Record the incident by floor and location
Use the building’s own floor and room names. “Second floor, east meeting room, ceiling beside the riser” is more useful than “a leak upstairs”. Include the date first noticed, whether it is spreading and any photographs showing its position within the room.
Ask occupiers about the areas above and adjacent, while keeping reported observations separate from a suspected cause. Mention previous plumbing, fit-out or roof work where known. If drawings have not been updated since a fit-out, flag that uncertainty.
Build a contact list for the spaces involved
- Reporting occupier
- Who can describe the symptom and let the engineer into the affected suite?
- Building management
- Who holds plant-room and riser keys, and can arrange contact with another tenant?
- Facilities or maintenance lead
- Who knows the water services and can discuss tests or interruption to supplies?
- Instructing party
- Who agrees the survey scope and any further work, and who receives the findings?
This is a practical contact list. It does not decide how a lease allocates repair costs or responsibility.
Explain restrictions before the visit
List sign-in requirements, escort arrangements and spaces with controlled access. Flag server rooms, occupied meeting rooms and secure tenant areas where relevant. Describe restrictions without sending security codes or confidential floor information through a public channel.
If a test may require a supply to be isolated, discuss the affected facilities and the people who must be consulted. Do not assume a quiet office means the whole building can lose water. Ask ADI what access and preparation the agreed investigation requires.
Keep one record for the building team
After the investigation, log which areas were accessible, what was tested, the findings and any outstanding questions. Record the next action and its owner so the occupier, facilities team and managing contact work from the same account.
The cases here concern commercial premises, a school and a care home. They illustrate buried supply and kitchen pipe investigations; none is presented as a verified office commission. Use the actual findings to understand the methods, rather than assuming the same repair applies to your building.
Brief the building team: information to have ready
Use this checklist when preparing your enquiry. Keep observations separate from suspected causes, and note anything that still needs to be confirmed.
- Building / instruction reference
- Reporting tenant and affected floor / room
- Date first observed and photograph references
- Areas above / adjacent; known service routes
- Occupier contact
- Building manager / common-area access contact
- Facilities lead / supply isolation contact
- Instructing party / findings recipient
- Access restrictions and arrangements to confirm
- Relevant fit-out / previous work / drawing limitations
- Areas tested / inaccessible / unresolved
- Next action, owner and review date
Share the relevant details with your agreed booking contact. Confirm the investigation scope, access and any additional work with ADI.
Read the documented investigations · See investigation services