Code of Conduct
APBI promotes quality building inspections. Each staff member or organisation that joins with the Australian Property and Building Inspection agrees to comply with the following Code of Practice
APBI is a national organisation that promotes quality building inspections which engages with trade qualified builders with a minimum of 10 years residential and commercial building experience to complete property inspections.
Each home and building inspection completed is then detailed in a report that is completed to Australian Standards AS4349.3.
Each staff member or organisation that joins with the Australian Property & Building Inspections (APBI) agrees to comply with the following Code of Practice:
Code of Practice
Although the code does not give details about issues and areas of practice, these explanatory statements may be used to clarify the meaning and scope of the code. These explanatory statements do not in any way limit the extent of the standards prescribed by the code.
- An inspector must always perform a building inspection in the public interest.
- In performing a building inspection function and any incidental actions, inspectors must not take action, or fail to take action, that would result in the health or safety of any person or the amenity of any person's property being compromised.
- An inspector must maintain satisfactory levels of competence.
- A building inspector must commit to a process of continuing education and keep adequately informed of developments in building standards, safety and practice, business management principles and laws relevant to building safety inspection functions.
- An inspector must comply with legislative requirements.
- An APBI building inspector must comply with the legislative requirements that regulate or govern inspectors in the performance of building inspection functions. For example, inspectors must:
- Hold a current building trade qualification, or industry equivalent;
- Be able to prove 10 years building and construction experience;
- A working knowledge of the Building Act 1993 for those in Victoria, Home Building Act 1989 in New South Wales, Building Act Queensland 1975 in Queensland, SA Building Act 1971 in South Australia, Building Act 2011 in Western Australia, Building Act 2000 in Tastmania, and NT Building Act in Northern Territory;
- If carrying out asbestos inspections, have a thorough knowledge of asbestos and comply with all applicable legislation relating to asbestos: within Victoria please visit www.asbestos.vic.gov.au, New South Wales: www.epa.nsw.gov.au, Queensland: www.worksafe.qld.gov.au, South Australia: www.asbestos.sa.gov.au, Western Australia: www.public.health.wa.gov.au, Tastmania: worksafe.tas.gov.au/safety/safety_subjects/subject/asbestos_safety, and Northern Territory: dipl.nt.gov.au/infrastructure/infrastructure-nt/asbestos-management;
- An APBI building inspector must comply with the legislative requirements that regulate or govern inspectors in the performance of building inspection functions. For example, inspectors must:
- A building inspector must not perform a home or building inspection where there is the potential for a conflict of interest, for example completing the report for a person selling a property whom they are a friend or family relation or a property they directly or indirectly own.
- An APBI building inspector must not perform a home or property inspection beyond their level of competence or outside their area of expertise.
- An inspector must have the appropriate level of competence and expertise for the pool safety inspection functions they perform. For example, if an inspector is not appropriately experienced in a particular issue, written advice from a suitably qualified or experienced person must be obtained before exercising the inspection function relating to the issue.
- A building inspector must maintain confidentiality.
- An inspector must not divulge confidential or commercially sensitive information discovered in the performance of their function unless directed to do so in writing by the appropriate authority following National Privacy Principles under the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 (for further information, please visit www.privacy.gov.au).
- An APBI building inspector must abide by professional, moral and ethical standards expected by the community. An inspector must, in relation to a home, property or building inspection function must:
- Carry out duties and functions in a professional manner;
- Apply all relevant laws, regulations, safety standards and guidelines reasonably and without favour;
- Perform the functions with honesty, integrity & impartiality;
- Not knowingly enter into any conduct that could bring, or tend to bring, the profession of building inspectors into disrepute;
- Not make false or misleading representations or engage in deceptive or unconscionable conduct in relation to a building inspections, including:
- Charging excessive amounts for an inspection or suggesting minor require completion, incidental to, the inspection functions;
- Advising a person that work needs to be performed to comply with various building work Act if the work does not in fact need to be performed;
- Only carry out minor works under best industry practice, in a workmanlike manner and using good quality materials.
- A building inspector must take all reasonable steps to obtain all relevant facts. An inspector must:
- Keep informed and consider all relevant and available information when the building inspection function
- Demonstrate that all reasonable steps have been taken to obtain and document all relevant facts when performing the building inspection function.
- A building inspector must clearly document reasons for decisions. An inspector must keep properly documented reasons for decisions relating to their property inspection functions.
- An inspector must, for at least five years from the date the building is inspected, keep an adequate record of the inspection. Examples of documentation that must be kept include:
- Fact findings, for example, reliance on the results of tests carried out;
- Any certificate and nonconformity notice given;
- Details of any exemptions, variations, appeals or alternative solutions that apply to the property;
- Photographs, video recordings, drawings and reports.
- An inspector must, for at least five years from the date the building is inspected, keep an adequate record of the inspection. Examples of documentation that must be kept include:
The Australian Property and Building Inspections runs regular workshops with its inspectors to ensure these standards are maintained across the organisations to ensure a minimum standard of building inspections to the industry.
Contact Us
Contact us today to discuss the APBI Code of Conduct.
- Suite 6 Level 6, 350 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
- Call: 1300 657 546
- SMS: 0428 273 563
- Fax: 03 8601 1180
- Email: info@apbi.com.au