Technical Due Diligence

Hollis was appointed to provide a coordinated suite of technical and commercial reports to support the marketing and sale of Peterhouse Technology Park, a multi-building logistics and industrial asset in Cambridge.

The instruction covered a total of 139,281 sq ft across four industrial buildings, together with a car park plan, and required a set of assignable vendor reports that would stand up to purchaser scrutiny and help maintain momentum through the transaction process.

At the heart of the commission was the delivery of Measured Surveys and Area Referencing, providing independently verified floor areas and clear, consistent measurement data to underpin valuation and reduce the risk of challenge during due diligence. Accurate area information was critical to supporting the asset’s marketing strategy and ensuring confidence for agents, purchasers and funders alike.

Alongside this, Hollis delivered a comprehensive package of supporting technical reports, including building surveys, vertical transportation, M&E engineering and a Phase 1 Environmental assessment, supplemented by ESG and sustainability advice. Bringing these services together enabled a joined-up view of the asset’s condition, performance and compliance, rather than a series of siloed reports.

Our integrated approach meant surveyors and engineers worked collaboratively, sharing site inspections and data where appropriate. This reduced duplication, improved consistency across reports and enabled potential issues to be identified and addressed early, helping to avoid delays later in the transaction.

The result was a clear, robust and market-ready vendor pack that supported LaSalle Investment Management in presenting the asset with confidence. By providing assignable reports and reliable area data from the outset, the instruction helped streamline the sales process, minimise risk for all parties and support informed decision-making throughout the disposal.

This project demonstrates how accurate Measured Surveys and Area Referencing, combined with coordinated technical and ESG advice, can play a pivotal role in protecting value and enabling smooth, efficient transactions in the logistics and industrial sector.

We are delighted to have provided a multi-service offering to our client City Developments Ltd, enabling them to mitigate risk in their acquisition of St Katharine Docks in London. Our service offering included Technical Due Diligence, Mechanical and Electrical, Vertical Transportation, ESG Consulting, Environmental Consulting, and Reinstatement Cost Assessments. 
 
An iconic site, St Katharine Docks Marina is a 525,449 sq ft riverside and marina office and leisure estate located in the heart of Central London. Originally constructed circa 1830, St Katharine Docks has a rich history in the British trading empire, facilitating the trade of luxury goods. The effects of the Second World War led to the regeneration of St Katharine Docks in the 1970s to what it is today. 
 
St Katharine Docks is arranged over four principal buildings: Devon House, International House, Commodity Quay and Ivory House. Additional ancillary buildings including the Marble Quay, Dickens Inn, Cloisters Walk, and the Haven building complete the site alongside the marina, carpark and public realms areas. Since its redevelopment, St Katharine Docks now attracts over 5.9 million visitors per annum. 
 
We were instructed to inspect, report and provide commentary on the condition of the properties and public realm demised to St Katharine Docks. Providing a multi-service offering, a dedicated team of building surveyors, specialist mechanical, electrical and lift engineers, and both environmental and ESG consultants inspected the properties. A pre-acquisition survey report was produced detailing the condition of the building in conjunction with an M&E report, ESG report, full phase 1 Environmental report and a Reinstatement Cost Assessment for the entire site. 
 
Given the scale and complexity of the site, it was imperative that we coordinated our services to inspect all required areas within the transaction timetable. Out inspections remained sensitive to the requirements of the vendor, who wished for minimal disruption to the operations of the occupiers. Showing excellent client care and being sympathetic to both our client and vendor requirements, we were able to overcome all challenges, all whilst adopting a ‘one team’ approach and working collaboratively with all stakeholders. 
 
We are proud to have delivered for our client on such an iconic and historic area of real estate in central London. 

Our client, Interpath appointed us to deliver a vendor’s technical due diligence report for The Residences, a 17‑storey residential building in Croydon comprising 235 apartments. Originally built in the late 1960s as an office, and extensively refurbished and reclad in 2019, the asset required a clear, commercially focused assessment ahead of sale.

We undertook a full building survey, and specialist lift engineering review, including a detailed examination of historic structural, cladding and fire safety documentation. To ensure absolute clarity, we coordinated directly with the original structural engineers and fire engineers involved in the 2018/19 refurbishment.  Post report, we subsequently liaised with the purchaser to discuss any remaining queries.   

By working collaboratively with historic engineers, the managing agents, the client, and later the purchaser, our technical due diligence provided the client and prospective purchasers with a coherent understanding of the building’s condition, risks and long‑term obligations.
Our work supported the sale process by:

•    Reducing uncertainty around historic structural and fire safety queries
•    Consolidating documentation from multiple specialist consultants
•    Providing confidence in the performance of the cladding system
•    Clarifying compliance under the Fire Safety Act and Building Safety Act
•    Strengthening the asset’s market position by demonstrating transparent, well‑managed building risk

We supported our client Frasers Group in the £220m acquisition of Braehead Shopping Centre. Working to extremely tight timescales, we mobilised quickly offering all core technical services in-house, including façade expertise, which made a real difference to delivery speed. Our pre-acquisition due diligence included: Technical Due Diligence, MEP Engineering, Vertical Transportation, Environmental Facades.
By bringing all of this together seamlessly, we enabled the client to move with pace and confidence on a complex, high-value asset.
A great example of Hollis at our best: multidisciplinary, responsive, and commercially focused.