Why Environmental Due Diligence is Important: 5 Top Reasons!Posted by geologixaus on September 2nd, 2019 Is a property contaminated? Environmental due diligence is undertaken by environmental consultants to determine if any contamination risks are present on a site. Due diligence investigations can be invaluable when negotiating property transactions such as acquisitions, sales, real estate leases and financing. A due diligence assessment will assess whether historical activities on a site (or those nearby) are likely to have contaminated the land. If contamination exists, environmental liabilities can transfer to the new owner unless the polluter can be identified and ordered to remediate. Environmental due diligence will uncover the true condition of the land and help define remediation liabilities. By understanding the nature and extent of any potential contamination, land negotiations can occur from a position of strength and development projects are less likely to be impacted by unexpected works or time delays. Five Reasons for Environmental Due Diligence Due diligence can be an astute business strategy. Here are five good benefits of investing in environmental due diligence:
Extensive or Simple? How extensively should a site be investigated? We recommend a records review be undertaken as a bare minimum since this will highlight potential contamination issues. If potential contamination is identified, more detailed information can be obtained through a site inspection, interviews with people previously connected with the site, and invasive testing of soil and groundwater. Although sample collection and analysis provides the best of evidence of contamination, a due diligence strategy will be developed in light of the proposed land use and commercial objectives and may not need to be extensive. Industrial Land Industrial land generally poses a higher risk of contamination and will most likely be subject to development controls. Likewise, there are businesses that are highly contaminating such as service stations and dry cleaners and increase the potential for contamination issues. Geo-Logix believes environmental due diligence is a critical risk mitigation strategy and recommends that a due diligence investigation be undertaken when purchasing high risk sites or businesses and land worth million or more. Like it? Share it!More by this author |