition, we deliver strategic advice that aligns with each client’s financial return requirements and wider aspiration, whether that involves securing planning, optimising layouts, business rates considerations or structuring deals that support future growth.

By modelling various financial scenarios and uncovering opportunities for value creation, we help clients unlock the full potential of their sites. Our goal is not just to assess viability, but to actively support better outcomes.

A development appraisal evaluates the financial viability of a proposed project, considering both the land’s value to the owner and the risks faced by the developer in bringing it to completion.

Securing independent valuation advice is a crucial step in determining whether a development is financially sound, proceeding without it can pose significant risks.

Woods Chartered Surveyors provides development appraisals and valuations for landowners, developers, and Registered Providers, helping assess the feasibility and potential of their projects. Learn more about this service and contact us for further information.

At Woods Chartered Surveyors, our valuation team brings specialist expertise in development costs and delivers detailed appraisals and valuations to support developers, landowners, and Registered Providers. Our insights help clients enter negotiations with a clear, informed understanding of a project’s financial viability.

Clients also rely on our development appraisal services to evaluate planning obligation contributions, assess land use options, and determine affordable housing requirements.

Our appraisal work often connects directly to our Development Consultancy, Valuation, and Project Management services, ensuring both the numbers and delivery strategy align.

Alongside our development advisory services, we have extensive experience acquiring and disposing of land on behalf of clients.

Our team manages the full process — from site identification and liaison with planning consultants through to transaction structuring. This includes forward-funding proposals, lender presentations, sale-and-leaseback arrangements, and other non-conventional deal structures.

We have a strong track record of delivering favourable outcomes, particularly in the healthcare and supported living sectors.

Our approach focuses on creative, strategic deal structures that meet clients’ specific requirements while mitigating risk. Whether securing land for residential, mixed-use, or specialist schemes, we prioritise value, certainty, and long-term viability, for both retained holdings and disposals.

These services often flow from our Development Appraisals and Valuations, giving clients a joined-up understanding of feasibility, value, and delivery options.

We provide market value reports to support lease renewals, new lettings, and rent reviews across office, industrial, and retail sectors.

We also act on behalf of clients in lease negotiations, combining market insight with strong negotiation skills to secure the most favourable terms.

Our Valuation and Building Survey expertise underpin our lease advice, allowing us to balance technical and market considerations in every negotiation.

We undertake RICS Red Book valuations for a wide range of commercial and mixed-use properties, supporting purposes including secured lending, acquisition, financial reporting, and investment strategy.

Our valuations are grounded in rigorous market evidence and professional standards, providing clients with clear, defensible advice.

While founded on RICS Red Book methodology, our disposal and purchaser reports go further — considering longer-term market trends, yield movement, and sector-specific factors.

These reports provide clients with the insight needed to make confident, informed decisions, even when we are not acting as an acquiring or disposing agent. We can integrate our findings with our Building Survey and Defects Survey services, enabling sensible pricing adjustments for identified defects and helping clients negotiate from a position of informed strength.