Building inspection

I had recently had a building inspection done on my IP prepurchase. I have subsequently found a major leak from the second floor bathroom into the kitchen area directly underneath. Can anyone here advise me as to what action I can take against the building inspection company and what sort of result I should be expecting if I take this matter to its due course?
 
Hi,

Was the leak evident (visible without probing or invasive efforts) at the time of inspection? I would assume by "major" you are saying the leak was visible to the naked eye?

What type of building inspection did you commision?

Was the property occupied or vacant when the inspection took place?

What state are you in?

I need the answers to these before we go further.

Regards, Michael Croft
 
I am in Sydney.
The inspection I ordered was a a comprehensive pest and building inspection.
It was empty at the time of the inspection and had been vacant for about a month.
The leak is not visible without probing or invasive efforts.
However when you turn the water on in the shower, it just releases a flood of water downstairs. All the inspector had to do was turn the taps on in the shower and he would have immediately noticed the floor downstairs being wet. I don't know much about building inspections, but I just assume turning on the taps was part of the inspection.
 
A building inspection SHOULD include turning on and off every conceivable bit. Mine did.

And it also included asking tenants (ones who were around) about existing problems. That's useful when tenants ask for repairs.


Though in this case it may have been that the inspector started downstairs and finished upstairs. This woukd have been a rather poor inspection if that were the case.

If the inspector could not inspect sections of the premises due to lack of access, that was made clear in the report.
 
Hi and sorry for the slow reply,

Geoff is correct all taps and flushing units are (or should be)operated during an inspection. This is to test for several things, including; water flow (sometimes the pipes aren't even connected), pipe hammer (as this can cause leaks in walls), you look at the drains to see if they are clear and draining well, inspect 's' bends and connections for leaks and if concealed (as in a 2nd storey wet area) carefull inspection for evidence of past/ current water damage from leaks.

So based on your info I think your inspector omitted to inspect/test the area which is why s/he should have professional indemnity insurance.

Have a look at the Australian Standard for property inspections - residential and then see if the report claims to comply with it.


Good luck,

Michael Croft
 
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