WHAT DOES A BUILDING AND PEST INSPECTION ACTUALLY COVER?
Good Question! I know you’ll be surprised by the answer, because of all the questions we get around inspections - this is the Most Frequently Asked Question.
(buckle up, this is a long one!)
The Australian Standard that deals with pre-purchase building inspections (AS4349.1-2007) is written in such a way that we have pretty clear boundaries around what we are to report on and what is not part of the report.
You would think it would be more straightforward, but there is clear rationale behind the restrictions:
It’s a whole house we need to inspect and the practicality around completing your due diligence means there are time and cost restrictions
We are human and can’t see behind walls, under floor boards and tiles
We aren’t walking chemist labs and can’t practically test materials on site
We can’t put ourselves in danger to complete an inspection
We can’t start moving furniture or looking behind pictures on walls because…how many sellers/tenants will want their stuff disturbed or rifled through? Besides, how long is a piece of string? What if we get to the house and it’s a hoarders’ residence?
Lets cut to the chase:
What’s Included & What’s Not:
The whole site within 30m of the house, retaining walls, fences, driveways, paths and hard landscaping - but not the pool. We can comment if the pool looks like it needs further investigation but we aren’t there to produce a pool safety certificate or test the pool filter.
The building exterior including walls, windows and doors, fascia and eaves lining - but we aren’t going to be able to speak about Asbestos in the report. This is one of those “must be tested” products because of all the regulation around it, so that will have to be left out of the paperwork, although we are happy to advise based off of visual cues and the age of the building.
The building interior including walls, doors, flooring, the wet areas, kitchen - but we can’t comment directly on plumbing or electrical items. The reason being - how many licensed builders are also licensed plumbers and electricians? That professional would be rare as hen’s teeth and, if testing the plumbing and electrical was part of the inspection, each building inspection would take 3-4 hours, costing well over $1,000. Not practical. But our building inspector can advise whether you might need those other trades in!
The roof interior, looking closely at the roof framing for structural integrity and termite activity, as well as commenting on the quality of the insulation if there is any, and the underside of the roofing. The common restrictions to roof interiors are foil-backed insulation (electrocution hazard) and the absence of a manhole.
The roof exterior includes the roof plumbing, general maintenance of the roofing, any damaged tiles and issues with any penetrations to the roof. When we have a restriction to the roof space, it’s always to do with the height, lack of access or wet weather.
The subfloor forms part of the report if there is one, and when we can’t access the subfloor it’s because it’s too small to get into. Less than 1m is considered too small.
All of this goes into the report.
The Wiggle Room:
This is where we differ from other inspectors in a lot of cases: Our reports include a Major and Minor Defect Summary that lists all our findings. If you want to back out of your purchase contract, you’ll need to refer to something in the Major Defects Summary. If you go ahead and buy the property, we recommend that you use the Minor Defects Summary for a maintenance list going into the future.
Our personal standards with regards to “good construction” and a “well maintained property” might be slightly better than the Australian Average but we do work within the NSW/QLD Guides to Standards and Tolerances.
If you have any questions about something that hasn’t been addressed here, please GET IN TOUCH, we are happy to answer any questions.
