Look at Some of the Things We Found in WA Properties in One Month – June 2017!
When buying an established home in WA it is now the norm to have a Pre Purchase Building Inspection undertaken so that you can fully appreciate exactly what you are buying. One or two hours in a home open just won’t cut it when you are paying from $500,000 to many millions for a new home! The Pre Purchase Building Inspection is very important.
Firstly, in our opinion, WA Building Inspectors should be WA Registered Builders and have a minimum of 20 years construction experience, noting that in WA there are no government regulations covering Building Inspectors.
A good pre purchase building inspection should provide you with sound insight into what is happening within the property, what maintenance is outstanding and what expenditure you may be called upon to cover in the short term, if or when you acquire the property. The inspection should also identify structural defects which exist when the property is inspected.
WA Real Estate Agents will, if requested, incorporate into the Offer to Purchase Contract on behalf of buyers, a building inspection clause which should provide remedial options if a building inspection identifies a structural defect in the building.
Of the many structural defect clauses utilised by WA Real Estate Agents, the REIWA recommended standard clause is probably one of the more robust clauses, noting that multiple variations and deviations have been developed by Agents. Seek professional legal advice where appropriate.
It is important to note that structural defects are generally very narrowly defined and will not cover a myriad of non-structural defects, issues and outstanding maintenance items identified within a property and or additional issues or defects identified beyond the primary residence. Notwithstanding, the exclusions from the often used standard building inspection clauses, we generally believe it is important that property buyers have a full understanding of what exists within the property they are purchasing, even if items cannot be claimed against the vendor.
The question often raised is do we ever find structural defects in WA residential homes? The simply answer is yes and generally several every week. The important point to note though is that the vast majority of structural defects can often be corrected relatively quickly and without impacting the planned purchase settlement date. The important issue though is that the defect needs to be addressed.
The following are a selection of the structural defects identified by Houspect WA Building Inspectors during the single month of June, 2017.
1. Split Rafters
2. Inappropriately Removed Collar Ties
3. Cut and Unsupported Rafters Following Skylight Install
4. Termite Damaged House Stumps
5. Pergolas Past Their Used by Date!
6. Wall Frames Subject to Termite Damage
7. Damaged Rafters
8. Missing Struts
9. Badly Constructed and/or Inappropriately Renovated Roof Frames
10. Separating Underpurlins
11. Unsupported Underpurlins
12. Structural Wall Cracking
13. Rafters Separating from Ridge Beams
14. Damaged Beams
Houspect WA provides solid independent Pre Purchase Building Inspections by Building Inspectors who are all WA Registered Builders with a minimum of 20 years construction experience.
Ph 9240 8855 Web: www.houspect.com.au/wa Email: Info.WA@houspectwa.com.au
Build, Buy, Invest in property with confidence.
