Building and Pest
Inspection Costs

A pre-sale building and pest inspection is undertaken when you are planning on selling your property. The purpose of this inspection is to identify any areas of concern so that you are aware of, or can address any issues, prior to the property going to the market. That way, you will not be concerned when a contract of sale is agreed to but is subject to a building and pest inspection. All your bases will be covered!

The inspection and report will generally include:

• The interior of the building.
• The roof space.
• The exterior of the building.
• The sub-floor space.
• The roof exterior.

Considerations such as building configuration, construction type, obstructions, accessibility and height may affect the areas we can safely inspect. 

Please familiarise yourself with our Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions which talks about this further.

Our inspectors are trained to concentrate on major defects or what we call ‘deal breakers’! Generally, if there are issue with any of these items, they can be quite costly to rectify. These can be grouped into three main categories.

• Structural
• Water
• Termites

Additionally, for your piece of mind, our inspectors are qualified and experienced builders, as well as timber pest inspectors. Rather than a trade qualified inspector, our inspectors are qualified builders and are across all trades (not just one).

So, whether you are planning to sell your residential or commercial property, we can certainly help.

A pre-purchase building and pest inspection is undertaken when you are purchasing a property and your offer has been accepted. Your offer will most likely be subject to a building and pest inspection, which is generally required to be completed in 7 days.

As time is of the essence, and we can appreciate that this stage of the sale process is quite stressful for you, we aim to have you booked in the following day and the report to you within 3 hours of the inspection taking place. We will also arrange access with the agent to make the process somewhat streamlined!

The inspection will concentrate on identifying any ‘major’ items of concern that could be very costly to rectify. Generally, these items can be grouped into three main categories, being structural, water, and termites. If any of these items are identified, you will then have time to talk to your agent and possible renegotiate the deal or even pull out of the contract (if a major defect is identified). The last thing you want is any costly surprises once you move in and get settled. 

Your inspection and report will generally cover the following areas:

• The interior of the building.
• The roof space.
• The exterior of the building.
• The sub-floor space.
• The roof exterior.

Inspection of these areas is dependent on accessibility, height and whether the areas can safely be inspected. There is further information regarding this in our Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions which talks about this further.

Our inspectors are qualified and experienced builders and timber pest inspectors. We do not use trade qualified inspectors as they are only trained in single trades. Our inspectors are qualified builders and are experienced across all trades, providing you with peace of mind!

A new build inspection is undertaken when you are taking up a new building project and would like staged inspections to be completed throughout the building and construction process.

As required by law, the builder will usually engage a building surveyor/certifier who will approve the plans and undertake regular inspections to ensure compliance is met with the approved plans, as well as that the works are in accordance with the building code and Australian Standards.

Our inspections do not overlap with the building surveyors/certifiers and purely concentrate on the builder’s workmanship and the quality of materials being used.

We undertake inspections prior to key components of the building being covered up. These comprise of the following stages:

1. Pre-Pour Inspection (main slab)

This involves checking the formwork, reinforcement, set downs, services penetrations, termite barriers and the like prior to the slab being poured. The objective is to ensure that workmanship is acceptable, and that the configuration is generally as per the approved plans. A report is produced and emailed to you, including photos, of any areas requiring attention.

1. Frame Inspection (wall and roof framework)

This involves checking that the quality of materials and the workmanship undertaken by the builder and their trades is acceptable.

Additionally, we will check that the layout of the framework the location of in slab services and wet area set downs is generally in accordance with the approved plans. A report is produced and emailed to you, including photos, of any areas requiring attention.

1. Pre-Sheet Inspection (wall and ceiling linings)

This involves checking on the quality and workmanship in relation to the rough-in  of services (electrical, mechanical, plumbing), insulation is correct and that works are generally in accordance with the approved plans prior to the walls and ceilings being covered up.

After the inspection, a report is produced and emailed to you, including photos, of any areas requiring attention.

1. Handover Inspection (builders’ completion)

This involves inspection of the completed works. Again, we are looking at the quality of the materials and the workmanship undertaken by the builder and the trades.

This inspection is somewhat longer than previous inspections as we look at all internal areas, the roof space, external facades and the external roof areas and associated drainage.

Once the inspection is complete, a report is produced and emailed to you, including photos, of any areas requiring attention.

1. Detailed Defects Inspection (builders’ completion)

This inspection is in addition to the ‘handover Inspection’ whereby we highlight any defects or issues using small pieces of ‘blue’ painters’ tape (no glue or residue is left after removal of the tape).

Photos of these areas will be included the handover report.

If you have a new building project, and would like the peace of mind of independent staged inspections by an insured and qualified builder, please do not hesitate to give us a call and book your inspection in.

A special purpose inspection is undertaken when you are concerned with a particular aspect of a property or if you are concerned with work that has been completed by a contractor. These inspections are wide ranging in terms of scope and may include one of the following scenarios (however this list is not conclusive):

• Checking completed addition or renovation works by a trade contractor
• Checking completed addition or renovation works by a building contractor
• External roof inspection
• Internal roof space inspection
• Moisture issues to wet areas
• Internal cracks to walls or ceilings
• Internal tiles lifting and cracks appearing
• Internal floors uneven or dropping from skirtings
• External cracks to masonry walls
• External cracks to retaining walls
• Excessive external moisture/water evident
• External decks and pergolas deteriorated
• Subfloor timbers, posts and ground conditions

As you can see, a special purpose inspection can cover a very broad range of specific issues with a building. If you have an issue with a particular aspect of your property and it is not on the above list, it will probably be covered one of these types of reports.

Our inspectors are insured, qualified and experienced builders. We can undertake inspections on residential, commercial, industrial, medical, and retail properties.

If you have a specific problem with your property and need some advice, please give us a call, and book a special purpose inspection with our reputable team.

A commercial property inspection is undertaken on behalf of the property owners or managers. The purpose of the inspection is to provide you with a report detailing and maintenance or defect issues that require attention in the short, medium and long term.

We can inspect properties covering a broad spectrum of commercial sectors including:

• Office
• Showroom
• Industrial & Warehousing
• Medical
• Specialty Consulting
• Shopping Centres
• Retail Tenancies

In terms of scope of services, these reports generally include the following areas:

• The interior of the building.
• The roof space.
• The exterior of the building.
• The sub-floor space.
• The roof exterior.

Obviously, considerations such as building configuration, construction type, obstructions, accessibility and height may affect the areas we can safely inspect.  Please familiarise yourself with our Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions which talks about this further.

If you would like a thorough inspection of you property so that you can undertake some budgetary planning in regards to repairs and maintenance, please give us a call.

A body corporate inspection report is generally commissioned by the body corporate managers on behalf of properties with multiple individual strata title owners. Where a property has multiple strata title lots, the individual owners are primarily responsible for what’s inside their ‘four walls’, however the maintenance of the surrounding building and associated areas is also crucial. A typical body corporate inspection report from Your Building Inspector would include the following:

• Building facades
• Roof Areas
• Walkways
• Lifts and stairs
• Carparking
• Driveways and paths
• Walls, fencing and gates
• Landscaping

An annual body corporate building inspection inspection of the above areas can help body corporate managers to budget and schedule maintenance and repairs and communicate this with property owners. These inspections help to protect the investment made in the property by strata title property owners.

Common items that the building inspections often identify are:

• Corrosion to roofing & associated roof plumbing
• Corrosion to windows frames
• Corrosion to handrails and balustrades
• Corrosion to external services
• Cracks to building facades
• Cracks to masonry retaining and planter walls
• Cracks to external concrete floors
• Deteriorated external waterproof membranes
• Deteriorated tiled areas
• Deteriorated external paintwork

Regular body corporate building inspections, together with a scheduled, preventative maintenance plan, can ensure that there are no nasty surprises down the track that a sinking fund will not be able to cover immediately or depletes the fund, requiring owners to tip in.

Our building inspectors are licensed, experienced and qualified builders. Additionally, we have public liability in place and will ensure that the report we deliver, identifies any issues that the property may have now and in the future. Please give us a call to discuss getting a body corporate inspection undertaken.