A Pre-Construction Survey (PCS) consists of a review of a property adjacent to a site where construction activities are about to begin. The goal of the survey is to visually identify all existing signs of exterior and roof damage and any signs of structural settlement, before construction begins.
A PCS can protect the subject property owner and the contractor/developer/Insurer of the site where construction activities will take place.
For a property owner, the PCS documents the existing conditions so that any damage or structural settlement caused by the construction is appropriately attributed to the construction activities and, therefore, the responsibility of the contractor/developer to rectify.
From the contractor/developer perspective, the PCS is primarily a loss control and claims defense mechanism. If a property owner alleges that damage was sustained due to construction activities, the pre-construction survey can be referenced to confirm what visible damage pre-existed in the construction activity. This allows for fair and prompt settlement of third-party property damage claims.
