How Do Vancouver Residential and Commercial Property Inspections Differ

Property inspections are as important for commercial properties as they are for residential properties. But how are they different? What is required of a commercial property inspection that isn’t present in a residential property inspection? In today’s blog we will be looking at how Vancouver residential and commercial property inspections differ.

Initially commercial and residential inspections may seem quite similar, with both being a thorough check of a property’s physical condition, the condition and functionality of its internal systems and other visible elements. Commercial Property Inspections tend to be more complex affairs than residential property inspections. Part of this is due to the wide variety of purposes ascribed to commercial properties, for example, a property intended to house a restaurant will have different inspection requirements than a property intended to house a clothing retail store. Every type of commercial property has its own special requirements for inspection whereas a one size fits all approach is usually fine for residential inspections.

Commercial property inspectors often require more training and knowledge than their residential inspector counterparts. Commercial Property Inspectors may be required to inspect things like whether the commercial property can handle heavy machinery, whether or not it has a loading dock or other drive in access, whether the property’s electrical system can handle the higher loads required by a commercial property, whether there are reinforced concrete slabs to hold heavy machinery, whether it has the proper amount of fire alarms required for a commercial property, whether it has an automatic fire suppression system and whether or not the ventilation is appropriate for the buildings intended function.

We hope we have been able to give you some useful information on how commercial property inspections in Vancouver are more complex affairs requiring a great deal more training and knowledge on the part of the inspector. If you have any questions about property inspections, please feel free to contact us.

The Inspectors is a group of very experienced home inspectors who bring reliability and integrity to the practice of home inspection. These inspectors follow closely the established standards of the Canadian National Association of Certified Home Inspectors.

If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about home inspection, we encourage you to call us at (778) 788-5301.