October 30th, 2024
Understanding Radon: The Silent Threat
To most, unless you have a vivid memory of the periodic table, the term ‘radon’ won’t mean a whole lot. However, if you’re a homebuyer in the process of purchasing a new property…
Building Safety.
December 11th, 2021
Condensation – A Case Study
In this article, Alan McKeown, Building Surveyor at Plumb Stone Surveyors, shares a case study of a non-invasive damp survey he carried out. The scope of the survey, requested by the landlord of…
February 17th, 2020
Grenfell Tower – What Have We Learned From Phase 1 of the Inquiry?
In October 2019 Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower report was published by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, convened under the chairmanship of the Rt Hon Sir Martin Moore-Bick. Phase 1 of the inquiry…
February 16th, 2020
External Wall Fire Review
In December 2019, RICS introduced a new industry-wide initiative with the aim of helping people living in high-rise property who had been left in limbo as a result of the fall-out from the…
August 10th, 2019
Unsafe Gas Installations
Negotiating your way through a property whilst giving due consideration to any gas installation can be a tough challenge, and while a Gas Safe registered engineer is sufficiently qualified to inspect gas installations,…
June 10th, 2018
Assessing the Safety of High-Rise Buildings
by Phil Parnham MRICS A year on from Grenfell Tower The fire at London’s Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017 was a human tragedy. As the disaster continues to be covered by the…
April 16th, 2018
Fires Due to Faults in Electrical Cables
1.0 IntroductionAccording to a report in the Guardian Newspaper in August this year (and following the Grenfell Fire) it was reported by the London Fire Brigade that nearly one fire a day in…
February 16th, 2018
Fire Risk Assessment and The Residential Practitioner
An article by Phil Parnham (Bluebox Partners) and Richard Twine (Regulation Solutions) 1.0 Introduction The fire at Grenfell Towers is a national disaster. Until all the investigations and enquiries have finished and their…
February 10th, 2018
Assessing Damp in Cavity Walls
Dampness in an insulated cavity wall is very complex. It is also a controversial area where I suspect many surveyors who find dampness in an insulated cavity wall will assume the wall insulation…