How Long Should a Building and Pest Inspection Take?
When asked how long it will take to undertake a Building and Pest Inspection by real estate agents whilst
arranging access to properties, our reply of 3+ hours (for our Comprehensive Building and Pest Inspection) is usually met with shock. Real estate agents often tell us that “usually these inspections only take 15 minutes to
1 hour”. Below we discuss how long our inspectors take to conduct inspections and why.
Comprehensive Building and Timber Pest/Termite Inspection
Our inspectors will be on site for approximately 3-4 hours with this type of inspection depending on the age and size of the property. The inspector will be assessing all major & minor defects, safety hazards and other
important information related to the site, exterior, sub floor, interior, roof loft space and roof exterior of the
property. At Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth we firmly believe in doing the job right the first time, rather than trying to save time and missing what could be important information for our clients.
Structural Building and Timber Pest/Termite Inspection
Usually the inspector will be on site for approximately 1.5 hours with this type of inspection. This inspection is less thorough than Comprehensive Building and Timber Pest/Termite Inspection, as during this Building
Inspection we are only identifying major defects to primary structural elements of the property. The inspector does not report on issues within the site (i.e fencing, retaining walls etc) or roof covering with this type of
inspection.
New Home Building Inspections
Inspections at stages such as Plate Height and Roof Framework usually take 1 hour – 2.5 hours depending on the size of the property. During our Practical Completion Inspection, the inspector is usually on site for 3 hours – 5 hours depending on the size of the property. As above, Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth believe spending a little extra time to conduct a thorough inspection will save any issues being overlooked, causing unnecessary stress to our clients.
It has been made clear to us by real estate agents on numerous occasions that there are many Building
Inspectors operating in Perth spending less than 1 hour on site (in some cases as little as 10 minutes), which we feel is insufficient to be able to thoroughly assess all aspects of the property as outlined in AS4349.1-2007.
Although Building Inspectors are governed by this Australian Standard, it is important to understand that Building Inspectors require no form of qualifications or minimum level of experience here in WA so it is best to undertake research on an inspector’s level of relevant experience and qualifications, as well as reading reviews from real customers prior to engaging an inspector.
At Cap-It-All Building Inspections Perth we believe it is essential that all of your potential home by thoroughly
inspected to ensure that you move into a safe and structurally sound home.
