What’s in a Building Report?
Building Inspection Reports – Sydney Homeowners Guide
Building inspection reports in Sydney are paramount to avoid problems and extra costs later on. You should know as mush as you can about the condition of the property before you buy it.
Besides inspecting the property yourself, it’s extremely important to arrange an experienced Builder for the inspection and Building Report in Sydney.
A building report is a comprehensive document that details the condition of a property, including any structural or maintenance issues. It typically includes information on the following:
- Building structure: This includes information about the foundation, walls, roof, and any other structural elements of the building.
- Interior: This includes information about the condition of the walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, and fixtures such as lights, electrical outlets, and switches.
- Plumbing: This includes information about the condition of the plumbing system, including pipes, fittings, and fixtures.
- Electrical: This includes information about the electrical system, including the main electrical panel, circuits, and outlets.
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC): This includes information about the HVAC system, including the type of system, its age, and any maintenance or repair issues.
- Roofing: This includes information about the condition of the roof, including the type of material used, its age, and any damage or leaks.
- Exterior: This includes information about the exterior of the building, including the condition of the walls, windows, doors, and any other exterior elements such as decks, patios, and landscaping.
In addition to these specific areas, a building report may also include general observations and recommendations for repairs or maintenance. The report may also include photographs and diagrams to help illustrate any issues found during the inspection.
Overall, a building report is an essential tool for buyers and sellers, as well as for property owners who want to ensure their property is in good condition. It provides valuable information about the condition of the property and helps identify any potential issues that may need to be addressed.
Building and Timber Pest Inspection Go Hand in Hand
People often forget that a Building report is not the only inspection you should be acquiring. A timber pest inspection and report (termites) are extremely important. These Building reports in Sydney can identify active termites, termite damage, past activity, previous or current termite barriers or treatments, wood rot, wood borers and experienced inspectors can identify when a homeowner is trying to hide previous termite activity from the potential buyer. Many times, building reports completed in Sydney give the potential buyer the opportunity to negotiate the sale price down from the existing owner.
As a homeowner in Sydney, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks posed by pests and termites. These can cause significant damage to your home, and it’s essential to take preventative measures to ensure the structural integrity of your property. Here is a guide to pest and termite inspection for Sydney homeowners:
- Schedule regular inspections: Regular pest and termite inspections are essential to identify any signs of infestation early on. Experts recommend scheduling a professional inspection at least once a year, and more frequently if you live in an area with a high risk of termite activity.
- Look out for signs of infestation: Even between inspections, it’s essential to keep an eye out for signs of infestation. Look out for termite droppings, mud tubes, damaged wood, or discarded wings around the perimeter of your property.
- Keep your property well-maintained: Termites are attracted to moisture, so it’s essential to keep your property well-maintained to prevent water from accumulating. This includes repairing any leaks, ensuring proper ventilation, and avoiding overwatering your lawn or garden.
- Use termite-resistant materials: When building or renovating your home, consider using termite-resistant materials such as treated timber or steel framing.
- Hire a professional pest control company: If you do identify signs of infestation, it’s important to hire a professional pest control company to assess the situation and develop a treatment plan. They can also provide ongoing preventative measures to reduce the risk of future infestations.
- Educate yourself: It’s important to educate yourself about the risks of pests and termites in Sydney and the preventative measures you can take. You can find valuable resources online or consult with a pest control professional.
Termatrac Building Inspection
Utilising the major defects found in the building report you can make an estimate or receive quotes for the repairs and deduct off the sale price.
Obviously, this can only work if the price of the home reflects a home in great condition with no major defects but if the home has been listed for a discounted price because the owner was aware that the building was deteriorated or required major repairs well you may find it difficult to negotiate as that’s already been priced in. Although it never hurts to try.
(READ: How can I reduce the price or renegotiate after a building inspection?)
What’s in a Building report in Sydney?
Inspected Areas
The building report will contain what areas were inspected and what were not inspected. Some areas may not be accessible on the day of inspection so the inspector will let you know what and what was not inspected.
Some areas may not be accessible due to building design or insufficient crawl space and if so you will be advised of these areas.
Obstructions
What is an obstruction? Obstructions can be things like furniture, cabinets, floor and ceiling coverings, window coverings. These create obstructions during building inspection so they will be mentioned during the report.
An inspector will not move furniture or obstructions to inspect an area.
As you can read, it’s important to use an inspector that will try and inspect around obstructions and have the highest technology equipment to help inspect with these obstructions in the way.
Complete residential home inspections
Major and minor building defects
The building report will contain Major and Minor defects.
The best way to explain a major defect is if the defect is left without repair will it get worse? If yes, then we would consider it a Major defect now if the defect were not to be fixed and it would have no effect on the building at all and would not deteriorate then you can consider that a minor defect.
Water leaks, wood rot, substantial cracks, undulated floors caused by foundation movement, poor site drainage, and rising dampness are some examples of major defects in your Building report.
Door adjustments, paint scuffs and marks, minor hairline movement cracks, and cabinetry requiring adjustments are examples of minor defects.
Hiring Building Inspectors in Sydney
When arranging a Building report in Sydney it’s important you use suitably qualified trades for each individual building report.
Building report 1: A pre-purchase building inspection should be completed by a licensed Builder. By using an experienced and licensed builder you can rest assured you will be proved with some quality advice and some reasonable estimates for repairs of the defects found.
Unfortunately, it’s not a requirement to be a builder to do Building inspection reports in Sydney NSW.
No rules at all! Yes, you can be a truck driver or a hairdresser doing pre-purchase building inspection reports and it’s totally legal.
Do your research, and ask for the builders license number of the person inspecting your property. Ensure that the builder’s license number is one of the people coming out to do the Building inspection report and not the owner of the business.
What About the Timber pest (termites) Building inspection report?
Well, same rules apply here. The rules and regulations are pretty relaxed with this also. So for anyone to be able to do a pre-purchase timber pest inspection the particular person needs to complete two modules of the termite management course which will then allow them to do pre-purchase timber pest inspections.
Building and termite inspections
So basically, these inspectors are not pest controllers, they have never seen or treated termites in their life and they will inspect for termites for a home you are considering purchasing! The funny thing is that they are not allowed to treat termites, they are not allowed to do termite inspections for existing home owners but for some reason the rules allow them to do a pre-purchase timber pest inspection. Absolutely crazy!
So, ask the questions.
Are you a builder? If so what’s your builder’s license number?
Are you a pest controller? If so, what’s your pest management license number.
Do you have insurance? Please provide copy of your policy.
If you didn’t know already it is not law to have insurance for pre-purchase Building inspections. Again, it’s crazy so ensure you do your due diligence.
Clear View Property Inspections Services
Team at Clearview Property Inspection on site
Here at Clear View Property Inspections are trying to shed some light on how important it is to have a Building inspection report ins Sydney but also how important it is to choose carefully of who does your building inspection report. Try not to focus on the price of the Building inspection report but more on who is doing what, the qualifications, and time allowed for the Building Inspection and then try to compare prices assuming each company is providing a similar service. If you shop for the price but don’t look into the finer details well you’re not really comparing apples for apples. I hope we have helped you by giving you some extra knowledge on purchasing a new home. For enquiries, call 02 8329 7997!
