Consultancy Services
Previous
Next
Fire Safety Engineering
Our Fire Engineering team have a wealth of experience gained over many roles and sectors delivering innovative solutions to ensure our clients comply with their statutory obligations. We provide the full range of fire engineering services, including but not limited to:
- Fire safety advice during concept, design and construction.
- Fire strategy reports and plans.
- Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and smoke control system design.
- Fire Risk Assessments as required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO).
- Means of escape assessments.
- Fire safety management plans.
- Fire safety inspections and reporting for compliance with RRO, including landlord inspections.
- Fire Safety Training.
Party Wall Surveyors
The Party Wall etc Act 1996 gives homeowners rights to do work to the party wall (shared wall) and when excavating or building close to the boundary line. The main obligations are to tell the neighbour that
the work is to be done and to repair any damage that might be caused by the work.
Under the Act the person carrying out the work is known as the Building Owner and the neighbour is known as the Adjoining Owner. AIS can act for either or both parties to ensure that the provisions of
the Party Wall etc Act are met and ensure a smooth progression of your projects.
CDM Advisor Services
AIS has a wealth of experience providing health and safety services, we have a CDM advisory package to suit your needs and help you undertake your duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
You will be allocated your own personal CDM advisor who will be your single point of contact throughout the project. Our services are flexible and can be tailored to your needs, they include but not limited to:
- Initial health and safety site survey to ascertain existing health and safety issues, and to identify where further information will be required prior to the start of construction.
- Advise of required pre-construction information following a site survey and produce a report for inclusion detailing potential health and safety issues identified.
- F10 notification to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as appropriate and manage for the lifetime of your project.
- Review the Construction Phase Plan and ensure it is appropriate and produced to enable work to begin on site and reviewed at health and safety site visits.
- Attend design team meetings and offer CDM and health and safety expertise.
- Undertake site visits / audits to review existing and potential health and safety risks and ensure they are being managed appropriately.
- Carry out competency checks to ensure that any contractors or designers that you engage for your project have sufficient skills, knowledge and experience to work safely.
- Review health and safety information relating to your site to help ensure that documents are suitable and sufficient for the project.
- Collate and produce Health and Safety files including periodic review.
Expert Witness
When things go wrong our team of experienced independent and unbiased professionals are ideally placed to step in and give an expert verdict on matters that are in dispute. An Expert Witness is someone who has a special knowledge, skill, or experience in the subject about which he/she is to testify. The primary function of an expert witness is to express his independent expert opinion based on the information that is provided. The time this skill is called upon is generally when things have gone wrong and a dispute arises that is heading towards litigation.
The overriding duty of any expert is to the court, or other judicial body, to help it decide matters within the expert’s expertise and not to the person paying the expert’s fees. Expert evidence must be independent, objective and unbiased. We act as an expert Witness for private individuals and corporate clients or as a ‘Single Joint Expert’ appointed by the court. AIS are an RICS regulated practice, our Chartered Surveyors conform to the requirements of the RICS Practice Statement for Surveyors Acting as Expert Witnesses. Our Chartered Engineers follow their specific professional institute guidance where that differs from the RICS Practice Statement. Furthermore all are bound by the requirements of the Civil Procedure Rules that govern the way court cases are conducted in England and Wales.
Building Surveying
Licence for Alterations
Tenant alterations to a leased property are normally undertaken subject to a Licence for Alterations. This is a legal document annexed to a lease which carefully identifies and records the works to be undertaken and the reinstatement obligations at the lease expiry.
Licences can produce significant and contentious disputes between the landlord and tenant. With our well established expertise in Dilapidation matters, we know that dealing properly with alterations before they are carried out will significantly reduce the scope for dispute. Defect Analysis/Building Pathology AIS has a wealth of experience in the survey and diagnosis of construction and building fabric defects to all building and construction types and ages. We use our expertise on construction methods and materials, along with an up to date knowledge of current failures, to:
- Carry out site inspections and appraisals.
- Identify and analyse any defects.
- Provide in depth and analytical advice.
- Specify, tender and oversee implementation of sympathetic and cost effective repairs.
Dilapidations
It is usual in any lease that the tenant will have certain obligations as to what condition the property should be left at lease end, so AIS acts on dilapidations instructions on behalf of a wide variety of landlords and tenants across all property sectors, building types and ages.
Schedule of Condition
A Schedule of Condition is a record of the precise condition of a building and the associated external surfaces and boundary areas at a certain point in time. AIS has extensive experience in the production of such schedules for landlords, tenants, contractors, developers, building owners and adjoining owners.
For more information about our services and to discuss your project needs please call 020 7491 1914.