Building & Pest Inspection
Why a building & pest inspection is essential in Sydney
It's essential you receive a building and pest inspection report, as it will identify building problems & hidden defects.
Buying a home or owning a property is almost everyone's dream. People are willing to put down their entire life savings and even enter into decades-long loan repayment scheme to own their own home. But what happens when the home or property you purchase after investing so much doesn't turn out to be safe for your family or investment. If it's not exactly at the pristine condition you thought it was at the time of buying, that's precisely why a building and pest inspection is crucial before purchasing any property.
Numerous factors could lead to the deterioration of a building like weather, pests, time, etc. All these factors can cause a horde of issues with a property such as structural wear and tear, damaged drainage and sewage systems, cracked tiles, worn-out electrical wirings and connections, mould, and fungus growths and a whole lot of other nightmares to a homeowner.
A building and pest inspection report will ensure you are completely informed about the property condition. Building Inspections Sydney have the experience necessary to pick up hidden defects, termites and other pest infestations.
Our Building Inspectors are armed with the latest technology to easily identify termite and pest activity. The small price you pay for the building and pest inspection report could potentially save you thousands of dollars.
TERMITES
Our Building Inspectors will inspect for live termite infestations as well as evidence of pre-existing activity, recording any infestations and any visible termite damage. The building and pest inspection report will indicate whether any termite barriers exist on the property and if any termite control programs are already in place.
Termites are known to cause severe damage to homes, sometimes costing thousands of dollars in repairs that are not typically covered in standard insurance policies.
Discovering damage at your home is an unsettling experience
- Buckling of walls and ceilings
- Discolouring of walls and ceilings
- Delaminating paint to surfaces
- Small pinpoint holes in plaster walls
- Loose building elements
- Excessively squeaking floors
- Tiles loosening
- Hollow timber sounds when timber is tapped
- Delaminating skirting boards and architraves
- Swelling of timber cladding and window frames
7 reasons why you need a Building & Pest Inspection in Sydney
1.
Ascertain the property condition & true value
Armed with this knowledge after reading your report, you can make an informed decision about whether you want to proceed with the purchase.
2.
Protect your family from injury or illness
Identify major defective items that could lead to injury or illness.
3.
Protect your investment from severe financial loss
Receive an overview of major defects or non-compliant construction could cost you tens of thousands of dollars
4.
Increase your negotiating power
One of the advantages of a building inspection report is that it could potentially increase your negotiating power.
5.
Plan for future costs
The report can highlight significant repairs or costs that may be required in the future
6.
Identify ilegal alterations
Any illegal alterations may become your responsibility once you sign the contract of sale.
7.
Uncover hidden defects
Desperate sellers could intentionally cover up defects. We use our experience to identify potential cover-ups (band-aid repairs).
What are some of the common building defects
Window leaks
Other common elements that are prone to water ingress include;- doors, roof & balconies.
Building
movement
Building movement could be caused by natural settlement, substandard workmanship, poor design and material issues.
Waterproofing
failure
Other common elements that are prone to water ingress include;- doors, roof & balconies.
Why a building and pest inspection is essential building defects.
Nowadays, in most places, building and pest inspection are offered together as a single service. So apart from checking for cracked bathroom tiles using a moisture meter and checking for hairline cracks in the nooks and corners of your house, a building inspector also looks for signs of any unwanted guests such as rodent droppings, bird nests etc..Pests are often an undermined problem.
Still, the reality is that certain pests like termites alone cause damages to wooden items like floors or walls, leading to several thousands of dollars in repairs. If a building inspector finds any potential defects in a property, they put it down in their report, which can then be later looked at by an expert in that domain, for example - a structural engineer or an electrical engineer.
Let's take a more detailed look at few of the issues that mainly come up during a typical building inspection and what would be it's devastating effects:-
1) Improper Fire Separation Walls
The walls between units in a house must pass fire separation tests, i.e., there must not be any openings or cracks in walls starting from the floor up to the ceiling or roof.
2) Exposed Electrical Wirings
One of the most common causes of home fires is electrical wirings. As electrical sockets get worn out over time, so do the installations that are connected, these wires get loosened over time, get strung about, and lead to potential fires.
3) Old Plumbing Systems
Plumbing systems get worn out over time, and this causes an array of issues ranging from leaky faucets to low water pressure. A leaky faucet alone can cause a considerable amount of water loss in a year, and it's difficult to use any plumbing system at low water pressure in your home at all. A sign of more significant problems like pipe corrosion or blocked pipelines is caused by low water pressure.
4) Pest Infestation
A house has every possibility of being overrun by pests. For example, water stagnation in homes due to clogged drainage lines can lead to infestation by mosquitoes, which are a common carrier for diseases. Apart from this, rodents have also known to be a massive danger to homes as they not only spread diseases but also reported to have bitten home occupants, particularly pets and children.
5) Structural Damages
Structural damage can happen to any home over time, and it poses severe risk and danger to human lives; a cracked wall, if not fixed at the right time, can cause the entire home to crumble down. A house made of brick and concrete can undergo crumbling, often called spalling due to exposure to moisture and chemicals. Upon exposure, the concrete undergoes chemical reactions that cause crumbling, and this reaction, in turn, causes corrosion of the steel reinforcements. Thus proper structural inspection is crucial to any home.
Most people don't realise that building and pest inspection plays a massive role in the real estate market. A property, if found to be not at the optimal condition as though it was, can go down in market value, thereby providing the buyer with an opportunity to quote for a discounted price. It also works both ways, property or house that has been certified by a suitable inspection agency that goes up in market value.
It also has the additional advantage that a certified property will appear to be more attractive to potential buyers as they would then have some confidence in investing in that property. It also has a perk that the buyers don't have to hire their building and pest inspector to inspect the property, thereby saving them thousands of dollars.
The simple act of having a house examined, though expensive at the time, can save several thousands tens of thousands of dollars in the future by finding potential issues that are invisible to the untrained eye. Apart from this, building inspection also prevents people from getting duped, and It helps in giving a proper estimate of how much a particular property should be valued at, thereby ensuring that the buyer does not purchase at a too high cost, and the seller does not sell it for price.
Thus, building and pest inspection, not only plays an essential role in the real estate market and economy but also in people's lives as a home is the most desired commodity of all. Thus proper inspection before purchase or even selling can not only save your wallet but also provide safety and comfort for your family and loved ones and above all provide peace of mind to the home occupants for several years to come.