Property Inspection Services
- Pre-purchase Timber Pest Inspection
- Termite Inspections
- Pool Safety Inspection and Certification
- Dilapidation Reports
- New Build Multi-Stage Inspections
- Pre-Purchase Building Inspections
- Drug Residue Testing
Pre-purchase building and Pest Inspections
Pre-purchase Building inspection (compliant to AS4349.1-2007)
Pre-Purchase Timber Pest Inspection (compliant to AS4349.3-2010)
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Building Inspection Services
Building inspections are an essential step in the home-buying process. Yet, it’s often overlooked by many Australians who don’t understand the consequences of not completing an effective building inspection or timber pest inspection (termite inspection).
Anyone dealing with property – from contractors to property investors – need to know the major defects surrounding the home and the pit falls about building inspections.
With over 35 years combined experience in the Building construction and Pest Management services you can rest assured your Building Inspection will detail all necessary findings to ensure you make an informed decision on your purchase.
Here at Clear View, we offer personalised, detailed reports with images throughout, straightforward and easy to read building inspections and more.
Our building inspection services are perfect for:
- Home Owners
- First Home Buyers
- Property Investors
- Builders and Contractors
- Body Corporates
- Building Managers
Our small business handles all your building inspections first-hand. With no need for a middle-man, we keep building inspections simple with friendly, local, in-person service.
In other words, we treat you like we would treat our family.
Book your building inspection with Clear View today!
Why Choose Clear View
Accurate Reporting
Buying or building a home will be one of the biggest personal and financial decisions you will ever undertake and having a thorough understanding from a detailed and accurate building inspection report will provide a clear view in your decisions.
We Are Different
We are the only Inspector in NSW who is fully Licensed and experienced Builder and Licensed and Experienced Pest Management technician. The Inspection is done by the owner directly, No contractors, No employees, No time restraints.
Buyer Beware
More then 80% of inspectors doing pre-purchase building property inspections in NSW are not Builders or fully qualified pest management technicians or insured which is legal according to the Australian Standard AS4349.1-2007.
Trust in Quality
Buying property is one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make. Invest in a building inspection report you can trust. This is not the time to be shopping for the cheapest inspection you can find.
Building Inspections NSW | Local Service | Certified for Quality
Getting to the stage of Purchasing your Home
So, what happens during a building inspection?
Let’s start on how you get to pre-purchase building inspection stage (Not during Auction as this would be different)
When you find the property you’re interested in purchasing you will negotiate and make an offer, after both parties have agreed to the price you will exchange contracts between both solicitors or conveyancers. You will need to make a deposit generally .25% of the purchase price.
There is a cooling off period which allows you time to adjust some contract terms and arrange your pre-purchase Building and Pest inspections on the property. Always have a minimum of 10 days cooling off as you will need time to arrange your building inspector, property reports and any further investigations required. DO NOT be rushed into a 5-day cooling off period. In any case you can always request extension on cooling off periods if issues arise from your building inspection report. For example, if you wanted to get some quotes on defects found in your Pre-purchase building inspection report. Usually, the conveyancer or solicitor will ask for the Pre-purchase Building and Timber Pest reports to justify extension.
REMEMBER the seller wants to sell the property just as much as you want to buy it.
A Detailed pre-purchase building report can save you Tens of Thousands of dollars off the purchase price in negotiations or from potentially purchasing a property with major issues that will in the end be a money pit!
Beware of Auction Sales
A cooling off period does not apply if you buy a property at Auction or exchange contracts the same day as the auction after its passed in.
You need to arrange your pre-purchase building inspections prior to the Auction!
Remember that in some cases sellers often complete their own pre-purchase building inspections for potential buyers. We strongly recommend not using these reports as a substitute for your own arranged building inspection.
It’s also important to note that, as a buyer, you won’t always want to rely on the vendor’s or the seller’s pre-purchase inspection. It’s not always in their best interest to perform a top to bottom building inspection, so, to protect yourself, getting your own pre-purchase building inspection is ideal.
As we often hear, you get what you pay for, and the cheapest pre-purchase building inspection won’t always be your best bet. After all, when you’re buying a home, something as important as a pre-purchase building inspection, you want to make sure you’re working with a trustworthy building inspector!
Pre-Purchase Building and Timber Pest Inspection Fundamentals
Let’s get the basics out of the way.
A pre-purchase or Pre-sale property Inspection is the same thing. One is done for the seller if they want one done before they sell to understand if there is any concerns with their property and the other is done for the purchaser before they buy the property. Both building inspection reports have the exact same fundamentals.
A Pest inspection is the same a Timber pest inspection, both terms are used frequently. The correct term is Timber Pest as this is what the inspection is about. We do not look for nuisance pests like cockroaches or rats etc Timber pest covers Termites, wood borers, fungal decay (wood rot) and timber delignification.
The Timber pest inspection needs to comply with the Australian Standard 4349.3-2010 and the purpose of the report is to identify Timber pest such as Termites, wood borers, conducive conditions and make recommendations on preventative options to prevent termite attack.
Can I have a Termite Inspection report as per Australian Standard 3660.2.? These inspections are solely focused on termites not other timber pests and are mainly designed for existing home owners. These inspections are usually completed at least annually by home owners to ensure their property is termite free. For more info on this type of inspection please refer to the pest and termite management section.
A Pre-Purchase Building Inspection needs to comply with Australian Standard 4349.1-2007 and the purpose of this report is to identify the physical state of the property.
The Inspection shall comprise of a visual assessment of the property to identify major defects and to form an opinion regarding the general condition of the property at the time of inspection.
A building inspection will not identify timber pest nor is the inspector looking for this.
Timber Pest Inspection (AS4349.3-2010)
Every year many buildings in Australia are damaged by Fungal decay (rot), wood -boring insects, by subterranean termites (the latter are also commonly but incorrectly called ‘white ants’) or other timber pests. Persons who wish to purchase or maintain a property that includes structures may require advice to determine whether the pests are or have been present in the building, there is heightened risk of timber pest presence, or there is damage caused by timber pests.
The inspection is to assess if there is evidence of timber pests, existing visual evidence of damage caused by timber pests and conducive conditions to timber pests such as termites.
At Clear View we are qualified Pest management technicians and will provide the best quality advice on preventative measures and have the experience to know where to look for concealed termite ingress. We have inspected and treated thousands of homes for termites.
The basis of the standard is a non-invasive inspection, comprising of visual inspection supplemented by non-marking sounding of elements and assessment of moisture content of materials.
As a buyer you must understand the seller’s perspective, they would not want an inspector cutting holes in walls, moving furniture, lifting insulation to access parts of the home. This is just not practical nor feasible.
This is why it’s imperative you have a qualified Pest technician complete your Timber pest inspection. Note that over 80% of inspectors are NOT Pest management technicians and have only completed 2 modules of the pest management course that allows them to inspect homes for timber pest.
At Clear View Property Inspections, we are Licensed Pest Management technicians with 10 years’ experience in inspecting and treating termites.
As standard at no extra cost, we use high technology equipment to help us over come the need for an invasive inspection should we find potential signs of concealed termites.
We use as standard, Thermal imaging camera (flir E85) top of the line camera to help identify heat differences in walls that could identify termites.
Termatrac T3i is used to pick up sound waves in between walls. Basically, if we find a conducive area, we will use the T3i on the area of concern to see if we can pick up movement in the wall for termites.
Another item that is used is the Tramex moisture meter, this reads high moisture content in-depth between walls. This is a great item to identify high moisture behind showers and baths that could be ultimately due to waterproofing failure and is highly conducive to termites.
Well, this depends on a lot of factors.
Size of property, subfloor or built on concrete slab, flat roof vs pitch roof, land size etc
Who is doing the inspection for you and how much are you paying? Unfortunately, cheap prices lead to fast careless inspections which will be done in generally 1 hr.
This is not the time to be shopping for cheap prices, you are buying a home for millions of dollars.
Pending some variables, a timber pest inspection should take approx. 3-4 hrs, this is the amount of time Clear View Property Inspections will spend at the property. Rest assured we have no issues spending longer amount of time if required. We will not cut corners to speed the inspection up.
Considering that the building inspection industry is currently unregulated in NSW with no licensing requirements whatsoever there are unfortunately many unqualified building inspectors offering lower cost building inspections.
Would you trust a tiler or even a truck driver or hairdresser to conduct a professional building inspection on your new property? Well, there is a good chance this is what you will receive.
Unfortunately, even many genuine Builders have caved to the get in get out fast property inspections due to the competition.
How can a builder and pest controller spend 3-4 hours on a property, write a detailed report for a combined fee for the average of $400-$600? This only takes into account the time. What about equipment, trucks, insurances, overheads, websites, advertising and licensing? Something has to give and its usually the inspection. You will find that Both building and pest inspections are done in under 2 hrs including the reports completed and sent to client.
Here at Clear View we are different.
- Robert is a licensed Builder of 20 years plus and a Pest management technician for over 10 years.
- He is the only person doing our inspections, No contractors or employees. You will speak directly with him.
- We allow sufficient time for all our inspections and will not leave till we are 100 percent satisfied with our findings.
- You will talk to Robert Directly after he has completed his report.
- Our prices are Fair for the quality and time of our services.
Refer to our prices section for more details.
Pre-Purchase Building Inspection (As 4349.1-2007)
The purchase of a residential property is an important decision and should be supported by knowledge of the physical state of the property. Independent and objective advise is often required to enable informed decisions.
- As standard we will use Tramex moisture meter to identify high moisture areas.
- Ladders to access roof cavity and roof top
- Second story home we use Top of the Line DJI Drone Mavic 2 pro to take pictures of second and third story roofs.
- High performance torches for our roof void and subfloor inspections.
- Shoe covers while we are inspecting inside homes.
- Latex gloves to ensure we leave no finger prints on man hole covers or anything else we touch.
Well let’s start with limitations of the report and the standard.
A report prepared in accordance with the standard is not certified of compliance of the property within the requirements of any Act, regulation, ordinance, local law or by Law and is not a warranty against problems developing with the building in the future.
Due to these limitations is why so many un-qualified inspectors complete pre-purchase Building inspections.
This does not mean a business can go beyond the standard. The standard is a minimum guide for everybody to follow and comply with.
At Clear View Property Inspections, we will endeavour to go beyond the standard when possible under our expertise and provide suitable information to our clients.
Below are some points that are standard in our inspection and reports.
- Identification of Safety hazards
- Identification of Major defects
- Identification of Minor defects
- Review of any conditions that might cause a future deterioration
- Detailed photography to identify and describe the issues in a report
- Suggestions about what can be done to rectify the identified issues
How long do building inspections take?
Depending on the size of the building, building inspections should take between three to four hours. We’ll go through a complete property check to ensure the safety and soundness of the property we’re inspecting.
The amount of time will differ on the size and construction type of the property.
The amount of time recommended is based on what we would allow but this is not the norm.
Generally, time spent on a job will be comparable to price of inspection. Cheap inspection = Fast inspection = Poor reporting. The average in today’s market is 1-2 hrs completely finished and report emailed to you.
Remember 99 percent of the time, you will recover your inspection fee and estimated repair costs with the seller. A detailed and thorough inspection is priceless and will give you strong negotiating power! It Could save you Tens of thousands of dollars or potentially save you making a big mistake in purchasing a deteriorated building costing you a life time of dollars in future repairs.
During a building inspection we’ll inspect:
- Fences and Garden beds
- Exterior of structure and surrounds
- Roof Void space
- Subfloor Space
- Exterior roof on single story
- Two story Homes, Clear View will use Drone to inspect roof.
- Overall site
- Interior – each and every room
- Plumbing leaks to bathrooms, kitchens, laundry’s
For example, our complete building inspection will include the following checks:
- Check windows and doors open and close properly where accessible
- Check for dampness and high moisture readings
- Check for any sagging ceilings, floors and buckling walls or other structural concerns
- Check for floorboard rot or dampness
- Check the taps and fittings for leaks
- Check the toilet cisterns by flushing all toilets
- Check the plumbing waste of all sinks for signs of blocked drains (water slow to get away) and looking for rust or other signs of damage to flex hoses etc
- Check the hot water system for age, rust, safety tempering valves etc
- Check light switches for functionality and fuse box
- Cracked floor tiles
- Cracks throughout the interior of the building structural or none structural
- Check the roof, gutters and drain pipes to assess their condition
- Check exterior walls for cracks and other structural issues
- Adequate site drainage
- Poor Construction standards
- Advise of any inaccessible areas
- High moisture areas
- Undulating floors
- Poor ventilation
- Obvious signs of mould
- Minor and major defects to be noted
- Safety concerns will be commented on.
Additionally, building inspections can also be requested to check for something specific, including:
- Visible signs of asbestos
- Electrical safety
- Smoke alarm functionality
- Licensed plumber inspection
- Pool safety and certifications
After your building inspection, we’ll fill out a complete building inspection report. As the property owner or future buyer, you’ll be able to see exactly what’s looking good and what needs some repairs.
At Clear View, we make sure our building inspection reports are straightforward and easy to understand, even if you’ve never had a building inspection before.
Your building inspection report will include the state of:
- Your garage, carport or garden shed
- Laundry, Kitchen and toilets
- Small retaining walls (non-structural)
- Steps and stairs
- Fencing
- Surface water drainage
- Stormwater run-off
- pavement and driveways
Also, if you’d like a specific area or item inspected during your building inspection, please let us know and we’ll include them in your personalised building inspection report.
In addition to the actual inspection details, your building inspection report will also include:
- Your name
- Address of the property to be inspected
- Reason for inspection (suspected mould, pre-purchase inspection, pool inspection)
- Date of building inspection
- Scope of building inspection
- List of areas not inspected and the reason they weren’t inspected
- Recommendations for further inspections or more specialised inspections for pests, electrical, structural engineers or others
- Summary of overall property condition considering its age and type including any major faults found in the building
- List of significant problems that require fixing
Keep in mind that pre-purchase building inspection reports don’t deal with absolutely every aspect of a property. Building inspections are generalised inspections of the major visible issues in a building at the time of inspection.
From there, we offer other inspection services for more specific problems we might find during our pre-purchase building inspection. So, with all that being said, a building inspection report will not include:
- Areas of a property that were obstructed or couldn’t be inspected
- Matters outside of our expertise at building inspectors
- An estimate of costs for repairs required (we can help with estimates to negotiate with the seller) We can recommend trades to give you estimates and we at Clear View can provide estimates on repairs also.
- Full termite and pest inspection beyond any visible identification
Furthermore, your building inspection will not go over the following areas of a property.
- Footings
- Concealed damp-proofing
- Electrical wiring and smoke detectors
- Plumbing, drainage and gasfitting
- Air conditioning units or ducting
- Swimming pools and pool equipment
- Watering systems
- Fireplaces and chimneys
- Security alarms and intercom systems
- Appliances including dishwashers, garbage disposals, ovens, ducted vacuum systems, hot plates and range hoods
- Hazards outside our service
- Every opening window
- Television and wifi reception
We offer some of these specialised inspections for swimming pools and other hazards.
Check out our complete list of services or contact us for more details.
Importance of a Quality Building Inspection
A quality building inspection is important for four main reasons:
- You’ll ensure the safety and functionality of the property
- You’ll know in advance what problems your property has
- You can use the information to negotiate a lower property price when buying a home
- You’ll have an understanding of major problems and how they might affect the property over time
Recently, a large number of building defects have arisen out of Sydney. For NSW homeowners and builders, this is a huge problem. As the construction industry in NSW hasn’t been well regulated, building inspections haven’t always been done by qualified inspectors.
While the NSW government has appointed a Building Commissioner in the hopes of improving transparency, accountability and quality, it goes without saying that an expert building inspector can help you save money and protect your property from dangerous faults.
Overall, a quality building inspection is the absolute bare minimum for preventing financial losses and even injury or death due to an unsound structure. Ensure the building inspector you work with is trustworthy and won’t cut corners.
Trust Clear View with your building inspections in NSW and save yourself the trouble of a faulty or dangerous issue with your property.
Contact us today!Common Building Issues
There are a few common building issues that general building inspections can help you assess and rectify. Understanding these common issues is important to ensure that your family and your tenants have a safe, functional place to live.
Water Leaks
Water damage through window and roof leaks is one of the most common issues found during building inspections. Water damage can lead to a variety of other dangerous hazards, including mould and the deterioration of building materials of the home.
Building Movement
Building movement refers to when the foundation of a building begins to shift. Building movement is often caused by natural settlement, substandard workmanship, poor design and material issues and can sometimes be identified during a building inspection.
Waterproofing Failure
Waterproofing failure is another common issue in building inspections as bathrooms and balconies may be susceptible to water intrusion and damage.
Termite damage
Its very common to find previous termite damage or active termites in homes. Due to busy lifestyles home owners do not complete regular termite inspections to be unknowingly harbouring a termite infestation in their home. So many times, we find active termites in homes that are for sale!
Another common occurrence is home owners trying to hide the fact they have had termite issues. There is no law in NSW that home owners have to declare past or current termite issues.
We are experts on finding previous termite damage due to our experience for so many years of treating termites.
Building Inspection | Clear View
At Clear View, we stand out for our unique style of services, local approach and personal touch. We are a family business looking to help people ensure the safety and functionality of their homes and businesses through property inspections.
We’re sick of all the fast-paced, quick growth of other business models. We’re not looking to scale our business exponentially or cut corners when it comes to quality. We care about earning your trust and paying attention to minor details.
- Fully Licensed and Insured
- Family Owned and Operated
- Easy to Understand Reports
- Inspection Consultation
- Fast, Friendly Response to Enquiries
- Trusted, Quality, Personalised Service
Don’t opt for a random building inspector. Choose Clear View Property Inspections for a building inspection you can trust.
Contact us today!
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02 8329 7997
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9:00am–5:00pm, Monday to Friday by Appointment Only
Servicing all of Sydney and Central Coast, NSW
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