Pre-Purchase Building Inspection (compliant to AS4349.1-2007)
Pre-Purchase Timber Pest Inspection (complaint to 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.

Our team of skilled inspectors will thoroughly evaluate the property, including conducting a detailed exploration to fully document its condition.

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 overcome 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. 1.5-2hrs 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 quick get in get out fast property inspections due to the competition.

If you’re after a cheap building inspection it will not be hard to find. 95% of the current inspection firms charge $400-$600 for both the building and timber pest combined. Don’t expect them to spend a few hours onsite. They will be in and out within the hour, report completed and sent!

Here at Clear View Property Inspections 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.

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.

What equipment does Clear View Property Inspections use for the building inspection?

• 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

Depending on the size of the building, building inspections should take between 2-3 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 less then 1 hr 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.

• Pool Safety Inspection and Certification
• Termite Inspections
• Pre-purchase Timber Pest Inspection
• Dilapidation Reports
• New Build Multi-Stage Inspections
• Pre-Purchase Building Inspections

Book your building inspection with Clear View Property Inspections today!

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.

Book your building inspection with Clear View Property Inspections today!

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.