Recently, I did a commercial inspection on a Veterinary Clinic (and I liked the vet so well I switching) that was changing management. Many people don't realize that the services of a home/building inspector actually cover many aspects of real estate. This wasn't the sale of a building, it was the sale of a business. Neither of the business owners (new one or previous) owned the building, but with the purchase of the business the lease was transferred. The new business owner (my vet) had the foresight to have the building inspected, since she was assuming the lease. This way she could negotiate the repair of issues prior to the assumption.
I've done a few commercial pre-lease inspections, but most business owners never think down these lines. I found very few issues, but the ones I did find were important to the staff and the vets that will be working there.
This is the back of the clinic and if you look closely you can see 2 doors going out to the dog run section of the building. Inside over both doors is a red exit sign denoting a fire exit. But if you look closely again you will see that there is no exit from the dog runs, potentially trapping someone in the dog runs. A fire in the front of the building would force people out the rear exit doors to the dog runs.
There is another door/exit, so the fix is "take the two signs down" that lead to the dog runs.
As you can plainly see this is misleading and dangerous. A commercial inspection by a qualified building inspector can be invaluable and save money in the long run. Recommend a pre-lease or pre-purchase inspection to all your commercial clients.
Jack Gilleland
Home Inspection Services, Clayton
Quality Property Inspections.
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