Reliable environmental due diligence support for your US real estate transactions

Phase I ESAs in the United States are commonly performed in accordance with ASTM E1527-21. The standard is also recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency as consistent with the All Appropriate Inquiries requirements under 40 CFR Part 312.

We work to your scope and your interpretation of the standard, not to our own.

No. The presence of a listing does not by itself establish a recognized environmental condition. The listing has to be evaluated on distance, direction, topography, groundwater conditions, site history, regulatory status and the available release information before it can be called a concern to the subject property.

A REC relates to the presence or likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products due to a release, or conditions posing a material threat of a future release. An HREC relates to a past release that has been addressed to the satisfaction of the applicable regulatory authority and does not represent a current REC. A CREC applies where a REC has been addressed through remediation or other response activities, but residual contamination remains subject to activity and use limitations or institutional or engineering controls.

No. A Phase I ESA is primarily a research and observational assessment. It does not generally include soil, groundwater or soil vapor sampling, laboratory analysis, subsurface investigation or remediation.

Where available information indicates a potential release requiring further evaluation, a Phase II ESA or other additional investigation may be recommended.

A property currently occupied by an office building may previously have been used for industrial manufacturing, vehicle maintenance, agricultural operations, dry cleaning or petroleum storage. Current conditions alone may not represent historical environmental risk, so historical sources are reviewed to identify activities that may have resulted in recognized environmental conditions.

No. We provide research, evaluation and report preparation support. Field investigation, sampling, laboratory analysis and other site-specific activities can be coordinated with appropriately qualified local environmental professionals.

Environmental consulting firms, real estate investors, lenders, developers, engineering firms and underwriting teams. We work as an extension of your existing team, to your scope, your standards and your report format.

Engagement is project-based, volume-based, or dedicated-team support, depending on your requirements.

The property address and parcel information, the property type, and whatever you already hold: site plans, existing environmental reports, previous Phase I or Phase II ESAs, environmental database reports and regulatory documents. Tell us your reporting requirements and the turnaround you need.

We clarify the scope before starting rather than after, and the deliverable is prepared to your template, terminology and formatting.

Every assignment goes through a structured review covering property identification, address consistency, historical dates, facility locations, database information, regulatory status, the environmental conclusions themselves, internal consistency, your specific requirements, and report formatting and completeness.