Building inspection reports

Building inspections and special reports 

If you are considering purchasing a new home, you will need to have inspections completed before putting an offer in on a home. This is a way of protecting you and making sure you know exactly what you will be getting yourself into. However, you need to make sure that you are getting the right information and that it is high enough quality. This is why you will want to consider getting a special purpose property report in addition to having the inspection. Here is some helpful information.

Why get a building inspection report?

A commercial or residential building inspection report will give you a wealth of information on the condition of the property you are about to buy. The inspection, performed by a certified professional, will inform you of any defects in the property’s accessible areas. An inspection report can be especially helpful if the property is old. A home built a century ago might not pass today’s building standards. But, getting it inspected and then bringing it up to code could help it last well into the next century.

A look inside the building inspection report

While there are standardised formats based on the type, age and size of a building, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the professional inspecting your property will use it. Photographs may or not be used to support the report’s findings. The building inspection report is designed to be a comprehensive overview of the property. As such, it will typically include most areas of the exterior and interior of the property, including:

• All livable interior areas
• The roof, including the condition of its exterior, as well as the insulated interior space and the stormwater, drain off and surface water drainage
• The space under the base floor
• Any steps on the property
• All separate buildings, whether attached or not, including sheds, separate laundries or toilets, and the garage or carport
• The land and site the property sits on, including any paths, driveways, fencing and small retaining walls

Make sure you let the inspector know if there is any particular area you want to be inspected. Regardless of what areas are inspected, all reports will include basic information, such as the property’s address, the owner’s contact information and the reason, date and scope of the inspection. If there were any areas that couldn’t be inspected, this will be noted on the report. The most important aspects of the report, however, will be the summary of the overall condition of the property, the problems found during the inspection, and the inspector’s recommendations for addressing the problems.

What is a special purpose property report?

A special-purpose property report is filled out during an inspection of the building. The most common time that this is carried out is when you are considering buying a property that has shared or common areas. This is called a strata property. Items such as a shared driveway, shared walls, stairwells, and other items are considered common areas. In most cases, these are associated with townhouses and unit blocks. This is usually done in addition to a pre-purchase inspection. This is because the pre-purchase inspection only looks at the interior and the immediate exterior of the property. With a special purpose property report, the common areas that are not looked at with the pre-purchase inspection get the proper attention that they deserve.

At the time of the inspection, your building inspector can provide you with an estimate of the costs for any problems needing repair that are in the pre-inspection report.

A look inside special reports

These reports cover everything that is looked at in a pre-purchase report as we as all of the common areas that are not looked at. These include the exterior and interior and of the building, roof, underfloor areas, and the overall state of the building site. They will also look at the costs of any repairs that may need to be done. These will include things that are found on the inside and the outside of the building including maintenance that will need to happen and other recommendations that may need to be done.

Who performs these reports?

A qualified building inspector is the only reliable source for getting an accurate report and to get the results you are looking for. They will abide by the relevant national standards to make sure that the building and property are up to code and will be able to provide you with the proper safety and security you seek from your home. They should be qualified, insured, and licensed. They should also be a professional association member. You will want to make sure you have a quote for the inspection before it happens so you will know what they will be providing to you when the report is complete and you will not need to ask about information you thought you would be receiving.