Pre Purchase Building & Pest Report
A pre-purchase building inspection is a critical investment prior to any home, commercial building or investment property purchase.
A pre-purchase building inspection will give you peace of mind that you are not buying a property with unforeseen or insurmountable problems. With the benefit of expert knowledge, you can assess and adjust your budget for the purchase or proposed renovations and have a powerful tool to negotiate a better deal with the vendor or agent.
The Report will:
Assess the overall state of repair of the property
Identify any significant building defects or issues
Provide supporting photographic evidence of any areas of concern
Provide estimated costs to rectify, repair or maintain the areas of concern this will cost $240 over and above our Building & Pest Report.
All inspections are carried out in accordance with Australian Standards AS4349.3
BY OBTAINING A PRE PURCHASE INSPECTION REPORT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO
Avoid or withdraw from the purchase of a building with defects
Negotiate a better sale price or leasing deal based on estimated cost of rectifying defects
Plan and budget for any major maintenance works or upkeep of the building
Be confident when buying an investment property without seeing it e.g. from the internet, in another state etc
The most likely areas for building defects are often overlooked by potential purchasers, or are not made accessible to them. While a building may appear to be in good condition on initial inspection, many potential problems or defects are hidden under the floor or above your head.
What does the report cover?
We will inspect the roof void, the sub-floor as well as the entire building externally and internally to check for defects such as:
Rising damp
Shower leaks (showers are flood tested)
Timber decay or termite damage
Structural cracking in external brickwork and internal walls
Condition of roof tiles/iron roofing/skylights
Sub-floor ventilation and drainage
The Pre-Purchase Pest Report investigates any building materials where pest or termites may be present. The building inspector will access and examine all areas of the building and will identify any protection systems in place and their current condition. This includes:
It is strongly advised that a pest inspection be carried out with a Building Inspection so any termite damage that is detected can be checked to determine if repairs are required.
Sub-floor
Roof voids
Internal rooms and walls
External areas of the house within the property’s boundary
Any termite activity past or present
Previous or existing termite treatments
Damage or decay in materials
Existence and efficiency of sub-floor ventilation
Recommendations to help prevent future termite attack
BELOW ARE THE TOOLS THAT WE DEPEND UPON TO INSPECT A PROPERTY:
Digital Camera
Digital Level
Flash Light
1.8 Metre Step Ladder (for internal access into manholes)
3.6 Metre Ladder to access rooftop elevations (To access gutters at no higher than 2.7 Metres)
36 + Years of Experience
Floor Coverings – we will lift carpets without obtaining your written instructions prior to the inspection date.
Furniture or Stored Items Obstructing Access – we do not move furniture or belongings within the property.
Sub-Floors Areas – If an inspector cannot fit below the floor structure or if there is no access to the sub-floor area, we cannot nor report on these areas.
Second Storey Roof – If you require the inspector to examine the second storey (or higher) roof, you will need to make prior arrangements for safe working conditions in relation to working at heights with harnesses or scaffolding to meet the Australian Standards.
What is a Strata Inspection Report?
A strata inspection report (also known as a strata search, Owners Corporation Records Inspection or Section 108) is a report that all purchasers of a strata titled, community titled or company titled property should invest in whether this is a residential or commercial property.
This Strata Inspection Report is similar to a building report when someone buys a house, but it is of the strata documents only.
The records of the Owners Corporation must comply with the Strata Schemes Management Act. By no means do we suggest that this replaces a building inspection report. The big difference is a Strata Inspection Report will report on the building, also known as the Strata Scheme. It should provide precise details of what is happening within the building or complex.
Should you choose The Property Inspectors to produce a report, our report will include:
Who is the current owner?
What are the quarterly levies for the property?
What are your voting rights?
What is your unit entitlement?
When are the levies paid to?
Have there been or are there any current or proposed Special Levies (additional contributions outside your quarterly levies that may be raised for building defects or major works)?
Does the Strata Scheme comply with Fire Requirements, Work Health & Safety Obligations and Asbestos Management?
Is there any information in the records approving animals? Are animals permitted?
How much is in the sinking fund and Administrative Fund?
Are any of the funds in deficit?
Are there any current legal matters? Have there been any legal matters in the past 3 years?
Building Defects or Home Owner Warranty Claims for Defects;
Breaches of By-Laws (Rules and Regulations for this building);
Is there any disharmony?
Major Income and Expenditure over the past 3 years;
Proposed Major Expenditure;
What is the current value of the building?
Is the building insured and if so adequately insured? (details of the insurance and cover);
Are there any compliance related matters within the records such as window and balcony compliance?
Is there a Sinking Fund Forecast? (a report prepared detailing what the levy contributions should be over the next 10-15 years including detailed maintenance);
Are there any known disputes within the Strata Scheme;
Copies of Annual General Meeting Minutes, Extraordinary General Meeting Minutes and Executive Committee Meeting Minutes;
Copies of building reports, extracts from compliance reports.
Please note, if a document is not made available at the time of our strata inspection, we cannot report on it, nor comment, our reports are solely on the documents at hand at the time of our appointment within the strata company that manages the strata plan that we have been commissioned to report on.
The Property Inspectors employs full time, specialized, strata inspectors who have worked for strata companies, managing strata complexes and have brought their knowledge and experience to our organisation.
A Strata Report WILL Save You Money
Buying a unit, townhouse or apartment can be an affordable way to enter the property market. But before you sign the dotted line it pays to look into the history of the property and its strata scheme.
Commissioning a strata report before you buy can tell you almost everything you need to know about a property and its people before you’re tied to it financially.
A strata report will ensure you don’t get less than what you expect – or bite off more than you can chew.
Do Your Homework
If you intend to live in your unit or rent it out to tenants, you need to know what the place is like to live in, how it’s being managed and whether or not your neighbours get along. If a property is unpleasant for an owner it’s likely an investor will have problems retaining tenants.
You’ll also want to know where the property is today and where it might be in the future.
The last thing you want is for the complex to be sold out from under you, or to foot a major damage bill for leaky pipes.
HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED
Check the books before you buy
The purpose of the strata search is to review the accounts and records of the property that you’re looking to purchase.
Just like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, there may be issues with your building that aren’t apparent at first glance.
Don’t judge a building by its facade.
At best, a strata report can reassure you that the scheme you’re buying into is a nice place to live with well maintained amenities.
At worst, it may uncover fiscal mismanagement, disputes between owners, high levies or unresolved legal issues.
A badly managed strata scheme can affect the re-sale value of your property, blow out your budget and your net rental return.
Excessive strata management costs also have the potential to affect your ability to service your mortgage
Pro tip: Don’t be tricked by slick promotional presentations – these can be orchestrated to avoid showing prospective buyers any less desirable aspects of the property.
Be suspicious of a committee that is reluctant to submit all its records for inspection.
Ask yourself before you buy
- Can you afford the quarterly levies?
- Will your budget allow for any planned special levies?
- Are you comfortable with the proportion of owner-occupiers to short-term residents?
- What will you do if the owners corporation doesn’t allow pets?
- Do you think any unit renovations or alterations you’re planning will be approved?
- Are the bylaws reasonable or overly restrictive?
Pro tip: Older blocks, even with sometimes expensive maintenance costs, tend to offer strata fees much cheaper than newer blocks.
Older unit owners may pay in the realm of $300 – $800 in strata quarterly, whereas newer blocks are typically $1000 – $1500 per quarter, depending on amenities.
Focus on the upside
When owners and strata management work together to improve, maintain and enhance the strata complex and their homes, it results in a peaceful community – a nice place to live rather than one to avoid.
With the strata report at hand you’ll be able to make an informed decision about the building you’re looking to invest in.
The information within this article is provided for your general interest and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal or financial advice.
WHY CHOOSE US?
Our team has a wealth of knowledge and experience in all areas of the [br] residential and commercial construction industry spanning over 30 years
1. The Property Inspectors are one fo the very few companies that their inspectors are licensed / qualified builders.
2. Our staff has a minimum of 36 years experience within the building industry
3. Our inspectors are open to take calls from a potential purchaser 7 days per week from as early as 7:00am to as late as 10:00pm.
4. Our inspectors produce our reports individually for the project without having to use pre-loaded answers, which are generic and not laways accurate for a property.
5. TPI is the ony company in Australia that offer pre-purchase building & pest plus plumbing & electrical trade assessments, together with assessments covering pool condition reports, asbestos, second dwelling, watefront and estate assets.
6. TPI is the ony company in Australia that offer pre-purchase building & pest plus plumbing & electrical trade assessments, together with assessments covering pool condition reports, asbestos, second dwelling, watefront and estate assets.
7. Our strata inspectors work 6 days per week and they can produce reports within the same business day of the strata search being completed.
8. All returning customers obtain a 20% discount on any second, thrid or fourth orders.
9. Our reports are written in laymans terms with a direct approach and less fluff when commissioned by a buyer.
WHY CHOOSE US?
1. The Property Inspectors are one fo the very few companies that their inspectors are licensed / qualified builders.
2. Our staff has a minimum of 36 years experience within the building industry
3. Our inspectors are open to take calls from a potential purchaser 7 days per week from as early as 7:00am to as late as 10:00pm.
4. Our inspectors produce our reports individually for the project without having to use pre-loaded answers, which are generic and not laways accurate for a property.
5. TPI is the ony company in Australia that offer pre-purchase building & pest plus plumbing & electrical trade assessments, together with assessments covering pool condition reports, asbestos, second dwelling, watefront and estate assets.
6. TPI is the ony company in Australia that offer pre-purchase building & pest plus plumbing & electrical trade assessments, together with assessments covering pool condition reports, asbestos, second dwelling, watefront and estate assets.
7. Our strata inspectors work 6 days per week and they can produce reports within the same business day of the strata search being completed.
8. All returning customers obtain a 20% discount on any second, thrid or fourth orders.
9. Our reports are written in laymans terms with a direct approach and less fluff when commissioned by a buyer.
ALL SERVICES WITH ASSOCIATED FEES
NON URGENT = 5 – 7 Day Turnaround. RRP = 3 – 5 Day Turnaround. URGENT = Same Day Report (Overtime Rates).
All fees and Terms & Conditions outlined within this website are on the basis that all orders are processed via our online booking portal within this website.
Or
All phone orders will be processed using our standard Terms & Conditions and any bespoke requests negotiated and accepted by our office within a signed Work Order.
Buyer Pre-Purchase Building & Pest/Strata Reports
NON-URGENT
RRP
URGENT
+ Pre-Purchase Building & Pest
$500.00
$600.00
$840.00
+ Pre-Purchase Building
$350.00
$400.00
$600.00
+ Pre-Purchase Pest
$350.00
$400.00
$600.00
+ Plus Plumbing (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$250.00
$275.00
$375.00
+ Plus Electrical (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$250.00
$275.00
$375.00
+ Plus Pool Condition Assessment (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$250.00
$275.00
$375.00
+ Plus Visual Asbestos Report (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$250.00
$275.00
$375.00
+ Plus Loose Fill Asbestos Report (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$300.00
$400.00
$600.00
+ Plus Pool Compliance Assessment & Certificate For Sale of Property (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$350.00
$400.00
$600.00
+ Plus Second Dwelling or Duplex or Additional Units Within The 1 Site (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$275.00
$375.00
$575.00
+ Plus Estimation On All Major Defects – Up to 10 Defects (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$250.00
$275.00
$375.00
+ Plus Energy & Water Efficiency Report (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$200.00
$275.00
$350.00
+ Plus Waterfront Asset / RMS Lease area (Rate applicable to this being carried out the same time as B&P)
$400.00
$500.00
$600.00
+ Pre-Purchase Strata Unit – Document Assessment & Report (Strata Company Document Review for strata complex of up to 50 units)
$280.00
$300.00
$400.00
+ Pre-Purchase Strata Unit – Document Assessment & Report (Strata Company Document Review for strata complex of up to 100 units)
$350.00
$400.00
$550.00
+ Pre- Purchase Strata Unit – Internal Unit Inspection, Assessment & Report
$350.00
$400.00
$550.00
+ Pre-Purchase Complete Unit Assessment & Report of the Strata Documents & Internal Unit
$600.00
$700.00
$900.00
+ Pre-Purchase (Standalone) Plumbing Report – Single Residential Dwelling
$450.00
$500.00
$650.00
+ Pre-Purchase (Standalone) Electrical Report – Single Residential Dwelling
$450.00
$500.00
$650.00
+ Pre-Purchase (Standalone) Estimation On All Major Defects – Up to 10 Defects
$700.00
$990.00
$1200.00
Our Non-Urgent price is a discount rate subject the order proceeding in the following manner:
- The order is submit via our website and online booking portal
- Payment is made via this website using the eway payment portal (credit card payment)
- The Site inspection to be carried out within 3 business days after the date of the order being received (depends on access availability)
- The report will be released within 7 business days from that date of the inspection (maximum 10 Business days turnaround)
- The commissioning party grants The Property Inspectors Pty Ltd permission to release the report to the vendor/ agent/ or other buyers / Interested parties
Our RRP price is our standard list price for our services:
- The order is submit via our website and online booking portal
- Payment is made via this website using the eway payment portal (credit card payment)
- The Site inspection to be carried out within 3 business days after the date of the order being received (depends on access availability)
- The report will be released within 5 business days from that date of the inspection (maximum 8 Business days turn around)
- The commissioning party grants The Property Inspectors Pty Ltd permission to release the report to the vendor/ agent/ or other buyers / Interested parties
Our Urgent Jobs price list is for all Urgent jobs that need to be done that day or the following day:
- The order can be submit via our website and online booking portal / Via a email / Phone order
- Payment is made via this website using the eway payment portal or over the phone with a manual credit card payment process
- The Site inspection to be carried out within 24 hours of the payment being processed / taken (depends on access availability)
- The report will be released within 24 Hours from that date of the inspection
(Which always means after hours work and over time rates being paid to our inspector) - The commissioning party grants The Property Inspectors Pty Ltd permission to release the report to the vendor/ agent/ or other buyers / Interested parties
ALL PRICES ARE IN AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS AND EXCLUDE 10% GST.
GST WILL BE ADDED TO THE ORDER WITHIN YOUR SHOPPING CART.
Cancellation of appointments – refer to the Terms and Conditions within this website.
Secure Online Transactions with eWay
The Property Inspectors uses eWay secure online transactions. eWay is a dedicated secure online payments gateway that accepts payments by Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Diners Club International. eWay has been recognised as providing the highest level of internet security available anywhere, as confirmed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a group of all the major credit card providers whose aim is to ensure that online shopping remains safe for consumers. When you pay by eWay, sophisticated technology encrypts your credit card information, so that we can’t even see it! It’s a simple, straight forward and ultra secure payment option backed by over 16 years business experience in ecommerce.
ADDITIONAL REPORTS AVAILABLE OVER & ABOVE THE STANDARD BUILDING REPORT
