AREA REFERENCING & Area Measurment Surveys

Area referencing is only as good as the survey underneath it. Every job is captured to measured-survey standard, not estimated from existing drawings.

Our Equipment

• 3D laser scanners for complex, multi-let and irregular buildings
• Disto and total station capture for straightforward single-demise work
• Point cloud registration and CAD production in-house

Our Process

• Scoping:
  We confirm the purpose of the figures, the measurement basis, the level of breakdown and the property boundaries to be recorded.

• On-Site Capture:
  Surveyors record the building as-is now, including partitioning, plant, columns, headroom restrictions and anything else that affects an area calculation.

• Area calculation:
  Areas are computed from the survey data in CAD, and allocated against the referencing scheme agreed at scoping.

• Checking:
  Every schedule is independently checked against the plans and the stated basis before issue.

• Working with existing drawings:
  Where usable as-built drawings exist, we can verify and reference them, but we never trust drawings from the past. We always measure every millimetre again.

Floor area errors can be expensive in a way that is easy to underestimate: a few percent across a multi-let building, capitalised over a lease term, is a material sum. That’s why accuracy is crucial.

• Areas are derived from measured survey data, in line with RICS and TSA guidance.
• Every plan and schedule names the measurement standard applied. No unattributed figures.
• Schedules are checked against plans by a second surveyor before issue.
• Where our figures differ from your existing records, we can set out where and why the difference arises rather than leaving you with two numbers and no explanation.

An area referencing survey establishes the floor areas of a property to a recognised measurement standard and records how those areas are divided between occupiers, uses and cost centres. It produces colour-coded referencing plans and a detailed area schedule, used for rent reviews, valuations, rates, service charge apportionment and portfolio management.

GEA is measured to the outside of the external walls. GIA is measured to the inside of them, including internal walls, columns and stairwells. NIA counts only usable occupier space, excluding stairwells, lift lobbies, WCs, plant rooms and areas with restricted headroom. Offices and shops are generally valued and let on NIA; industrial and warehouse property on GIA.

It depends on what the figure is for. RICS Property Measurement 2nd edition has been archived, and members currently work to the Code of Measuring Practice 6th edition and/or IPMS: All Buildings, documenting which basis was used. UK domestic instructions most often use the Code; international portfolios, institutional funds and some lenders require IPMS. Where both are needed we dual report and reconcile the difference.

In Terms of Zone A is the method used to value retail space. Sales area is divided into zones running back from the shop frontage, with each zone valued at half the rate of the one in front, producing a single comparable figure. It is the standard basis for retail rent reviews and rateable value assessments.

Cost is driven by floor area, the number of separate demises, the measurement bases required and building complexity. Every project is quoted individually. Send us the address and we’ll send you a free quote, no-obligation quotation.

Site time on a single unit is usually under a day; larger multi-let buildings take longer and may need staged access across occupiers. Plans and schedules typically follow within 5 working days of the survey. Urgent instructions can be prioritised on request.

Area schedules in Excel, referencing plans in PDF and AutoCAD (DWG). Point cloud data is available on request where the property has been laser scanned.

Yes, and it’s one of the most common reasons clients instruct us. Where our figures differ from your existing records we set out where the difference arises — a change to the building, a different measurement basis, or an error in the original.

Yes. We prepare lease plans to HM Land Registry Practice Guide 40 (supplement 2), based on Ordnance Survey mapping and supplied ready for submission. These are commonly instructed alongside an area referencing survey.

Yes. We operate nationwide from offices in Welwyn, the Midlands, Bristol and Sussex. Note that HM Land Registry lease plans apply to England and Wales — Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate registries.