Third Party Reports. (Can You Rely On Them ?)
On many occasions we have had clients indicate to us when making inquiries about building inspections saying that recent pest or building inspections have been supplied and they do not require one or the other.
Is is important to recognize that most reports have third party disclaimers that do not protect the buyer unless your name is on the report.
Just recently we were engaged by a client where this scenario played out. The purchaser was supplied with a body corporate Pest Report.
Fortunately when booking the building inspection we informed the client of the limited liability with the body corporate pest inspection report and they chose to do one of their own. The pest report did not identify evidence of termite activity on the property or bridging of the pest inspection zone. The pest inspector had an ongoing contract to monitor the properties.
We inspected the premises and found clearly visible evidence of termite tracking in two sub floor areas and possible concealed damage where termites have entered inside the home.
In addition bridging of the visual pest inspection was evident along with deficiencies in the barrier and pest management system.
There was no mention of any of the items on the pest report, or any recommendations for further invasive inspections or modifications to the current pest management system.
The legal and professional obligation of the inspector is to identify any termite tracking, past damage or deficiencies that do not meet industry standards and recommend further invasive inspections and modifications.
Body corporate pest inspections particularly on multi unit complexes may not be accurate as you think as generally the body corporate can take the cheapest quote which may not provide a comprehensive report due to time / price restrictions.
The outcome of the inspection process left the client with some serious doubt in relation to the purchase of the property as they originally were confident that the property had not evidence of past termite infestation or damage.
So it is essential that when purchasing a property that you rely only on your own choice of inspectors as you will be fully covered by insurance should you purchase the property and find latent defects. The cheapest price or companies that make price beating offers may not necessarily be the ones that provide you with the best results and advice.
Long term industry experience and time spent on site are the key criteria when engaging a professional service. Coastal Home & Building Inspections provides high quality Building & Pest Reports on the Sunshine Coast and regional areas to ensure you can purchase with confidence.
