Pre-purchase building and pest inspection in Bendigo

One visit, one report: the building's condition and timber pests checked together, so you know what you are buying before auction day or the end of your contract condition.

What a combined inspection includes

You get a single site visit and a single report, but two separate assessments. The building assessment is carried out to AS 4349.1, the Australian Standard for visual pre-purchase inspections of residential buildings and how they are reported (ABLIS: AS 4349.1-2007). The timber pest assessment is carried out to AS 4349.3, which sets the minimum requirements for inspecting and reporting on timber pest activity (ABLIS: AS 4349.3-2010; Standards Australia).

The advantage of one inspector doing both is joined-up thinking. A leaking shower that has soaked a bearer is a building defect, a decay problem and a termite attractant all at once, and it is easier to understand when one person reports on all three.

Areas the inspector looks at

The inspector checks every area that is safe and reasonably accessible on the day:

• Inside: ceilings, walls, floors, windows, doors and the wet areas, looking for cracks, sagging, stains and moisture.
• Outside: brickwork or cladding, eaves, gutters, downpipes, window frames and how surface water drains.
• Roof exterior: roof covering, ridges, valleys and flashings, inspected from a ladder, from the ground or by drone where it is not safe to walk.
• Roof space: frame, sarking, insulation, and any sign of leaks, vermin or pests.
• Subfloor: stumps, bearers and joists, ventilation, soil moisture and anything stored underneath.
• Site: fences, paths, retaining walls, sheds and drainage within the agreed scope.

For a Bendigo miners' cottage or Victorian brick home, the subfloor and the walls near ground level often tell the most. Low crawl spaces and blocked vents are common in older homes, and damp in solid brick walls shows up as flaking paint and crumbling render near the floor.

When to book in Victoria

• Buying at auction: book so the report arrives before auction day. There is no cooling-off at auction, or in the three clear business days before or after a publicly advertised auction (CAV: buying at auction).
• Buying privately: cooling-off may give you three business days, but not in every case (CAV: private sale). The Law Institute of Victoria general conditions include GC21 (building) and GC22 (pest) inspection conditions. A GC21 report must come from a registered building surveyor, building inspector or registered builder; a GC22 report no longer needs a Victorian-licensed operator but must follow the Australian Standards (Mondaq summary of the LIV changes). Your conveyancer can tell you whether the contract includes these and what deadline applies.

How long it takes and when you get the report

Both depend on the inspector and the property: a large two-storey home in Strathdale takes longer than a two-bedroom unit in Kennington. Confirm the time on site and when the report will arrive with your inspector before you book, and tell them about any auction date.

What it does not cover

A pre-purchase inspection is visual. The inspector does not cut into walls, lift fixed floor coverings, move furniture or test the electrical, plumbing and gas systems. Pools and asbestos testing are separate. For a home built before 1990, Consumer Affairs Victoria suggests an asbestos assessment (CAV).

Questions to ask before you book

1. Which Australian Standards does your report follow?
2. Do you hold full professional indemnity insurance? CAV recommends it (CAV).
3. Will you go into the roof space and subfloor, and do you use a moisture meter or thermal camera?
4. When will I receive the report, and will you take a call to explain it?

CAV also cautions buyers against relying on a report organised by the agent or vendor. Before inspection day, read how to read your report and the buyer checklist, then request a quote.

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