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The TRUTH About Your Perth Building Inspection Report.

The TRUTH About Your Perth Building Inspection Report.

The TRUTH About Your Perth Building Inspection Report.

Building Inspection | Termite Inspection | Perth | Envirapest

In WA a Perth building inspection. DOES NOT require a licenced Builder. Fact.

The dangers of combining your termite & building inspection.

Yes, you read that correctly. In Western Australia, there is NO licencing/registration requirements to complete Perth building inspection. Essentially if you have an ABN you can legally start inspecting people’s homes. You, yourself can go out tomorrow, register an ABN, buy some inspection software and advise people on whether or not they should buy a home. It seems unbelievable doesn’t it but after a phone call to the Building Commission of WA this can be confirmed – 1300 489 099

The onus is on the purchaser of the property to do their research and select a Perth building inspection company that has relevant experience and is registered as a builder in WA. This also applies when building inspectors complete Timber Pest Inspections as part of a building/pest inspection combined service.

With absolutely NO termite experience or background in the industry, someone can assess your home for termite activity or damage.

There is no government department in Western Australia that licence’s a Perth building inspection – FACT.

This is why you should ALWAYS employ a licenced & registered pest control company to complete your pre-purchase timber pest inspection. You wouldn’t employee a plumber to complete your electrical work would you – and here is why…

Buying a property is likely to be one of the single biggest investments most of us will make during our lifetimes. Whether you are buying your first home or purchasing an investment property you need to be sure you are making a solid investment. The inspection costs are a tiny fraction of what you are spending on your new home – In many cases it costs more for one night out in Perth these days!

Over the past 14 years we have helped hundreds of clients who have bought a home, on the recommendation of a building inspectors pest inspection report – only to find out once settlement has gone through that a termite issue exists. The importance of this blog is to highlight the importance of doing your research and choosing a termite inspection company wisely.

Example….

Last month we had a purchaser contact us for some information on termite treatments. She was in the process of buying a home in Duncraig and was worried that it might need a termite barrier. She purchased a combined,  Perth building inspection & pest inspection to be carried out. The report stated there was no termite damage inside the house, but there was a timber post with inactive workings alongside the house and she felt this should be inspected more closely. We chatted with her about the report and asked if there was any sort of termite barrier in place? – this should be noted on the report – which it wasn’t.

We then thought it was a good idea to send us through the report to have a look at. We were shocked with what she had received. SEE THIS REPORT HERE > Building & Pest Inspection Report  Their report stated that there was NO significant termite activity/damage at the house. After looking at the photos only – we knew there were problems. On the report we could clearly see there was evidence of termite damage inside the house. There was also a termite baiting and monitoring system partially installed around the home – these systems are expensive and generally not installed unless there is a history of termite activity or damage. There was no mention of this at all on the report.

This is because its HIGHLY likely that the inspector had no idea what a Termite monitoring and baiting system looks like in the ground.

We offered to go out to the home and check the house for her, free of charge, because we felt that she really had been let down by the inspecting company. Once on site, it was immediately clear that there was SIGNIFICANT termite damage inside the home, including extensive damage to the timber flooring, termite mud leads up the interior walls particularly in the garage extension. There were also areas of moisture concern as well as a large soil garden bed directly on the extension wall – an extremely high risk of attracting termites.

The house has been renovated so it was difficult for the untrained eye to see the total extent of the damage as a lot of skirting boards and flooring appeared to have been replaced.

Unfortunately, the client had signed off on this report that was “highly” recommended by her estate agent – trusting the Perth building inspection company – and was now locked into the sale of this home. The purchaser will now have to spend a significant amount of money to fix the damage and protect the home from further termite infestation.

If the report had highlighted the issues she would have had the opportunity to either pull out of the sale or negotiate a better price with the seller.
Building Inspect
Building Inspection | Perth
Termite Damage
Termite Mud Lead | Envirapest
Conducive Conditions | White Ants | Termites | Envirapest
Building Inspection | Envirapest
Termite Baiting System | Envirapest
Bait station | Envirapest

This is a reminder that you really must research what you are paying for.

Cheapest is NOT always best, and rarely ever is for ANYTHING. Why save $100 over a $500,000 investment. Seriously. Why?

It pays to shop around – not just on price, but on quality workmanship (we all like a good deal, but let’s get serious when you’re spending half a million or more). The worst part is, we see this kind of thing happening regularly. So often new home buyers are left with a problem property because of a sub-standard report. The aim of this blog is to try and highlight some of these issues to make sure you are well informed about who should be inspecting your home.

There are a few things to remember when choosing a Pest/Termite Inspection Company:

 – Perth Building Inspectors are NOT pest inspectors. They are generally not trained in termite behaviour – nor are they trained in treatment methods. Quite often new buyers pay for a combined building and pest inspection and if termites are found they then end up having to pay for a licenced pest technician to do another inspection and treat the problem. They can’t treat termites if they find them!!

– Just because your real estate recommended an inspector to you doesn’t mean they are the best person for the job.  Do your own research. Doesn’t it make sense that estate agent wants the sale to go through? Why hire someone they recommend? Hire an independent Pest inspection company who has no interest in whether the property sells or not? – one that has only the purchaser’s interests at heart.

 – Ask for examples of their reports first.

– Make sure they offer reports to Australian Standard 4349.3

– When choosing a Pest/Termite Inspector ensure they are licenced and insured. Ask for a copies of  these document,  simple.

– See if they are part of the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA).

– Check out their reviews.

– Remember that the cost of this inspection is a smallest, tiniest, most minimal fraction of the cost of your home!! Choosing the right company from the get go will save you thousands of dollars in the long run. Our termite inspections are between $275- $330 – that is less than 0.05% of a $500,000 home.

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