Building Inspection - Run down block of flats

[Lynchy]

Hey everyone,

My partner owns an apartment in a slightly run down apartment complex in innaloo. The overall aim is to get the apartment complex up to standard so it can be strated. There is a bit of concrete cancer and the hand rails on the 1st floor walkway seem a little dangerous due to the concrete cancer.

Just wondering if anyone knows or is a building inspector who wont go to the council if he/she deems the apartment complex inhabitable. The complex isnt that bad at all, there is a mix of o/o's and tenants and no one complains but everyone agreed its probably about time there was an inspection carried out.

If there was anything that needed to be done it would be done, its just that everyones slightly weary that an inspector will come and shut down the apartment block, especially as there is 2, 90+ yr olds living there with no other family.

If anyone could recommend a building inspector that would be fantastic!

Apartment block is on Morris Road, Innaloo

Thanks

 

[wylie]

Cannot help you except to comment that if the council insists on things being fixed, then those things probably are dangerous.

First unit we looked at recently had front and back steps. Front steps were condemned with yellow hazard tape stopping them being used. Back steps also needed replacing, all hand rails were too low (I felt very unsafe with such low handrails), and the roof needed replacing.

All eight owners had to put in $5000 for the front stairs (seemed very expensive for simple stairs). If they were not installed by Christmas Eve, there was a $800K fine. Other repairs quoted came to about $30K per unit. Still a good buy, at the right price, but not with the $800K fine being threatened, and not at the price they were asking.

We ran away from that unit.

I don't know if anybody could inspect without having some sort of duty of care to report shoddy or dangerous railings etc.

The unit block my son is contracted to buy has lower railing height than the current building code and there must be thousands of blocks all over the country in a similar position, and that would not stop me buying, but if they are dangerous due to poor attachment to the building etc, then I would think any building inspector or engineer would be duty bound to "dob" (but I really have no idea if that is the case).

 

[Lynchy]

Hey Wylie thanks for the reply

We are aware that some thing probably need to be fixed asap. But as you said a large fine can be handed out if not done by a certain time. As 2 of the 6 o/o's are 90+ yrs old its not really financially viable for them to have a "set date" to put in the money to fix the problems.

The problems will be fixed, as eveyrone wants the complex to be under a strata, but we dont want a time limit set on the complex or a risk of a fine.