How long is a building and pest inspection valid for?
A building and pest inspection is a great way of ensuring that you’re making a great investment. It gives you a full understanding of the property’s condition and helps you make an informed decision.
However, you might be wondering how long is a building and pest inspection valid for and if you’re covered should any defects become apparent after the inspection.
What is a building and pest inspection?
A building and pest inspection is a comprehensive visual assessment of a property to assess its current condition. The purpose of which is to help homeowners and buyers make an informed decision about the property. For buyers, it ensures that they are fully aware of the current condition of the property prior to purchase. The inspection is a combination of a building inspection and a timber pest inspection.
The building inspection looks for major and minor building defects, safety hazards and other issues that may affect the livability of the property. You can find out more about the definition of major and minor building defects here.
The timber pest inspection is a visual inspection of all accessible areas of the property to see if there is any evidence of active termites or termite damage. The inspector checks the home for any conducive conditions for future termite infestations and notes whether the property has a termite management system installed.
How long is a building and pest inspection valid for?
A building and pest inspection is generally considered to be valid for 4 weeks. As building and pest inspectors cannot guarantee what may happen to the property after this time. For example, termites can move into a property at any time or storm damage may occur. Likewise, other things may happen after the inspection that may affect the condition of the building.
For this reason, professional building and pest inspection companies won’t provide a guarantee on their reports because there are too many variables that can affect the condition of a building at any time.
At Local Inspections, we can guarantee a comprehensive inspection, fast report turnarounds, great customer service, a competitive price and inspectors with over 30+ years of experience.
What happens if I move into the property and find defects?
A reputable building and pest inspector will thoroughly check the house and make use of all the tools available to them to gain insight and find defects.
However, no home is perfect, and most will have general wear and tear that requires maintenance and upgrades from time to time. In addition, some defects can only be discovered by living in the home such as leaking showers that only become evident once the water is frequently used.
At Local Inspections, our inspectors only use the latest technology available to them to ensure they are conducting the most comprehensive inspection possible.
The vendor already has a building and pest report. Can I rely on that?
Relying on someone else’s building and pest inspection report may sound like a great way to save time and money. However, it can come back to bite you later. We don’t recommend relying on someone else’s report for three reasons:
1. Something may have changed since the inspection
Building and pest reports are prepared for a specific property at a particular time. This means that the building and pest report is only a ‘snapshot’ of the condition of the property at the time of the inspection. Consequently, the condition of the property may have changed since the report was prepared. For example, a water pipe may have burst, or storm damage may have occurred. Worst of all, termites can move into a property at any time and may have invaded the property since the inspection.
2. It doesn’t give you legal recourse should issues arise
A building and pest report is a legal document that is recognised in a court of law. This means that should you move into the property and find defects that should have been reasonably seen by the inspector, you can seek legal action. However, this option is not available if the report is not in your name as you are not the legal owner of the report. That person is the one whose name is on it.
3. It doesn’t give you an unbiased opinion of the house
Understandably, both the selling agent and the vendor want to present the house in the best possible light to get a good sale price. Whilst most are honest, some vendors and agents have been known to deliberately cover up issues or withhold information. In fact, real estate agents in Queensland are under no obligation to disclose information regarding the condition of the property. It sounds crazy but it’s true. A building and pest inspection gives you a professional builder’s opinion of the house that you can trust.
What’s included in a building and pest inspection?
A building and pest inspection includes checking all accessible areas of the home and property within 30 meters of the building. This includes the building interior and exterior, subfloor, roof, roof void, garage, fences, retaining walls and more. Under Australian Standards, the roof, roof void and subfloor will only be checked if it is safe to do so.
During the inspection, the home is also checked with a moisture meter and thermal imaging camera. This equipment allows our inspectors to identify anomalies that may be unseen to the naked eye. In particular, the inspector is looking for signs of moisture issues and termite activity at the property. Both issues can be costly to repair and attract termites to the home.
Under Australian Standards, there are a few items that cannot be checked during the inspection as they are outside of the scope and qualifications of a building and pest inspector. These include checking smoke alarms, electrical, plumbing, household appliances, hot water tanks, swimming pools and more. If you would like these items checked, you will need to contact the relevant tradesperson.
Why a building and pest inspection is important?
Building and pest inspections are important for several reasons, including:
- Ensuring you’re making an informed purchase decision
- Gives you peace of mind
- Identifies major and minor building defects
- Identifies any evidence of termite activity and/or damage
- Saving you from costly repairs from defects that may have otherwise gone unnoticed
- Gives you greater bargaining power during negotiations (if you’re buying the property and major defects are found)
- Helps you plan renovations and maintenance
Ultimately, a building and pest inspection is designed to protect you from buying a money pit. You’ve likely heard horror stories of people buying properties only to find the house is plagued with problems or riddled with termites. A building and pest inspection helps to prevent this from happening to you.
How much is a building and pest inspection?
The cost of a building and pest inspection varies depending on the size and condition of the property. This is due to the time needed to complete an inspection. For example, an old Queenslander-style home will take longer to inspect than a brand-new property. Likewise, if a property has a granny flat, is dual living or additional rooms, it will cost more than standard-sized properties.
At Local Inspections, an inspection for an apartment or unit starts from $340 including GST (May 2023). Whereas houses start from $440 including GST for a standard 2-bedroom home (May 2023) but may increase depending on the size.
Have peace of mind with Local Inspections
At Local Inspections, our inspectors are highly trained and experienced with over 30+ years within the building industry. We guarantee a thorough inspection, fast turnaround times with reports and competitive prices.
We provide building and pest inspections in Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Maryborough, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. If you would like to know more or want to book, give us a call via the button below!