Why do WA Home Buyers & Investors need a Pre-Purchase Building Inspection?

Purchasing a new strata home or property is a major decision. Rarely can you get a good understanding of what is happening within a home or property during one or two visits at home opens or private viewings. It can be very beneficial when you buy your new property to obtain an independent building inspection from a Registered Builder with at least 20 years construction experience.

Pre-purchase building inspections can be undertaken on strata units in a similar way to that of pre- purchase inspections on individual titled homes. It is important to understand when buying a new apartment or unit, be it as a home or investment property, that generally you will be responsible for the building’s interior, so it is important that you are aware of what condition it is really in.

Important Due Diligence Information when Purchasing a Strata Lot

When purchasing a strata unit/Lot it is critically important to undertake a thorough due diligence on both the Strata Plan and the Strata Company AGM/EGM Minutes. The Strata Plan defines the boundaries of exactly what you are buying as well as the all-important By-Laws which govern the complex. The past Minutes of the Strata Company meetings (AGM/EGM) can also provide critically important information about the complex as a whole. Examining both of these documents is a core component of any purchase decision as you must understand that you are not only purchasing the unit/Lot but also a share in the Strata Company and hence a share in the opportunities and challenges this may present. Examining the Strata Plan and past Minutes is outside of the scope of the building inspection.

What are the benefits of a Pre-Purchase Inspection?

Completed in accordance with Australian Standard 4349, a Houspect Building Inspection is a visual inspection of the strata unit, it describes existing conditions and identifies likely structural defects, significant non-structural defects and major maintenance requirements that may fall due in the first 12 months. Understanding the condition of the strata unit property and any required remedial work or maintenance needs will enable the buyers to progress with their property purchase with greater understanding of the property ownership journey ahead.

The Houspect WA pre-purchase strata building inspection is specifically designed to identify, where they exist, structural defects (as defined in AS 4349) within the strata unit/Lot or immediately adjacent strata common property.

What Benefits does a Pre-Purchase Strata Building Inspection Provide?

A Houspect pre-purchase building inspection on a strata unit provides information about the strata unit/Lot property condition and if there are any defects or issues you should be aware of which could result in unexpected costs in the future. The inspection will also review immediately adjacent common property where it can be safely accessed (i.e. external walls, roof spaces etc)

Our building inspector will examine all accessible internal areas of the unit/Lot and detail their findings in your report. This report will indicate any remedial or maintenance requirements needing consideration.

If you have any queries or particular concerns about the strata unit under consideration, simply let us know and we can instruct the building inspector to address these issues specifically during your inspection.

Given the very nature of strata Lots, we only provide full building inspections on strata Lot properties and not structural inspections

What Does Our Pre-Purchase Building Inspection Cover?

Our Pre-Purchase Building Inspection includes visual inspection of the following areas of the building, subject to reasonable access:

• Walls, ceilings, flooring
• Balconies, storerooms and allocated car bays/carports
• Doors and frames, internal (external where possible)
• Windows and frames, internal (external where possible)
• Patios, balconies and stairs
• Cabinets
• Common strata property immediately adjacent to the Lot property you are purchasing

Plus

• Plumbing and Electrical overview
• Repairs and maintenance issues within the strata unit/lot

About your Houspect Building Inspector

In WA, building inspections and building inspectors are unregulated. As a consequence it is important that you have total confidence in the quality, skills, experience and professionalism of your building inspector. At Houspect WA:

• Every one of our building inspectors is a WA Registered Builder in their own right. Their Builders Registration number is recorded in every report.
• Every building inspector has a minimum of 20 years direct construction industry experience.
• Our building inspectors are fully insured with Professional Indemnity and Public Liability.
• Every inspection report produced by Houspect WA is subject to a minimum of two levels of quality assurance review prior to being released.
• Our state wide clients and building inspectors are supported by a dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced customer service team based in our Balcatta operations centre.
• All calls, enquiries or bookings are addressed promptly and professionally by our customer service team during our business hours of 8.30 am to 5.00 pm.
• Our building inspectors are located across the entire Perth metropolitan area and in most major regional centres in WA.

Houspect WA or its Directors maintain a number of important professional memberships including:

• Master Builders Association of WA
• Housing Industry Association
• Strata Community Association of WA
• Australian Institute of Conveyances WA

During the 20 plus years of operating in WA, Houspect has conducted in excess of 50,000 quality building inspections.

Buy, build and invest with confidence with Houspect WA.

For more information or to book a Pre-Purchase Building Inspection, call Houspect on Ph: 9240 8855, email us at [email protected] or complete our online enquiry form.