Short answer: in a standard 30-day contingency period the buyer orders and pays for the property condition assessment, Phase I ESA, roof inspection and any specialty consultants; the lender orders nothing but dictates the scope; and the seller supplies documents. Everything physical must be authorized in the first 48 hours, because reports take 10 to 15 business days and you need time left to renegotiate.
Who orders and who pays
| Item | Ordered by | Paid by | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property condition assessment (ASTM E2018) | Buyer or lender's list | Buyer | 10–15 business days |
| Phase I ESA (ASTM E1527-21) | Buyer | Buyer | 10–15 business days |
| Roof inspection with moisture survey | Buyer | Buyer | 5–10 business days |
| ADA / Title III survey | Buyer | Buyer | 5–10 business days |
| ALTA/NSPS survey | Buyer, per lender | Buyer | 3–5 weeks |
| Seismic PML (California) | Lender requirement | Buyer | 2–3 weeks, with the PCA |
| Title and zoning report | Escrow / buyer counsel | Split by custom | 1–3 weeks |
| Estoppels and SNDAs | Seller | Seller | 2–4 weeks — usually the long pole |
| Appraisal | Lender | Buyer | 2–4 weeks |
| Phase II ESA, if triggered | Buyer | Negotiated | 3–6 weeks |
Local custom varies and everything here is negotiable in the PSA. What is not negotiable is the arithmetic: an ALTA survey and tenant estoppels routinely outrun a 30-day contingency, so they get started before the physical inspections, not after.
Day-by-day: a 30-day contingency period
Days 1–2 — authorize everything physical
- Order the PCA, Phase I, and roof inspection the day escrow opens. These share a site visit window, so schedule them together.
- Send the vendor list to the seller with a single access contact and required roof and mechanical room access.
- Order title, and instruct counsel to begin the survey if the lender requires ALTA.
- Send the document request list: rent roll, leases, service contracts, capital history, permits, certificate of occupancy, utility bills, prior environmental and roof reports, SB 721 report on multifamily.
Days 3–8 — site work
- Walk the property. On multi-tenant assets, unit access notices go out 24 to 48 hours ahead under the lease terms.
- Confirm whether the Phase I is turning up a recognized environmental condition. If the property's history suggests it will, start the Phase II access agreement now instead of waiting for the report.
- Lender scope letter should be in hand by day 5 — reserve term, PML threshold, reliance parties.
Days 9–15 — reports land
- Draft PCA, Phase I and roof reports arrive. Read the immediate-repairs table and the roof remaining life first.
- Circulate drafts to the lender before finalizing so scope objections surface now, not at closing.
- Reconcile findings against the seller's disclosures and capital history.
Days 16–22 — price the findings
- Convert immediate repairs into a credit request with contractor pricing where the number is large.
- Separate life-safety and code items — retrofit obligations, balcony inspection status, fire-system deficiencies — from cosmetic deferred maintenance. Only the first category moves a seller.
- Decide extension versus termination if a Phase II is recommended.
Days 23–30 — resolve
- Negotiate credit, escrow holdback, or price reduction; document the repair obligations that survive closing.
- Confirm reliance letters are issued to the correct entities.
- Release or extend the contingency in writing.
Compressing a 21-day period
- Authorize on day one and pay for rush delivery on the PCA and Phase I; it is cheap relative to blowing the contingency.
- Bundle the PCA, roof and ADA screening with one inspection firm so it is one site visit and one schedule.
- Get the lender's scope letter before ordering, so nothing has to be re-issued.
- Ask the seller for prior reports on day one — a two-year-old Phase I can sometimes be updated rather than replaced.
- Negotiate a conditional extension tied specifically to a Phase II recommendation at the time you sign the PSA, not when the recommendation arrives.
When a Phase II lands mid-escrow
You have four moves: extend the contingency, buy with an indemnity and an environmental insurance policy, restructure with a holdback funded to the remediation estimate, or walk. What you should not do is close on a REC with no cost estimate — the All Appropriate Inquiries protection you paid for depends on completing the inquiry, not filing it.
Order the physical work as one package
USCBI performs the PCA, Phase I ESA, roof inspection and code review off a single site visit across five Southern California counties, with lender reliance issued on delivery. Related reading: how long a Phase I takes and what lenders want in a PCA report.
Need this scoped? USCBI performs commercial inspections across San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Request scope and fee and we normally reply the same business day.