Definitions:
2.2.1 architect, n—designation reserved by law for a person professionally qualified, examined, and registered by the ap- propriate governmental board having jurisdiction, to perform architectural services.
2.2.2 architecture, n—professional services conducted by an architect in connection with the design and construction of buildings, or built environments
2.2.9 engineering, n—analysis or design work conducted by an engineer requiring extensive formal education, preparation, and experience in the use of mathematics, chemistry, physics, and the engineering sciences.
2.2.10 fire department records, n—records maintained by or in the possession of the local fire department having jurisdic- tion over the subject property.
2.2.11 guide, n—a series of options and instructions that do not recommend a specific course of action.
2.2.12 interviews, n—discussions with those knowledgeable about the subject property.
2.2.13 material, adj—having significant importance or great consequence.
2.2.14 practice, n—a definitive procedure for performing one or more specific operations or functions that does not produce a test result.
2.2.15 publicly available, adj—the source of the informa- tion allows access to the information by anyone upon request.
2.2.16 recreational facilities, n—facilities for exercise, en- tertainment or athletics including, without limitation, swim- ming pools, spas, saunas, steam baths, tennis, volleyball, or basketball courts; jogging, walking, or bicycle paths; and playground equipment.
2.2.17 structural frame, n—the components or building system that supports the building’s nonvariable forces or weights (dead loads) and variable forces or weights (live loads).
2.2.18 standard, n—Where used in reference to ASTM documents, a standard is a document that has been developed and established within the consensus principles of ASTM International and that meets the approval of the applicable procedures and regulations. The term is otherwise used as commonly defined.
2.2.19 system, n—a combination of interacting or interde- pendent components assembled to carry out one or more functions.
2.3 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
2.3.1 actual knowledge, n—the knowledge possessed by an individual rather than an entity. Actual knowledge, as used in this guide, is to be distinguished from knowledge provided by others, or information contained on documents obtained during the course of conducting a PCA.
2.3.2 appropriate inquiry, n—a request for information conducted by Freedom of Information Letter (FOIL), verbal request, or by other written request made either by fax, electronic mail, overnight courier, or U.S. mail. Appropriate inquiry includes a good-faith effort conducted by the consultant to obtain the information considering the time constraints to prepare and deliver the PCR.
2.3.3 base building, n—the core (common areas) and shell of the building and its systems that typically are not subject to improvements to suit tenant requirements.
2.3.4 baseline, n—the minimum level of observations, due diligence, inquiry/research, documentation review, and preparation of opinions of costs to remedy material physical defi- ciencies for conducting a PCA as described in this guide.
2.3.5 building envelope, n—the enclosure of the building that protects the building’s interior from outside elements, namely the exterior walls, roof and soffit areas.
2.3.6 commercial real estate, n—improved real property, except a dwelling or property with four or less dwelling units exclusively for residential use. This term includes, but is not limited to, improved real property used for industrial, retail, office, hospitality, agriculture, other commercial, medical, or educational purposes; property used for residential purposes that has more than four residential dwelling units; and property with four or less dwelling units for residential use when it has a commercial function, as in the operation of such dwellings for profit.
2.3.7 commercial real estate transaction, n— a transfer of title to or possession of improved real property or receipt of a security interest in improved real property, except that it does not include transfer of title to or possession of improved real property with respect to an individual dwelling or building containing four or less dwelling units.
2.3.8 consultant, n—the entity or individual that is responsible for completion of the PCR.
2.3.9 dangerous or adverse conditions, n— conditions that may pose a threat or possible injury to the field observer, and which may require the use of special protective clothing, safety equipment, access equipment, or any other precautionary measures.
2.3.10 de minimis condition—a physical deficiency that is not material to the conclusions of the report.
2.3.11 deferred maintenance, n—physical deficiencies that could have been remedied with routine maintenance, normal operating maintenance, etc., excluding de minimis conditions that generally do not present a material physical deficiency to the subject property.
2.3.12 due diligence, n—an investigation of the physical condition of a subject property in connection with a commer- cial real estate transaction. The degree and type of the investigation may vary for different properties, different user purposes, and time allotted.
2.3.13 easily visible, adj—describes items, components, and systems that are conspicuous, patent, and which may be observed visually during the walk-through survey without: intrusion, relocation or removal of materials, exploratory probing, use of special protective clothing, or use of any equipment (hand tools, meters of any kind, telescope instruments, stools, ladders, lighting devices, etc.).
2.3.14 effective age, n—the estimated age of a building component that considers actual age as affected by mainte- nance history, location, weather conditions, and other factors. Effective age may be more or less than actual age.
2.3.15 expected useful life (EUL), n—the average amount of time in years that an item, component or system is estimated to function without material repair when installed new and assuming routine maintenance is practiced.
2.3.16 field observer, n—the individual that conducts the walk-through survey.
2.3.17 immediate costs, n—opinions of costs that require immediate action as a result of any of the following: (1) material existing or potentially unsafe conditions, (2) material building or fire code violations, or (3) physical deficiencies that if left uncorrected would be expected to result in or contribute to critical element or system failure within one year or will result most probably in a significant escalation of its remedial cost.
2.3.18 observation, n—the visual survey of items, systems, conditions, or components that are readily accessible and easily visible during a walk-through survey of the subject property.
2.3.19 observe, v—to conduct an observation pursuant to this guide within the context of easily visible and readily accessible.
2.3.20 obvious, adj—plain, evident, and readily accessible; a condition easily visible or fact not likely to be ignored or overlooked by a field observer when conducting a walk- through survey or that which is practically reviewable and would be understood easily by a person conducting the PCA.
2.3.21 opinions of costs, n—opinion of costs that may be encountered in correction of physical deficiencies.
2.3.22 owner, n—the entity holding the title to the commer- cial real estate that is the subject of the PCA.
2.3.23 PCR reviewer, n—the individual that both exercises responsible control over the field observer and who reviews the PCR prior to delivery to the user.
2.3.24 physical condition, n—the physical state of a property, system, component or piece of equipment. Within the context of the assessment, the consultant may offer opinions of the physical condition of the property, or of systems, compo- nents and equipment observed. Such opinions commonly employ terms such as good, fair and poor; though additional terms such as excellent, satisfactory and unsatisfactory may also be used.
2.3.24.1 good condition—in working condition and does not require immediate or short term repairs above an agreed threshold*
2.3.24.2 fair condition—in working condition, but may require immediate or short term repairs above an agreed threshold*
2.3.24.3 poor condition—not in working condition or re- quires immediate or short term repairs substantially above an agreed threshold*
2.3.24.4 Discussion—*The agreed threshold is presumed to be the de minimis reporting threshold unless otherwise speci- fied.
2.3.24.5 Discussion—Where used to describe the physical condition of a property, system, component or piece of equipment, the terms good, fair and poor shall have the following meaning: Where used to describe the physical condition of a property or system, the opinion is intended to reflect predominant condition of the property or system. For example, an air conditioning system may be in good condition despite a requirement to replace a limited number of units. Alternatively, a range of conditions may be described by combining terms such as “good to fair”, or “fair to poor.” Where conditions are not uniform, an explanation of the various disparate conditions shall be included in the report. Terms not defined above shall be defined in the report or agreement for services.
2.3.24.6 Discussion—Terms not defined above shall be defined in the report or agreement for services.
2.3.25 physical deficiency, n—a conspicuous defect or de- ferred maintenance of a subject property’s material systems, components, or equipment as observed during completion of the PCA.
2.3.25.1 Discussion—This definition specifically excludes deficiencies that may be remedied with routine maintenance, miscellaneous minor repairs, normal operating maintenance, etc., and excludes de minimis conditions that generally do not present material physical deficiencies of the subject property.
2.3.26 Point of Contact (POC)—owner, owner’s agent, or user-identified person or persons knowledgeable about the physical characteristics, maintenance, and repair of the subject property.
2.3.27 practically reviewable, adj—describes information that is provided by the source in a manner and form that, upon review, yields information relevant to the subject property without the need for significant analysis, measurements, or calculations. Records or information that feasibly cannot be retrieved by reference to the location of the subject property are not generally considered practically reviewable.
2.3.28 primary commercial real estate improvements, n—the site and building improvements that are of fundamental importance with respect to the commercial real estate. This definition specifically excludes ancillary structures, that may have been constructed to provide support uses such as main- tenance sheds, security booths, utility garages, pool filter and equipment buildings, etc.
2.3.29 property, n—the site improvements, which are inclu- sive of both site work and buildings.
2.3.30 property condition assessment (PCA), v—the process by which a person or entity observes a property, interviews sources, and reviews available documentation for the purpose of developing an opinion and preparing a PCR.
2.3.31 property condition report (PCR), n—a written report, prepared in accordance with the recommendations contained in this guide, documenting the observations and opinions devel- oped during completion of the assessment.
2.3.32 readily accessible, adj—describes areas of the sub- ject property that are promptly made available for observation by the field observer at the time of the walk-through survey and do not require the removal or relocation of materials or personal property, such as furniture, floor, wall, or ceiling coverings; and that are safely accessible in the opinion of the field observer.
2.3.33 readily available, adj—describes information or re- cords that are easily and promptly provided to the consultant upon making a request in compliance with an appropriate inquiry and without the need for the consultant to research archive files.
2.3.34 reasonably ascertainable, adj—describes informa- tion that is publicly available, as well as readily available, provided to the consultant’s offices from either its source or an information research/retrieval service within reasonable time, practically reviewable, and available at a nominal cost for either retrieval, reproduction or forwarding.
2.3.35 remaining useful life (RUL), n—a subjective estimate based upon observations, or average estimates of similar items, components, or systems, or a combination thereof, of the number of remaining years that an item, component, or system is estimated to be able to function in accordance with its intended purpose before warranting replacement. Such period of time is affected by the initial quality of an item, component, or system, the quality of the initial installation, the quality and amount of preventive maintenance exercised, climatic conditions, extent of use, etc.
2.3.36 representative observations, n—observations of a reasonable number of samples of repetitive systems, components, areas, etc., which are conducted by the field observer during the walk-through survey. The concept of representative observations extends to all conditions, areas, equipment, components, systems, buildings, etc., to the extent that they are similar and representative of one another.
2.3.37 routine maintenance, n—a repair that does not re- quire specialized equipment, professional services, or contractors, but rather can be corrected within the budget and skill set of typical property maintenance staff.
2.3.38 short-term costs, n—opinions of costs to remedy physical deficiencies, such as deferred maintenance, that may not warrant immediate attention, but require repairs or replacements that should be undertaken on a priority basis in addition to routine preventive maintenance.
2.3.39 shutdown, adj—equipment, components, or systems that are not operating at the time of the field observer’s walk-through survey.
2.3.40 site visit, n—the visit to the subject property during which observations are made pursuant to the walk-through survey section of this guide.
2.3.41 specialty consultants, n—individuals or entities in the fields of life safety, security, engineering, or in any particular building component, equipment, or system that have acquired detailed, specialized knowledge and experience in the design, evaluation, operation, repair, or installation of same.
2.3.42 subject building, n—referring to the primary building or buildings on the subject property, and that are within the scope of PCA.
2.3.43 subject property, n—the commercial real estate con- sisting of the site and primary real estate improvements that are the subject of the PCA described by this guide.
2.3.44 suggested remedy, n—an opinion as to a course of action to remedy or repair a physical deficiency. Such an opinion may also be to conduct further research or testing for
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the purposes of discovery to gain a better understanding of the cause or extent of a physical deficiency (whether observed or highly probable) and the appropriate remedial or reparatory response. A suggested remedy may be preliminary and does not preclude alternate methods or schemes that may be more appropriate to remedy the physical deficiency or that may be more commensurate with the user’s requirements.
2.3.45 survey, n—observations made by the field observer during a walk-through survey to obtain information concerning the subject property’s readily accessible and easily visible components or systems.
2.3.46 technically exhaustive, adj—describes the use of measurements, instruments, testing, calculations, exploratory probing or discovery, or other means to discover, or a combi- nation thereof, or troubleshoot physical deficiencies or develop architectural or engineering findings, conclusions, and recommendations, or combination thereof.
2.3.47 timely access, n—entry provided to the consultant at the time of the site visit.
2.3.48 user, n—the party that retains the consultant for the preparation of the PCA.
2.3.49 walk-through survey, n—conducted during the field observer’s site visit of the subject property, that consists of nonintrusive visual observations, survey of readily accessible, easily visible components and systems of the subject property. This survey is described fully in Section 8. Concealed physical deficiencies are excluded. It is the intent of this guide that such a survey should not be considered technically exhaustive. It excludes the operation of equipment by the field observer and is to be conducted without the aid of special protective clothing, exploratory probing, removal or relocation of materials, testing, or the use of equipment, such as ladders (except as required for roof access), stools, scaffolding, metering/testing equipment, or devices of any kind, etc. It is literally the field observer’s visual observations while walking through the subject property.
Abbreviations and Acronyms:
2.4.1 ADA, n—The Americans with Disabilities Act.
2.4.2 ASTM, n—ASTM International.
2.4.3 BOMA, n—Building Owners and Managers Associa-
tion.
2.4.4 BUR, n—Built-up Roofing.
2.4.5 EIFS, n—Exterior Insulation and Finish System.
2.4.6 EMF, n—Electro Magnetic Fields.
2.4.7 EMS, n—Energy Management System.
2.4.8 EUL, n—Expected Useful Life.
2.4.9 FEMA, n—Federal Emergency Management Agency.
2.4.10 FHA, n—Fair Housing Act.
2.4.11 FIRMS, n—Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
2.4.12 FOIA, n—U.S. Freedom of Information Act (5 USC 552 et seq.) and similar state statutes.
2.4.13 FOIL—Freedom of Information Letter. 2.4.14 FM—Factory Mutual.
2.4.15 HVAC—Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning. 2.4.16 IAQ—Indoor Air Quality.
2.4.17 NFPA—National Fire Protection Association. 2.4.18 PCA—Property Condition Assessment
2.4.19 PCR—Property Condition Report. 2.4.20 PML—Probable Maximum Loss. 2.4.21 RTU, n—Rooftop Unit.
2.4.22 RUL, n—Remaining Useful Life. 2.4.23 STC, n—Sound Transmission Class.