The purchase or lease of a commercial property is a major investment for your business. As the building owner, naturally you are liable for any costs associated with repairs and maintenance. But even under the terms of a commercial lease, the leaseholder will normally be responsible for the building upkeep and routine repairs. These factors mean that it is essential to have the roof inspected prior to the contemplated purchase or lease, so that you can enter in to any potential contract with a full appreciation of the future costs you may be facing.
Prior to the purchase or extended lease of a property, it is standard practice to engage a building inspector to provide an inspection and report on the condition of the building and highlight any faults to be aware of. This is a wise practice, and one that can save large sums of money down the track. Building inspectors, however, are not roofing experts. While they may (or may not) get up on a building’s roof and form a general opinion as to its condition, they do not possess the specialist expertise to assess roof design, construction and condition to predict the future emergence of costly faults. Poorly designed drainage, for example, may not be obvious to the untrained eye – but the rust damage that can be caused over coming years by pooling water can cost a purchaser thousands of dollars in repair costs.
Where you are the leaseholder of a property, the lease may impose obligations on you to carry out building repairs and maintenance. These conditions make it important that you understand the condition of a commercial property’s roof before you agree to lease. If there is undetected pre-existing damage to a roof, or flaws in the design or construction that are likely to cause problems to emerge during your tenancy, you may find yourself liable for large repair costs. An independent roof inspection prior to entering in to a lease can allow you to negotiate responsibilities with the landlord and ensure that you are not faced with unexpected costs as a result of pre-existing conditions.
Roof Inspection Reports have the specialist expertise and extensive industry experience to provide you with a comprehensive report on the condition of your roof, allowing you to be in possession of all of the relevant information before you make business decisions.