GROSS LETTABLE AREA SURVEY
A GLA (Gross Lettable Area) survey is the floor space of a tenancy at each floor level measuring to the dominant portion of the outside faces of walls of the building alignment.
Gross lettable area surveys for property sales or leasing
Our business was built on preparing Lettable Area Surveys and we have become the industry leader in this space.
Three fundamentals drove our start-up business to disrupt the survey industry over 20 years ago;
- To become the single source of interpretation and best practice of the Property Council of Australia Method of Measurement
- Use the latest technology in obtaining accurate field data.
- Present the findings in a transparent and easy to read format for all interested parties to understand in their own way.
Obtaining accurately calculated tenancy areas for Warehouses, Industrial Buildings, Free Standing Supermarkets and Showrooms, the survey uses the Property Council Method of Measurement known as Gross Lettable Area.
It is important to note that this is a method and not a standard. So there is a lot of reliance on the expertise of the surveyor to best interpret and use the correct method keeping in mind the landlord and tenants’ best interest. The Realserve team has specialised in this space for nearly 20 years.
The gross lettable area is determined by including everything within the external building walls. Stairs, access ways, fire stairs, toilets recessed doorways, fire hose reel cupboards, escalators, smoke lobbies, plant rooms, tearoom and other service areas are also included.
Four points of difference for GLA Survey method is;
- The area of the stairs is to be included in the area of every floor.
- Loading docks that are fully enclosed and capable of been secured to be included
- Where a mezzanine level has been added by a tenant that area should be shown separately, and a statement added to the effect that the area is a structure that has been erected by the tenant.
- On the first and upper floors, all voids except stair voids are to be excluded from the area.
If you own, manage or lease an industrial building you will find a Gross Lettable Area Survey most useful for;
- Showing tenancy square metres on signboards and other marketing material.
- Attaching to Lease Documentation.
- Property Valuation reports.
- Rental calculations.
- Registering a Lease.
Our typical process
The property council believes the best practice approach to measuring floor space as part of a lease negotiation is as follows;
Step 1 – Agree on the methods to be used
Step 2 – Agree on the measurements obtained
Step 3 – Negotiate the rental rates
Our fieldwork and lettable area plan presentation is the best clarification of the method of measurement with your specific site. If your industrial portfolio spans Australia, you can have the peace of mind when negotiating rental calculations with incoming or existing tenants, knowing you have the correct area.
We utilise the latest surveying technology to capture our data then produce our surveys. Using the latest CAD software programs everything is captured and processed accurately to start producing survey plans. The equipment we use is state of the art, ranging from traditional total stations to 3D laser scanning or RPA (drone). We only use the latest software tools including AutoCAD & Revit.
Once our plans are drafted they go through an intensive QA process via an independent audit to ensure that what we have captured is delivered to the highest levels of accuracy possible.
In summary;
- Initial consultation to ensure we can meet your needs.
- Agree on a scope of work.
- A site visit is organised with one of our qualified technicians with the necessary data collection equipment.
- All data is then processed via our team located in one of our offices around the Country.
- All plans or drawings are then independently reviewed via our QA process.
- All deliverables are then created for viewing in PDF, AutoCAD or Revit.
- We also have the ability to create a 3D scan or virtual tour of your property to create a fully interactive view of a site.
Lettable Area Survey Plans
See some of our case studies
3D Building Scanning to upgrade supermarket loading docks
A national supermarket brand needed to upgrade their loading docks with multiple sites around Australia. See how we used 3D building scanning to help achieve this
Point cloud created by a surveyor for a national hotel refurbishment program
In today’s modern era, the practice of relying on paper-based drawings and floor plans for a hotel refurbishment has become obsolete, with architects increasingly turning to modern workflows to maximise on the benefits that 3D scanning and modelling can offer
3D scanning of shopping centre amenities in Noarlunga, SA
To assist with the planning of a refurbishment program aimed at enhancing visitors’ experience at a shopping centre, Realserve survey technicians provided 3D building scanning services in Adelaide’s south.
3D scanning of a free standing restaurant building in Adelaide
Realserve routinely engages in the practice of 3D scanning buildings that are used for retail tenancies. Our surveyors in Adelaide were engaged to produce a Revit Model and Point Cloud for a free standing restaurant in a shopping centre car park
Using 3D scanning to create a new retail tenancy plan in Sydney
The Realserve surveyors in Sydney were engaged by Lendlease to create new retail tenancy documentation in their shopping centre at Erina Fair. Instead of using traditional survey methods we used a Leica BLK to create a 3D scan of the 130 square metre area.
3D Revit Model of a heritage building in Launceston
Realserve sent a team of surveyors to Launceston to create a 3D Revit Model for a heritage building in the city to help facilitate a refurbishment program.