- the rights and obligations between owners, and
- the time and manner of executing any work, and
- procedural matters "arising out of or incidental to the dispute", including allocation of costs.
The decisions are recorded in an Award, which is then published to the Owners.
The duties can be undertaken without technical knowledge of construction, or the construction industry, and the Act doesn't require such knowledge. What is needed is knowledge of the provisions of the Act, the procedures to be followed, and the legal context of applicable case law.
However, adequate knowledge of techniques used in construction is useful since it allows for effective decisions on the timing and execution of work, and avoidance of unnecessary inconvenience, without the need to consult a construction specialist.
There is no duty imposed on the Surveyor(s) to check or approve the design of any parts of the works, but at the very least they should be satisfied that the works have been designed correctly. It should be sufficient if unconditional Building Regulations Approval has been achieved.
The Surveyor(s) may need to consult with construction specialists, if;-
- the intended work might be unnecessarily inconvenient to an Adjoining Owner, or
- unconditional Building Regulations Approval has not been achieved, or
- the works will start under the Notice procedure of the Building Regulations, or
- the design is unusual, or
- the Building Owner hasn't employed experienced designers.
If the specialists agree, the Building Owner would have to amend the proposed work. This tends to happen if the work has not been designed to an appropriate standard.