Guides

How to write, cost and deliver an ASTM E2018 property condition report, section by section.

• ASTM E2018-24 vs E2018-15: What Changed in the Property Condition Assessment Guide

  The E2018-15 to E2018-24 changes that alter how a PCR is written: immediate and long-term costs, observation, user scoping, referenced documents, accessibility.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• Condition Ratings in a PCA: Good, Fair and Poor, and How to Apply Them Consistently

  How E2018-24 defines the condition terms relative to the reporting threshold, how to rate a system with mixed components, how the systems summary uses ratings.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• Explaining a Property Condition Report to Your Client: The Ten-Minute Walkthrough

  How to brief a buyer or owner on a PCR they will not read end to end: what the tables mean, what is an opinion, what to negotiate, what to escrow.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• How Much a Property Condition Assessment Costs, and What Drives the Fee

  Typical PCA fees by building size and complexity, what pushes a fee up, how firms price the report versus the site day, and where drafting time goes.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• How to Write an ASTM E2018 Property Condition Report, Section by Section

  The structure of a PCR under ASTM E2018-24: what each section must carry, where the guide is silent, and the omissions that get reports sent back.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• Immediate, Short-Term and Long-Term Costs in a PCA: Definitions, the $3,000 Threshold and the Four-Items Rule

  How ASTM E2018-24 segregates opinions of cost, when a sub-threshold item still goes in Table 1, what life safety changes, and how each line is built.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• Photographs in a Property Condition Report: What E2018 Requires and How the Appendix Is Built

  The minimum photographs a PCA walkthrough must include, how they are numbered, captioned and tied to the text, why the full set goes in the appendix.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• Reliance Letters for Property Condition Reports: What They Say and Who Gets One

  What a reliance letter extends, who asks for one (lenders, loan participants, trustees, buyers), what it must reference, the limits it should keep.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• Scoping a PCA Engagement: The Proposal Items E2018-24 Expects You to Settle First

  The scope decisions a property condition assessment proposal should fix before the site visit: standard and edition, user objectives, evaluation period.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Building Envelope Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.3): Cladding, Sealants, Fenestration and Water Entry

  What the E2018-24 envelope observations cover, the sealant, masonry and glazing defects that recur, HUD useful lives for veneer, sealants, windows and doors.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Electrical Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.7): Service, Panels, Branch Wiring and the Items Lenders Require You to Name

  What the E2018-24 electrical observations cover, the panel brands and wiring types agency lenders require to be identified and photographed.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The HVAC Sections of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.5 and 9.4.6): Units, Nameplates, Refrigerants and Remaining Life

  What the E2018-24 heating and cooling observations cover, why every nameplate is photographed, how a contractor's write-off changes the category.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Interior Elements Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.10): Common Areas, Representative Suites, Finishes and What Is Tenant Work

  What the E2018-24 interior observations cover, how to sample tenant spaces and say so, which finishes are reserve items and which are tenant improvements.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Life Safety and Fire Protection Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.9): Sprinklers, Alarms, Egress and the Inspection Report

  What the E2018-24 life-safety observations cover, why the last fire alarm inspection report is the most valuable document in the job.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The PCA Document Request List: What to Ask the Owner For and What Each Document Establishes

  The owner documents ASTM E2018-24 says to review, the pre-survey questionnaire, what each establishes in the report, and how to record what was not provided.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The PCA Walkthrough Checklist: What to Observe and Photograph in Each Building System

  A field checklist for the E2018-24 walk-through survey, system by system: what the guide asks the observer to identify, what to photograph.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Plumbing Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.4): Piping Materials, Hot Water, Fixtures and Backflow

  What the E2018-24 plumbing observations cover, the piping materials that change a report (galvanized, polybutylene, cast iron), water heater useful lives.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Replacement Reserve Table Explained: EUL, RUL, Effective Age and the Ten-Year Schedule

  How the long-term cost table in a PCR is built: useful-life sources, remaining life as an opinion, effective age, year due, inflation and the per-SF figure.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Roofing Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.3): Membranes, Drainage, Flashings, Warranties and Remaining Life

  What the E2018-24 roofing observations cover, the defects that dominate Table 1 and Table 2 on low-slope roofs, HUD and Fannie useful lives for EPDM.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Site Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.1): Paving, Drainage, Flatwork, Lighting and Utilities

  What the E2018-24 site observations cover, the deficiencies that recur in published PCRs, the HUD useful lives for paving, sealcoat, striping and lighting.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Structural Frame Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.2): What to Observe, What to Say, and When to Refer

  What the E2018-24 structural observations cover for a walk-through, how to describe a frame you can only see in the mechanical room.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• The Vertical Transportation Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.8): Elevators, Certificates, Modernization and the No-Elevator Case

  What the E2018-24 conveyance observations cover, what the inspection certificate and the service contractor tell you, when modernization goes in Table 2.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• Unit-Cost Sources for Property Condition Assessments: What E2018 Allows and What Licences Forbid

  The six unit-cost sources E2018-24 accepts, why RSMeans terms forbid condition-assessment use, what Craftsman licenses, and how to build a cost library.

  Updated September 18, 2026

• What Lenders Want in a Property Condition Report: Banks, CMBS and Agency Underwriters

  How a bank, a CMBS conduit and an agency lender each read a PCR: the reserve term, the immediate-repair escrow, the reliance letter.

  Updated September 18, 2026