Choosing the best building inspector to complete your pre-purchase building inspection in Perth can be a stressful and difficult decision.
Scrolling through endless Google listings hoping to find an experienced competent inspector can be extremely time-consuming, while other buyers choose to go with a recommendation from an industry professional like a Mortgage Broker, Settlement Agent or Real Estate Agent.
To ensure you get the best outcome regardless of how you find your chosen building inspector, there are 3 things you should check for before engaging their services.
3 Questions to Ask Your Inspector
1. Registered Not Licensed
There is no licensing requirement to be a Building Inspector in Western Australia. If an Inspector is promoting themselves as “licenced” you might have reason to be cautious as there is no Governing Body over the Building Inspection Industry.
You would not buy a second-hand car without having it inspected by a qualified mechanic, the same can be said for homes and Registered Builders.
The Building Services Board is the registration authority for the Registration of Builders in Western Australia and issue registration numbers. You can find a list of all Registered Builders on the DMIRS website here.
Ask your inspector for their registration number.
2. Insurance – Public Liability vs Professional Indemnity
It is common practice for any building inspection business to have Public Liability (PL) insurance in the unfortunate event there is a claim made by a member of the public for an incident that occurred in connection with the inspection. PL insurance covers the cost of compensation for personal injuries, loss of or damage to property. PL insurance is cost-effective and easy to obtain.
However, having Professional Indemnity is quite different.
Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance is a mandatory requirement for some professions in Australia, mainly in connection with registered professions or as part of a professional membership. Professional Indemnity Insurance provides cover for the financial consequences of neglect, error, or omission. PI insurance is difficult to obtain and can be costly.
Ensure your inspector has both Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance.
3. Compliant Reporting – Building inspection condition and Australian Standards
Building inspection reports come in all shapes and sizes. Some buyers may wish to nominate items to be inspected that are covered by the seller to fix, while other buyers require more information to feel comfortable and request the scope of the inspection to cover all building elements, which gives a truly clear picture of what they are buying.
Regardless of the scope of the inspection, a quality report should cover your requirements as to the building elements inspected, comply with Australian Standard 4349.1 Pre-Purchase Building Inspections, and satisfy the Building Inspection Condition annexed to the sale contract.
This will result in a compliant report that satisfies not only your objectives but also the Building Inspection Condition of the contract.
Registered, Insured and Compliant
There is no need to trawl through Google to find a registered, insured and compliant building inspector.
All Home Integrity inspectors are experienced Registered Builders and have full Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Home Integrity reports are completed in accordance with Australian Standards, satisfy all the REWIA Building Inspection Conditions and there is a complete range of inspection types to suit all budgets and requirements.
Home Integrity is the most awarded building inspector in WA having won both State and National awards for service excellence.
“The team at Home Integrity are incredible. They really deliver the highest level of customer service at all touchpoints during the process. We knew that purchasing an old property there was bound to be some structural issues and Jeremy found them all and they were well documented in a way that was easy to understand with excellent supporting documentation. Due to the in-depth report, we were able to negotiate on the price to cover the costs of the issues which will make a big difference to us in fixing these issues. The turnaround time was so fast and it was excellent value for money. Thank you so much”. Heidi, Mount Lawley
If you need a Pre-Purchase Building Inspection, we can take care of everything fast. Email us on [email protected], or call the team on 08 6184 5624.
