Giving Back: A Charity's Commercial Building Survey

The Victorian corner property in Scarborough we surveyed for Dads Behaving Madly.

At Skyline Property Surveys, we believe good surveying is about more than bricks, slates and moisture readings. It's about helping people make one of the biggest decisions they'll ever make with confidence. So when a local charity approached us to carry out a commercial building survey in Scarborough ahead of securing its first permanent home, it was exactly the kind of work we're proud to take on.

We were delighted to support Dads Behaving Madly, a fantastic Scarborough charity doing brilliant, much-needed work for dads and families across our community. As they move closer to securing their own permanent HQ, they needed a clear, honest and thorough picture of the building they were taking on — and we were only too happy to help.

Why we love supporting local charities

Proud to support Dads Behaving Madly as they secure their new Scarborough HQ.

Scarborough is our home. Skyline Property Surveys is based here in North Yorkshire, and the health of our town depends on the organisations that quietly hold our community together. Charities like Dads Behaving Madly give time, support and a sense of belonging to people who really need it, and helping them put down permanent roots is something we care deeply about.

When a charity commits to a building, every pound matters. A charity signing a commercial lease is taking on real financial and legal responsibility, often with limited resources and volunteers rather than a professional property team behind them. That's precisely why an independent, expert survey is so important. It gives trustees the information they need to negotiate properly, plan a realistic budget, and avoid inheriting somebody else's problems. Supporting Dads Behaving Madly through this stage of their journey was a genuine privilege, and if you run a local charity or community group, we'd always encourage you to get in touch to see how we can help.

You can learn more about the wonderful work Dads Behaving Madly do at https://www.dadsbehavingmadly.org/ — do take a look and support them if you can.

What is a commercial building survey — and why does it matter before signing a lease?

A commercial building survey is the most thorough level of inspection available for a commercial property. It goes far beyond a quick valuation or a mortgage check. It examines the structure, the roof, the walls, the windows and doors, the services, and the environmental and legal factors that affect the building, then sets everything out clearly so the client understands the condition of what they're taking on and what it will cost to look after.

This matters enormously when you're about to sign a lease. Many commercial leases are granted on full repairing and insuring (FRI) terms, which means the tenant becomes responsible for keeping the building in good repair — sometimes in better condition than it was in when they moved in. Without a proper survey and a schedule of condition, a charity or business can find itself liable for pre-existing defects it never caused and expensive dilapidations claims at the end of the term. A well-prepared survey protects against exactly that.

The building: a late Victorian corner property in a Scarborough Conservation Area

The property we surveyed for Dads Behaving Madly is a characterful late Victorian building, dating from around the 1880s to 1890s, occupying a prominent corner position on a busy route into Scarborough town centre. It's a lovely, distinctive building — but like many properties of its age and history, it needed a careful, experienced eye.

One of the things that made this survey so interesting is that the premises were originally formed from three separate properties that have since been combined into a single unit. That composite history shows up everywhere once you know what to look for: variations in the brickwork bond across the elevations, differing window-head lintels, and internal structural openings at the former party positions, carried on columns and concealed beams. Understanding how a building like this has evolved is central to surveying it properly, and it's the kind of detail a general inspection can easily miss.

The property also sits within a Scarborough Conservation Area, which brings its own considerations. Conservation area status affects windows, doors, the shopfront, signage and external alterations, so any future changes need to be planned with those controls in mind. For a charity hoping to adapt a building to suit its needs, knowing this from the outset is essential.

Traditional solid-wall construction: getting the details right

A comparison of breathable lime mortar and non-permeable cement in a solid brick wall.

The building is of traditional solid load-bearing masonry construction in red brick, without a cavity, in the manner typical of its age. This is an area where specialist knowledge really counts. Solid-walled Victorian buildings rely on vapour permeability — the ability of the walls to breathe — to manage moisture. That means lime-based mortars, renders and finishes are appropriate, while modern cement-based materials are not. Cement traps moisture, restricts evaporation and can cause damp problems that are then wrongly blamed on the building itself.

This principle isn't always well understood, and we frequently see traditional buildings that have been harmed by well-meaning but inappropriate cement repairs. Throughout the survey, we made sure the charity understood how to look after this building correctly, so that any future maintenance protects its long-term health rather than storing up problems.

What a thorough survey uncovers

Our inspections are detailed and methodical, using non-invasive techniques alongside modern equipment such as drone inspection for the roof and high-level areas, a Protimeter moisture meter and a FLIR thermal camera where relevant. On this survey, that thorough approach flagged a range of matters the charity needed to know about.

A holey roof, no insulation and no sarking felt.

Externally, the natural slate roof had been partly refurbished but still carried isolated slipped, cracked and missing slates, with no sarking membrane beneath — which makes prompt attention to any displaced slate important. We identified a loose slate above the entrance as an immediate safety matter over the public pavement, along with chimney flaunching and a cracked pot needing repair. Internally, the standout issues included expanded polystyrene tile ceilings within the first-floor flat — a recognised fire hazard that should be removed — and fire-separation questions between the commercial and residential parts of the building, which pointed to the need for a fire risk assessment.

We also set out where further investigation and specialist input would be sensible: a structural appraisal of the concealed beams at the former party positions, a CCTV drainage survey, an EICR for the electrical installation, a Gas Safe inspection of the boiler, and the appropriate asbestos surveys before any intrusive works. None of these findings were unusual for a building of this age, type and composite history — but each is exactly the kind of thing a charity needs to understand before committing, not discover afterwards.

Crucially, the report is written so that it can act as an ingoing schedule of condition, annexed to the lease to limit the charity's repairing liability. That single step can save a tenant many thousands of pounds down the line.

What our client said

We're always grateful when clients take the time to share their experience. Here's the review Graham left following the survey:

We recently used Richard from Skyline Property Surveys to carry out a building survey for our charity, Dads Behaving Madly, as we are close to securing our own permanent HQ.Richard was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. He conducted an incredibly thorough and detailed survey, and then took the time to explain everything to us clearly. It was very obvious throughout the entire process that he had our charity's best interests at the forefront of his work.If you are looking for a top-tier, reliable, and highly professional service, we cannot recommend Richard enough. Thank you for your brilliant support!

Reviews like this mean a great deal to us, because they reflect exactly what we set out to do: thorough work, clear explanations, and always keeping the client's best interests at heart.

Thinking of taking on a commercial building in Scarborough?

Ricky Savage, principal surveyor at Skyline Property Surveys.

Whether you're a business, a landlord or a charity looking to buy or lease commercial premises, a professional commercial building survey gives you the knowledge to move forward with confidence.

We know Scarborough and North Yorkshire's building stock inside out — from Victorian solid-wall construction and conservation area properties to mixed-use commercial premises — and we'll always give you honest, practical advice.

If you'd like to talk through a survey, we'd be glad to hear from you.

Visit https://www.skylinepropertysurveys.co.uk/ to get in touch — and please do support the brilliant work of Dads Behaving Madly at https://www.dadsbehavingmadly.org/. Thanks for reading. Best wishes Ricky Savage