With the recent roll out our new Inspections Manager, we’ve done a little inspecting ourselves – into how one of our clients is creating their inspections. A global leader in real estate services, the client manages three types of properties: Retail, Office and Industrial – each of which requires a unique report and set of questions. Considering the module’s flexible formatting and question types, we asked: How are they using the module for each of their industries?

All their inspections include general property questions dealing with snow removal, parking and handicap accessibility/physical obstructions, etc. Here are some of the questions characteristic of each property type:

1) Industrial

Questions for Industrial properties are often geared towards the presence of hazardous materials or chemicals stored on the property. If they are present, and it’s not Four Loko, then they need to examine how the property is prepared to handle an incident in the event of a spill or contamination. They would likely require a materials inventory of all hazardous, toxic, cleaning and raw materials used on-site and include questions on their:

• Annual usage
• Storage method
• Potential for aqueous contact
• Disposal method

Industrial inspections are concerned with sampling and monitoring as well as procedures for spills and slug loads.

2) Office

Office properties tend to muster more musty questions; they ask about mold, asbestos or indoor air quality in the building and the procedure following if these things are found. Let me tell you about a tale of two inspections: it was asbestos times and the worst of times. Tenant health is the obvious concern here, and any exposure to that kind of risk should be enough to scare the Dickens out of you.

Office inspections also focus on the condition and safety of floors, stairways, equipment, air handling systems, washrooms, security measures, and lighting.

3) Retail

Retail property is the Neapolitan ice cream of inspections- containing questions from both the industrial and office inspections. Depending on the tenant in the retail space, there could be hazardous materials on the property that the management company will need to be aware of in case of an incident. These could be medical facilities or automotive store and stations. They also have questions in place to ensure retail tenant and customer safety, dealing with mold or air quality (not to be confused with heir quality- a point of inspection for North Korea).

In sum, when paying a stranger to judge your space, make sure the questions are tailored to your property type!

Is your inspections process up to snuff? Learn how to create, assign and deploy all your inspections online in just four easy steps. Watch a walk through of the inner workings of the Building Engines Inspections Manager.