Could Covid Infect Buildings? What We’re Seeing

Brand-New Doesn’t Mean Built-to-Plan

Everyone understands that covid was a unique event in this century for our country, one with terrific costs, in lives, in health, in trust. For all the headline-grabbing problems, there are secondary issues that are beginning to surface outside the realm of human health and social cohesion.

A disturbing trend emerged when we walked properties constructed at the height of the supply chain chaos and lockdowns. It is not coincidence, not isolated bad jobs, but the visible signature of an era when the construction industry was operating under conditions it had never faced before. Buyers and lenders evaluating these assets need to understand what that signature looks like and why we are concerned.

The ASTM E2018 Standard PCA scope includes, as part of its title, “Baseline Property Condition Assessment Process”. Pandemic-era construction challenges exceeded the baseline expectations for describing existing systems and identifying material physical deficiencies. The standard has served the industry well for decades. But the assumption embedded in that baseline — that a recently completed building reflects the quality controls of normal construction practice — is not a safe bet to make for assets built between 2020 and 2023.

What Made 2020–2023 Construction Different

Five powerful forces hit the construction industry simultaneously. Each created a category of risk that persists in the finished product today.

Supply chain substitutions. Materials specified at design were not always materials delivered to the site. Steel, aluminum, insulation, mechanical equipment, fixtures — every category saw lead times that doubled or tripled, and contractors who could not absorb the schedule slip substituted what was available for what was specified. Some of those substitutions were documented; many were not. The plans on file may not describe the building that was built.

Skilled labor shortages. Experienced framers, electricians, plumbers, and finish trades were stretched thin. Sub-tier work that would normally have been performed by journey-level craft was performed by whoever was on site. Quality control depends on the trades catching the trades — when the bench is thin, that catch happens less often.

Jurisdictional inspector overload. Building departments in growth markets were processing volume they were never staffed for. Inspections that should have taken 30 minutes happened in 10. Inspectors who should have been turning a job back for correction were green-lighting it because the queue behind them was three weeks deep. Certificates of occupancy were issued on buildings that, under normal conditions, would have been held back.

Schedule compression. Lenders, equity, and developers all wanted the project closed out so the permanent debt could replace the construction loan. When materials arrived late but the closing deadline did not move, the response was to compress the remaining work. Trades that should have sequenced in order got stacked on top of one another. Out-of-sequence work means uninspected work — drywall over plumbing that was never pressure-tested, finishes over electrical that was never verified.

Documentation chaos. Submittals, change orders, RFIs, and as-built records were generated and lost at unprecedented rates. Project managers turned over. General contractors hired and fired. The paper trail that should describe what was built often does not exist in any organized form by the time the building hits the market.

The Pattern of Failure Modes

These forces produce a recognizable set of failures that recur across pandemic-era multifamily assets. Not every building shows all of them, and few buildings show none.

Plan-to-build gaps. Components that appear on the plans, in the bid documents, and in the original cost basis are not always present in the finished building. Awnings, skylights, mechanical accessories, finish-grade hardware, exterior lighting, even structural elements in extreme cases — physical items that should be visible from a walking inspection are sometimes simply not there. The buyer paid for them; the contractor did not deliver them; nobody caught it during closeout.

Structural compromises. Engineered components specified at one size or grade and built at another. Deck supports, beam connections, hold-downs, and load-path elements are the common offenders. Undersized columns and underspecified connections do not announce themselves on a casual walkthrough; they show up when a competent inspector reads what was designed against what was built.

Envelope failures appearing early. Roof membrane installations performed by inexperienced crews under schedule pressure. Flashing details executed wrong because the experienced installer was on the next project. Window installations with sealant deficiencies that take a full winter to surface. The first hard rain or freeze cycle of year two reveals what the certificate of occupancy did not.

Mechanical and electrical anomalies. Equipment installed without anchoring, sized below the load it was meant to serve, or substituted to a model that does not match the specification. Panel schedules that no longer describe the panel. Rooftop units sitting on curbs without the bolts that hold them down.

Compromised closeout documentation. O&M manuals missing, warranties not transferred, commissioning reports incomplete or absent, as-builts that do not reflect the as-built condition. The building is alive, but its medical history is missing.

Where Standard PCA Scope Falls Short

ASTM E2018 requires the consultant to describe systems and identify material physical deficiencies. It does not require — and explicitly disclaims — detailed engineering analyses, load calculations, or forward-looking studies. For a building from a normal construction era, that scope catches most of what a prudent buyer needs to see.

For pandemic-era buildings, the gap occurs between an inspector used to baseline scopes and baseline observations and the realities of non-standard pandemic-era construction. A competent inspector working a 2020–2023 vintage asset reads the plans (if available) against the build, recognizes structural members that do not fit the build, or variations in the build that call into question what was installed behind the finished materials. The inspector flags the work that bears the signature of compromise, compression, and substitution. None of that is engineering analysis — it is informed visual inspection performed by someone who knows what the era produced.

Where the inspector’s read suggests deeper questions — load path, capacity, code compliance under specific use cases — the report should define the parameters that warrant follow-up by the appropriate specialist. That is value-add a competent inspector provides; it is not baseline scope, and buyers should not assume they will receive it without asking.

Before we go any further, we want to make a point. Everyone, EVERYONE, was doing the best they could. The issues we are seeing are not intentional or malicious; they are the result of the most challenging build environment most of us have ever seen. Onward . . .

What Buyers and Lenders Should Do

A few practical adjustments to the diligence approach for pandemic-era multifamily.

Treat the certificate of occupancy as evidence of closing, not evidence of quality. Many pandemic-era CofOs were issued under conditions that would not have produced one in normal times. The document is not the verification.

Ask the inspector specifically about pandemic-era patterns. A walkthrough that is not framed by an understanding of what the era produced will catch the visible defects and miss the era’s signature. The inspector’s experience with this vintage of construction is a legitimate qualification question.

Build extra time into the diligence schedule for plan-to-build verification. Comparing what was designed against what was built takes more time than a standard walkthrough. If the seller cannot produce plans, that is itself information.

Do not assume nationally branded inspection firms catch what regional practitioners catch. Pattern recognition is built from repetition in a specific market. The inspector who has walked 30 pandemic-era multifamily assets in your region in the last two years has a signal advantage over a generalist sent in from out of state.

The era stamped a signature on a generation of buildings. That signature shows up in the inspection report when the inspector knows what to read for, and it does not show up when they do not. Building quality depends on Builder quality — and on the era the Builder was building in.

Calibre’s Approach

Calibre Commercial Inspections has been on the ground for pandemic-era multifamily acquisitions and post-closing assessments across Idaho, Eastern Oregon, Eastern Washington, and Western Montana. The pattern recognition that informs this article is built from walking the buildings the era produced. For buyers, lenders, and asset managers evaluating 2020–2023 vintage multifamily, that field experience matters. Contact us to discuss your property.