Building Inspection Report

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What is a building inspection report

A Building Inspection Report is a written document describing the condition of a property at the time of the inspection taking place. The inspection and report is prepared in strict compliance to Australian Standard AS4349 series of standards which outline the minimum requirements for inspection of buildings, as follows:

AS4349 Inspection of Buildings
AS4349.0-2007 Part 0: General requirements (Special purpose inspections)
AS4349.1-2007 Part 1: Pre-purchase inspections—Residential buildings

A Building Inspector completes a visual inspection of a building and related structures (other than specific requirements in a Special purpose inspection) and identifies any matters of concern in relation to stability, watertightness and standard of workmanship. The observations are then compiled into a written report with recommendations for rectifications or actions required with a summary of major areas of concern.

An Inspection Agreement must be entered into between the client or their representative and the building inspector prior to the inspection taking place, click here.

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Why do you need a building inspection report

When you need to establish the condition of a building structure and determine any rectifications that are required.

A building inspection report by a suitably qualified Building inspector will identify any visible defects and make recommendations on the require repairs to bring the building elements up to an acceptable standard, or make recommendations for further inspections by building specialists. The report may also comment on items that may be of concern to the inspector.

The reports strictly comply to Australian Standard AS4349 series of standards for minimum requirements for inspection of buildings.

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When do you need a building inspection report

Preliminary Building Inspection Report (A general overview of a building)

The purpose of this report is to provide a quick and cost effective general overview of a building when you are looking at multiple properties. The inspection report excludes the entire roof and subfloor area with photographic evidence limited to mostly major defects. This Special Purpose Inspection Report is in strict compliance to Australian Standard AS4349.0-2007 Part 0 - General Requirements. However only a full building inspection whether pre-purchase or pr-sale (defects) report will identify the full condition of a building.

Pre-Purchase Building Inspection Report (Purchasing a property)

It is important to get a pre-purchase building inspection as early as possible in your negotiation stages. Knowing what repairs are likely required will enable you to budget the repairs in the purchase price, this will give you more power during negotiations even if it is a new property, and more importantly, it will help you to make an informed decision on the purchase of the property.

Pre-Sale Building Defects Inspection Report (Selling a property)

A pre-sale building defects inspection should be carried out a few weeks prior to marketing your property for sale. The inspection will identify any problem areas that a pre-purchase inspection is likely to find and give you an opportunity to rectify the problems that would otherwise have a negative effect on the value of your property. The repairs will boost the presentation of your property, eliminate doubts over repair costs, reduce the purchasers negotiating power and help you to obtain the best possible price for your property.

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Who can do building inspections

As at 1st January 2004, only building consultants who were licensed by the Department of Fair Trading NSW under the Home Building Act 1989, and held appropriate insurance cover could carry out pre-purchase inspections of residential buildings in NSW.

However, since 16th September 2009 Building Consultancy work is no longer regulated under the Home Building Act in NSW and no longer licensed by the Department of Fair Trading NSW.

This means that ANY PERSON can carry out pre-purchase building inspections of residential buildings in NSW whether insured or not.

When engaging in a building inspector it is in your best interest to make sure the inspector is suitably qualified to provide you with a comprehensive building report on the inspected property.

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Strata & Company Title Property Inspections

The building inspection of Strata title and Company title properties whilst conforming to the Australian Standard AS4349.1-2007, is limited to the interior and where accessible to the immediate exterior of a unit only.

Common properties are not inspected as part of the standard inspection. The common property belongs to the owners corporation (a collective of all owners) and does not form part of each unit lot identified on title.

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Strata Search

Before purchasing a strata title unit, it is strongly recommended to order a Strata Search, this is an inspection of the book of records of the owners corporation by a suitably qualified strata searcher. As the building inspection is limited to the unit for purchase, there could also be numerous items that require repairs and ongoing maintenance, it is important to be aware of these forecasted expenses before you purchase the property, once you take possession of the property, you will be contributing to these costs in proportion to your unit entitlement.

Some of the items a strata search may bring to your attention are;

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Sample Inspection Report

View a sample Building Inspection Report here.

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Testimonial

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