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1.1 Purpose—The purpose of this guide2 is to define good commercial practice for conducting a baseline survey for readily observable moisture affected materials and conditions conducive to elevated moisture in a commercial building related to a commercial real estate transaction or commercial real estate asset management by conducting: a walk-through survey, document reviews, and interviews as outlined within this guide. This guide is intended to provide a practical means for the visual identification of moisture affected materials and physical deficiencies conducive to elevated moisture as a result of water infiltration through the building envelope or substructure, or generated within the subject building as a result of processes or mechanical systems, excluding de minimis conditions. This guide is to allow a user to assess general moisture concerns, as well as the potential need for further assessment or other actions that may be appropriate that are beyond the scope of this guide. For purposes of this guide, the initialism “VMA” or “Visual Moisture Assessment” is used interchangeably with this guide’s full title.

1.2 Purpose Limitations—While a VMA may be used to survey for readily identifiable moisture affected materials and physical deficiencies conducive to elevated moisture, the VMA is not designed to serve as comprehensive survey for the presence of moisture affected materials and physical deficiencies conducive to elevated moisture in all or most areas in a commercial building. It is not intended to reduce or eliminate the risks that elevated moisture may pose to the subject building or its occupants.

1.3 Considerations Beyond This Scope—The use of this guide is strictly limited to the scope set forth in this section. Section 12 of this guide identifies, for informational purposes, certain physical conditions (not an all-inclusive list) that may exist at a property and certain activities or procedures (not an all-inclusive list) that are beyond the scope of this guide but may warrant consideration by users. The need to investigate any such conditions in the provider’s scope of services should be evaluated based upon, among other factors, the nature of the property and the reason for conducting the VMA. The scope of such further investigation or testing services should be agreed upon between the user and the provider as additional services, which are beyond the scope of this guide, prior to initiation of the VMA process. The responsibility to initiate work beyond the scope of this guide lies with the user.

1.4 Organization of the Guide—This guide has 13 sections and three appendices. Section 1 defines the Scope. Section 2 is Referenced Documents. Section 3 is Terminology. Section 4 defines the Significance and Use of this guide. Section 5 describes User Responsibilities. Sections 6 through 11 provide guidelines for the main body of the report, including the scope of the walk-through survey and preparation of the report. Section 12 and Appendix X1 identify Out of Scope Considerations. Section 13 lists keywords for Internet reference. Appendix X1 provides the user with additional VMA scope considerations, whereby a user may increase this guide’s baseline scope of due diligence to be exercised by the provider, Appendix X2 provides the user with a suggested Interview Checklist, and Appendix X3 provides the user with a suggested Field Checklist.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

4.1 Use—This guide is intended for use on a voluntary basis by parties who wish to obtain a limited survey of commercial real estate to assess for readily observable moisture-affected materials and physical deficiencies conducive to elevated moisture as part of a commercial real estate transaction or commercial property management. This guide is intended to constitute a baseline inquiry using representative observations for the purposes of conducting due diligence regarding the actual and potential presence of readily observable moisture affected materials and physical deficiencies conducive to elevated moisture in connection with a property. Inquiries that are more and less comprehensive than this guide (including, in some instances, no inquiry) may be appropriate in some circumstances in the opinion of the user (for example, when the presence of moisture affected materials is known to the user). Furthermore, no implication is intended that a person must use this guide in order to be deemed to have conducted appropriate inquiry in a commercially prudent or reasonable manner in a particular transaction. Nevertheless, this guide is intended to reflect a commercially prudent and reasonable inquiry. However, a VMA is not intended to serve as a comprehensive survey for the presence of readily observable moisture affected materials and physical deficiencies conducive to elevated moisture in all or most of the building systems throughout a commercial building.

4.2 Clarification of Use: 

4.3 Who May Conduct—The walk-through survey portion of a VMA should be conducted by a field observer qualified as outlined in Section 7.

4.4 Additional Services—As set forth in 11.13, additional services may be contracted for between the user and the provider. Such additional services may include moisture metering, sampling of suspect fungal growth, invasive testing, thermographic imaging, environmental site assessments, property condition assessments or other services not included within the scope of this guide, examples of which area identified in Section 12 under Out of Scope Considerations.

4.5 Principles—The following principles are an integral part of this guide and are intended to be referred to in resolving ambiguity or exercising such discretion as is accorded the user or provider in conducting a VMA or in judging whether a user or provider has conducted appropriate inquiry or has otherwise conducted an adequate VMA.

4.6 Rules of Engagement—The contractual and legal obligations between a provider and a user (and other parties, if any) are outside the scope of this guide. No specific legal relationship between the provider and the user is necessary for the user to meet the requirements of this guide.