San Fernando Valley Property Condition Assessments (PCA)

Know what that Valley building will actually cost you, before you close.

A Property Condition Assessment is the due diligence document behind every sound San Fernando Valley acquisition. Most PCAs are visual walk-throughs built to satisfy a minimum scope. Ours are forensic: a veteran facility executive, advanced diagnostics, and 350+ inspection points, delivered as a Property Condition Report your acquisition model can actually rely on, with a CapEx replacement reserve and an ongoing maintenance (OpEx) cost outlook built from the equipment we find on site. Built for buyers moving on Warner Center and Woodland Hills office, West Valley industrial in Chatsworth and Van Nuys, and Ventura Boulevard retail, whether you're repositioning a value-add asset or buying a building to run yourself.

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CCPIA Certified Commercial Property Inspector
Certified Commercial Property Inspector (CCPIA)
Every assessment is conducted to the CCPIA Commercial Standards of Practice, within the ASTM E2018 framework, by a credentialed commercial inspector.

Who this is for

If you're buying, holding, or selling a commercial building in the San Fernando Valley, a PCA is the document that tells you what that building will actually cost to own.

Value-Add & PE Buyers
Acquisition Diligence
The Valley office market, Warner Center, Encino, Sherman Oaks, is tenant-favorable and priced to move. Your reposition budget rides on the building's real condition, not the seller's fresh paint and optimistic maintenance logs.
Owner-Users & 1031 Exchanges
Fast-Close Diligence
Buying a Chatsworth or Van Nuys industrial building, maybe with SBA 504 financing? Get the building's real condition documented before your diligence window closes.
Owners & Asset Managers
Capital Planning
A current PCR gives you a defensible 5-year capital plan, a maintenance outlook for the equipment in place, and, for buildings inside the City of Los Angeles, a clear read on retrofit status before you refinance or sell.

What we assess

Every assessment is scoped to the building, not a generic checklist. We work within the framework of ASTM E2018 and go beyond it, deploying forensic-grade diagnostic tools across over 350 specific inspection points to give you a grounded, evidence-based view of what could fail, roughly when it could become an issue, and what it could cost to address. In the Valley that means reading mid-century office and industrial stock honestly, and knowing which buildings carry a City of Los Angeles retrofit obligation.

Critical System Forensic Focus Typical Repair / Reserve Exposure
Roofing Systems Membrane condition, seam integrity, drainage, flashings, and our estimate of remaining useful life. Valley heat and sun age single-ply and cap-sheet roofs faster than a seller's brochure suggests, and the large West Valley industrial roofs and older mid-rise office roofs are a common driver of underfunded replacement reserves. $50,000 to $400,000+
HVAC Systems Age, condition, a thermal imaging scan, refrigerant type identified from the data plate, and our estimate of remaining useful life. On mid-rise Warner Center office and older Valley stock, packaged units and chillers do a lot of work, so "operational" on a seller's log and a unit near the end of its expected service life are not the same thing. $25,000 to $150,000+
Electrical Capacity Full panel survey including available amperage, switchgear condition, breaker condition, and grounding, measured against the building's intended use. This matters most for M1 and M2 manufacturing space in Chatsworth and Canoga Park, and when an older office is being repositioned. $15,000 to $80,000+
Plumbing & Waste We identify galvanized pipe, corroded cast iron, and non-compliant fixtures that can fail under commercial load, a common find in the Valley's 1960s and 1970s building stock, and belong in your immediate repairs table, not a surprise invoice. $10,000 to $50,000+
Seismic & Structural Foundation, framing, and lateral-system condition. Much of the Valley falls within the City of Los Angeles, which runs a mandatory retrofit program (Ordinance 183893) covering pre-1978 wood-frame soft-story buildings and older non-ductile concrete buildings. Where a building appears to fall under it, we note that and flag its retrofit status and exposure for your further review, so it's part of your numbers rather than found later. $75,000 to $500,000+
ADA & Accessibility Observations and recommendations on potential accessibility barriers: path-of-travel, restrooms, entrances, and parking, along with unpermitted modifications we notice. Offered as recommendations to guide your own further review, and often found in older Ventura Boulevard retail and office stock, before they become the new owner's responsibility at closing. $15,000 to $75,000+
Fire-Life Safety Sprinkler systems, alarm panels, and egress compliance, including ESFR coverage for West Valley warehouse and distribution use and egress paths in multi-tenant office. Deficiencies here can mean operational shutdowns, insurance exposure, and stalled permits. $20,000 to $100,000+
Thermal Imaging We surface moisture intrusion and electrical hotspots that are completely invisible to the naked eye, and to a standard walk-through PCA. $5,000 to $40,000+

Pricing

One engagement, scoped to your building and transaction. Send us the San Fernando Valley address and square footage, and you'll get a fixed quote before your diligence window narrows.

Forensic Property Condition Assessment
A full Property Condition Assessment with forensic diagnostics across 350+ data points, built for buyer-side due diligence, price negotiation, and capital planning.
Starts at $2,500 / building
Up to 5,000 Sq Ft$2,500
5,001 - 10,000 Sq Ft$3,500
10,001 - 25,000 Sq Ft$6,000
25,001 - 50,000 Sq Ft$8,500
Above 50,000 Sq FtCustom
  • On-site forensic inspection across 350+ points
  • Full thermal imaging of electrical panels and building envelope
  • Estimated useful life remaining on roof, HVAC, and major systems
  • Electrical capacity and amperage survey
  • Immediate Repairs & Deferred Maintenance cost table
  • 5-Year Replacement Reserve (CapEx) forecast
  • Operating & Maintenance (OpEx) cost outlook based on installed equipment
  • Total Cost of Ownership snapshot (CapEx reserve plus OpEx)
  • Property Condition Report (PCR) built for negotiation and closing
  • Rush 48-hour delivery available
Schedule Your PCA

*Pricing is subject to standard commercial building types. Specialized facilities (e.g., wet labs, heavy manufacturing, cold storage) or complex sites may alter pricing. Please contact us for exact quotes.

What you get at the end

Not a binder of photos. A decision-grade document built for your acquisition model and your closing table.

01
Property Condition Report
System-by-system findings with photos, thermal data, and severity classifications: Critical, Near Term, and Long Term.
02
Immediate Repairs Table
A dollar-figure table of every deficiency requiring near-term correction, the number your purchase price should reflect.
03
Replacement Reserve (CapEx) Forecast
A 5-year capital reserve schedule by system, formatted for your acquisition model and asset-management planning.
04
Maintenance Cost Outlook (OpEx)
An annual upkeep forecast for the equipment we actually find on site: roofing, HVAC, and the major systems. It covers ongoing maintenance cost, not utilities, property taxes, or staffing.
05
Total Cost of Ownership Snapshot
CapEx reserve and OpEx maintenance combined into one figure, so you can carry the building's real annual carrying cost straight into your model.
06
Executive Recommendation
A clear, independent read on the asset from a veteran facility executive. We tell you the truth about the building, not what gets the deal done.

How it works

Powered by our proprietary reporting tools, a forensic PCA goes from first call to final Property Condition Report in 7 to 10 business days. Need it faster for a tight Valley close? Rush delivery is available.

01
Scope & Schedule
Send us the San Fernando Valley property address, square footage, and transaction context. We confirm the scope and schedule the on-site assessment within 48 hours.
02
Forensic On-Site Assessment
We deploy across the San Fernando Valley with thermal imaging and diagnostic tools. Every system is forensically inspected across 350+ points, not sampled from the parking lot.
03
Report & Review
You receive the complete PCR with the Immediate Repairs Table, Replacement Reserve Forecast, and Maintenance Cost Outlook. We walk your team through the findings and what they mean for the deal.

Not buying? Leasing or acquiring a company?

The PCA is the buyer's document. If you're a tenant about to sign a Triple Net lease, the same forensic engine deploys as a Pre-Lease Facility Audit, scoped to the liabilities that transfer to you at signing. If you're acquiring a company whose value rides on its facilities, you need our Pre-Acquisition Quality of Infrastructure (QoI) Audit, built for M&A diligence windows and CapEx holdback negotiations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Property Condition Assessment (PCA)? +
A Property Condition Assessment is a formal evaluation of a commercial building's physical condition (structure, envelope, roofing, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire-life safety, and ADA accessibility observations), documented in a Property Condition Report (PCR). PCAs follow the framework of ASTM E2018 and are the standard due diligence document for commercial real estate acquisitions across the San Fernando Valley.
How is a Base Layer FM PCA different from a typical PCA? +
Most PCAs are visual walk-through surveys built to satisfy a minimum scope, and they routinely miss what matters financially. Our assessments are led by a veteran facility executive and Certified Commercial Property Inspector using forensic diagnostics: thermal imaging, electrical panel surveys, and mechanical remaining-useful-life estimates across 350+ inspection points. In the Valley that includes reading the mid-century office and industrial stock honestly and noting where a building carries a City of Los Angeles retrofit obligation. The result is a PCR backed by hard data, not drive-by observations. See what a standard PCA missed: Inheriting the Toxic Asset, $1M holdback →
Do lenders require a Property Condition Assessment? +
Often, yes. Many commercial lenders require a PCA as a condition of funding. One important distinction: most institutional and agency lenders (CMBS, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and life-company loans) require a PCA stamped by a licensed engineer or architect. Our assessments are led by a Certified Commercial Property Inspector (CCPIA) and are built for buyer-side due diligence, price negotiation, and capital planning, not for lender certification. If your lender specifically requires a stamped, engineer-certified PCA, we'll tell you upfront so you never pay for two reports. Closing on a deadline? Book a 20-minute executive call →
Does the LA soft-story or retrofit ordinance affect the building I'm buying? +
It might. Most of the San Fernando Valley falls within the City of Los Angeles, which runs a mandatory retrofit program (Ordinance 183893) for pre-1978 wood-frame soft-story buildings and older non-ductile concrete buildings, each with its own compliance timeline. As part of the PCA we note whether the building appears to fall under it and flag the retrofit status and exposure for your review, so it's part of your acquisition math up front. We are not structural engineers and don't perform the retrofit engineering or certification; if a formal retrofit design is needed, we'll tell you so you can bring in the right licensed engineer.
Which areas of the Valley do you cover? +
The full San Fernando Valley, including Woodland Hills and Warner Center, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Studio City, Chatsworth, Canoga Park, Northridge, Reseda, Granada Hills, Sylmar, Sun Valley, and Pacoima. Buying just over the hill in Burbank, Glendale, or Pasadena? We cover those too; send the address and we'll confirm coverage and timing.
Should I order a PCA, a pre-lease audit, or a pre-acquisition audit? +
It depends on your position in the deal. Buying a building? You need a Property Condition Assessment. Leasing a building as a tenant, especially under a Triple Net (NNN) lease? You need a Pre-Lease Facility Audit. Acquiring a company whose value depends on its facilities? You need a Pre-Acquisition Quality of Infrastructure (QoI) audit. All three are built on the same forensic inspection engine; the deliverable is tailored to who carries the risk.

Get an SFV PCA proposal in 24 hours.

Send us the property address, square footage, and your closing timeline.
We'll scope the assessment and get back to you before your diligence window narrows.

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