Technical due diligence: Why smart investors are taking a commercial approach

By Keith Godsmark 2025-11-21T07:00:00

With the Budget looming next week, speculation is swirling around potential adjustments to capital gains tax and stamp duty reforms, but there is a more immediate concern that many people overlook – whether the technical due diligence informing their decisions is actually fit for purpose, writes Keith Godsmark

For years, technical due diligence (TDD) followed a predictable pattern. Surveyors inspected properties, produced lengthy narrative reports cataloguing every defect, and delivered documents that – while technically thorough – often failed to address the questions investors actually needed answers to.

Too many reports simply described what was found, rather than interpreting what it meant for the transaction. Risk was documented, but rarely quantified in ways that could inform pricing negotiations or post-acquisition planning.

The old approach was standardised, inflexible and fundamentally misaligned with what end users required: clear guidance on whether to proceed, how to price risk, and what to prioritise post-completion.

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