Your business premises or workplace are probably the biggest assets that you or your company will either own or be responsible for.

It can take a lot of money to ensure that these premises remain in a wind and water tight condition or even in a one that reflects your company to its current and potential clients.

Delaney Marling Partnership Limited has experience of working in the education sector with the new academy schools and within the industrial sectors and some of our other clients, helping to ensure that the buildings and surroundings are maintained.

We undertake this by establishing the current condition of the premises by carrying out an asset management survey in order to establish a five or ten year asset management plan for the site. This is provided by determining a criteria (similar to the DFEE's format) by spending the time needed to establish the current condition of the building, mechanical and electrical services. In order to establish the condition of the roofs and high level structure a mobile elevated platform is utilised.

Following the completion of the survey, a full site condition report is compiled, in line with the criteria set, with a fully costed schedule of works. This assists in prioritising the budget required for the length of years required by the client. This enables the property managers to establish cash flow levels, and set revenue budgets going forward. If used as a working document, this report should be kept up to date. This will assist to determine and set spend levels for items such as external redecoration or roof replacements allowing the funds to be available when they are needed.

The information can be used to establish longer term plans for the buildings whether as part of a portfolio or a single building on a site.

If the building is freehold and it is determined that a high level of expenditure is required to maintain the property over the next 5 -10 years, do you use that break clause to exit the lease? Look at demolition as an option? Or run the asset plan and plan the spend moving forward to help establish a more controlled overhead for the building(s).

We have been commissioned by the academy schools to produce asset management reports. We have been able to use the information gathered to help highlight areas of external funding and build proposals for areas of improvement. The schools have recently used the reports to return asset information to central government as they attempt to establish the condition of the educational stock.

Please contact us for advice and further information.