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Root-cause analysis of cracking, leaks, spalling and settlement — documented to stand up to insurers and counsel.
01 / The Documented Cause
The Direct Answer
A forensic investigation determines the documented root cause of cracking, spalling, leaks, settlement or movement before repairs are bid. Every finding is photographed, located and dated in the field, then carried into a sealed report that a board, its insurer and its counsel can rely on.
The point is a documented cause, not a guess: repairs bid against an unexplained symptom tend to be repeated.
Scope
Structural movement, subsidence, and foundation compromise are evaluated to determine whether observed distress is active, progressive, or stable.
Building envelope failures are traced to their source so repairs target the cause of water migration rather than the symptom.
Concrete delamination and reinforcing steel oxidation are assessed in coastal conditions to identify extent and recommended remediation.
Every observation is recorded in the field with photographs tied to a specific building location and dated for the record.
The final deliverable is a written root-cause assessment signed and sealed by a licensed Florida professional engineer.
Findings are presented to the board by the assessing engineer, so directors can act on a documented cause rather than a contractor’s estimate.
The Engineer of Record assigned to your building inspects it, writes the report, seals it, and presents the findings to the board — performed to the Fortis Standard.
Each Fortis inspection report includes 20+ photographs, each located and dated in the field.
Forensic investigations are not driven by a county deadline, so there is no Broward-versus-Miami-Dade distinction to reconcile. Fortis performs forensic investigations across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.
Questions
A forensic investigation establishes the root cause of cracking, leaks, spalling or settlement. The deliverable is a documented cause, not a guess about one. That distinction matters commercially: repairs bid against an unexplained symptom tend to be repeated, because the condition that produced the symptom is still there after the repair is paid for.
When the cause of the distress is not established. Boards and owners bring Fortis in when cracking, spalling, leaks or movement need a documented cause before repairs are bid. Bidding first means contractors price a symptom, and the board has no independent basis to judge whether the proposed scope addresses what is actually wrong.
No. Forensic investigations are not driven by a county deadline, so there is no Broward-versus-Miami-Dade distinction to reconcile and no filing date to work back from. An investigation is commissioned because a condition needs explaining — usually before repair money is committed, an insurance position is taken, or a dispute hardens.
Each finding is photographed, located and dated in the field, then carried into a sealed report the board can act on. Distress is located on the building elevation and photographed with a scale reference, so the record supports the conclusion rather than merely accompanying it. The findings are documented to stand up to insurers and counsel.
The Engineer of Record assigned to your building inspects it, writes the report, seals it, and presents the findings to the board. The work is performed to the Fortis Standard, so the answer does not depend on which engineer shows up — the same documented method applies whoever is assigned.
Fortis performs forensic investigations across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach. Because the work is not tied to a county filing programme, the same method applies in each of the three counties — the investigation is scoped to the condition being explained rather than to whichever jurisdiction the building happens to sit in.
Scope reference
Cracking, spalling, rust staining and settlement are located on the building elevation, photographed with a scale reference and dated in the field, so the record supports the conclusion.
Send the property details and Fortis will confirm which requirement applies and provide a written scope before any fieldwork begins.