Commercial Property Inspection FAQ
Answers to what buyers, lenders, tenants and owners ask us most about commercial property inspections in Texas. If your question isn’t here, get in touch or request a proposal and we’ll answer it directly.
What is a commercial property inspection?
It’s a visual assessment of a building’s major systems and components, documented with photographs and written observations, performed to a scope agreed before the inspection begins. The core of it covers structure and foundation, roof coverings and drainage, exterior cladding and site conditions, electrical service and distribution, HVAC equipment, plumbing supply and waste, life-safety components, and interior finishes and common areas.
Panther Inspections has performed commercial inspections across Texas since 2013. Inspections are led by Collin Nowak, a TREC-licensed Professional Inspector (license #20772) and a CCPIA Certified Commercial Property Inspector (certification #3223).
How is a commercial inspection different from a home inspection?
The scope is negotiated rather than prescribed. A Texas home inspection follows standards of practice set by the Texas Real Estate Commission, which define exactly what must be inspected and reported on a one-to-four-family residence. Commercial properties fall outside those rules, so what gets inspected is agreed between you and the inspector before the work starts.
That’s why the proposal matters more on commercial work than most people expect. It is the document your report gets measured against. Read it properly, and say so if there’s a system you specifically want covered.
What is a Property Condition Assessment, and do I need one?
A PCA is the due-diligence form of a commercial inspection, usually ordered during a purchase or a refinance. A general inspection answers “what condition is this building in.” A PCA is built around what it will cost to own it: observed deficiencies, expected remaining useful life of major systems, and anticipated capital expenditure over a defined period.
PCAs are commonly performed with reference to ASTM E2018, the industry standard guide, and lenders often specify that standard by name. If yours has, say so when you request a proposal and the scope will be written to match it.
Who typically orders a commercial inspection?
- Buyers and investors — due diligence before closing, and a basis for renegotiation when something significant turns up
- Lenders — an independent condition report before financing is approved
- Tenants — documenting condition before signing, particularly on a triple-net lease where maintenance liability shifts to you
- Owners and property managers — capital planning, or establishing a baseline before going to market
- Due-diligence firms — as one workstream inside a larger transaction
How long does a commercial inspection take?
It depends on the size of the building and the scope agreed in the proposal. A single-tenant retail unit and a multi-building industrial site are not comparable jobs, and anyone quoting you a fixed duration before seeing the property is guessing. Your proposal states the scope, the fee, and the report delivery date before any work begins.
What does the report look like and when do I get it?
A written report with photographs, condition observations and recommendations, delivered through a secure inspection portal. The level of detail reflects the scope agreed and the services completed on site.
A follow-up phone consultation is available afterward at no additional charge if you want the findings walked through. On a transaction with a deadline, that conversation is usually worth having.
What building types do you inspect?
Warehouses and storage facilities, restaurants and commercial kitchens, office buildings, multi-family properties, industrial buildings, churches and religious centers, hotels and motels, and retail buildings and shopping centers. Each is described in more detail on our commercial inspections page.
If your property doesn’t fit any of those neatly, that isn’t a problem. The scope is written per property, so unusual buildings just mean a longer scoping conversation.
What is not included in a commercial inspection?
A commercial inspection is visual and non-invasive, and it is not a compliance certification. Unless specifically arranged, these are separate exercises requiring different qualifications:
- Environmental assessment. A Phase I ESA looks for contamination risk and recognized environmental conditions. That is a different discipline from a condition assessment, and lenders sometimes require both.
- Code compliance certification. An inspection reports observed condition. It does not certify a building as compliant with current code, and existing buildings are frequently legal under the code in force when they were built.
- ADA compliance audit. Related, but a separate specialist review.
- Concealed and inaccessible areas. Anything behind finishes, under slabs, or in areas that can’t be safely reached is outside a visual inspection.
- Specialty and process equipment. Elevators, fire alarm and suppression certification, and tenant process equipment are inspected and certified by licensed specialists in those trades.
Where something falls outside our scope we will tell you plainly and, where we can, point you at somebody who does it.
Can you inspect an occupied or multi-tenant building?
Yes, and most commercial buildings we inspect are occupied. The thing that determines how complete the inspection is turns out to be access. Tenant spaces, locked mechanical and electrical rooms, roof hatches, and areas blocked by stock or equipment all need arranging in advance.
Anything not accessible on the day is reported as not inspected rather than quietly omitted. It’s worth reading that section of the report, because an area nobody could reach is an unknown, not a pass.
How do you inspect a large or steep roof?
Walked where it is safe and practical to do so, and flown with a drone where it isn’t. Drone work is performed under an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. Large commercial roofs are where this earns its keep, because drainage problems and ponding on a big low-slope roof are a lot easier to see from above.
What add-on services can be included?
- Thermal imaging — moisture intrusion, missing insulation, and overheating electrical components that aren’t visible to the eye
- Drone roof inspection — for roofs that can’t be safely walked
- Sewer camera inspection — main drain lines scoped for cracks, obstructions, sags and separations
- Foundation measurements — documented elevation readings across the slab
- Wood destroying insect inspection — reported separately from the condition report
- Septic and onsite wastewater inspection — performed by a NAWT Certified Onsite Wastewater Inspector
How much does a commercial inspection cost?
It’s quoted per property, because square footage, building type, age, number of tenant spaces and the systems in play all move the number. There is no useful published price for commercial work. Request a proposal and you’ll get the scope and the fee in writing before anything is committed.
What do you need from me before the inspection?
Access is the big one — keys, codes, roof access, and somebody who can open tenant spaces and locked mechanical rooms. Beyond that, anything you have on the building’s history helps: previous inspection or engineering reports, roof warranties and repair records, recent system replacements, and any known problems.
Telling us about a known issue doesn’t make it worse. It means the inspection can spend its time on whether it’s been dealt with properly rather than on finding it.
Do you work outside the Austin area?
Yes. Residential work is concentrated in Travis and Williamson counties, but commercial inspections are performed statewide. If the property is outside central Texas, mention the location when you request a proposal.
What happens after the report?
That’s your call, and it depends what the report found. Buyers typically use it to renegotiate or to budget. Lenders use it to satisfy a condition of financing. Owners use it to build a capital plan. What we can do is walk you through the findings so the decision is made on what the building actually is, rather than on the scariest photograph in the document.
The full six-step process, from proposal through to post-report consultation, is laid out on our commercial inspections page, and the scope-of-work detail is on commercial inspection services.