Building Inspection Reports- factors that affect them

Building Inspection Reports

Factors affecting the report

When you have organised your building inspection report (pre-purchase report) here are certain conditions all our clients should be aware of that will affect the final report from our building inspectors.

These include:

we can’t control what information you give us, so the more detailed the better information we can provide to you

any issues or problems deliberately covered up to make an area appear problem free.

There might be some issues difficult to detect due to weather or other conditions such as rising damp and leaks

It may be difficult to detect leaks and other issues in some parts of the property, if the shower for example has not been used of late it might be difficult to detect leaks or dampness may not be obvious.

The purpose of a Building Inspection Report

This type of building inspection is carried out specifically for the information of home buyers. Our building inspection reports aim to provide you an expert's view of the condition of the property you intend to purchase however the report is not intended to be used as a certificate of compliance for any law, warranty or insurance policy against future problems. We are also unable to give you cost of fixing any issues that arise from the report, this needs to be done by a professional tradesperson. The building inspection report cannot comment on things like the location of fencing in relation to boundaries, as this needs to be done by a registered surveyor.

Inspections done during the cooling-off period

A cooling-off period does not apply if you buy a property at auction or exchange contracts on the same day as the auction after it is passed in. In NSW for an example there is a 5-business day cooling-off period after contracts are exchanged. During this time, you have the option to get out of the contract as long as you give written notice. The cooling-off period starts as soon as you exchange and ends at 5 pm on the fifth business day.

If you want to get a building inspection done during the cooling-off period, be aware that the building inspector would need some notice as he may already be booked elsewhere however Australian Property Building Inspections (APBI) delivers their building reports to the client within twenty-four hours of inspection. So if you intend to organise a building inspection it should still give you time to make a decision. If you decide not to buy the property you also need time to get a letter to the vendor or their agent, saying that you are withdrawing from the contract.

Other type of reports

A special-purpose property report

This report normally covers the same items as a building inspection (pre-purchase property inspection) report however it could also include:

• an estimate of the cost of fixing major problems
• a list of minor problems
• a recommendation of the repairs and maintenance work needed.

Check with the building inspector on what information they include in their pre-purchase property inspection reports and inform the inspector if you require additional information and the cost.

Pest inspection reports

Here at APBI we provide a building inspection report that identifies visual damage caused by termite activity, but it won't include the detection of whether termites and other timber destroying pests still exist as this requires a separate report and highly qualified pest inspector but can be conducted at the same time as the building inspection. You should consider getting a pest inspection done as well as the building inspection, especially if the property is in an area where termites are known to be a problem but also because most banks today will insist on it before the sale goes through.

Australian Property Building Inspections has a tram of professional and industry qualified tradespersons in all the major Australian cities including building inspections Sydney, building inspections Melbourne that offer a detailed building inspection report with 24 hours