Final inspection woes

[aussieB]

The settlement is on next Friday, for which I attended the final inspection of a new PPOR (my first property) that I am buying and am upset about a few things in the house.

How much of lippage (when tiles aren't even or when the grout filling is uneven )in tiles on the floor is acceptable ? I am told the builder can choose to fix whatever he feels like. Is there a law around how flush the tiles can be ?

I was told by the conveyancer that the house should be in pristine condition.
But when I pointed out the dents in the wall and the uneven tiles, the real estate agent says "uhmm, well, this isn't effecting the house structurally. I can show you million $ houses which are similar blah blah blah". The discussion only ended when I told him I wont buy a new car with torn upholstery just because it doesn't infringe the structural integrity of the car !

 

[Scott No Mates]

There used to be a publication called "acceptable standards of construction" published by the Commonwealth Bank - probably still around.

Otherwise you will need to rely on the Australian Standards & the BCA which references these things. Get a clerk of works/building inspection done and they will do the hard yards for you.

As for plasterboard/cement render - dents show up differently and make large shadows depending upon the angle of the lighting.

 

[Xenia IM]

Assuming brand new house??

Yes I would get everything fixed. Tiles should be flush, no dents.

 

[aussieB]

Thank you for replying.

There used to be a publication called "acceptable standards of construction" published by the Commonwealth Bank - probably still around.

Otherwise you will need to rely on the Australian Standards & the BCA which references these things. Get a clerk of works/building inspection done and they will do the hard yards for you.

As for plasterboard/cement render - dents show up differently and make large shadows depending upon the angle of the lighting.

I will get a building inspection done asap. But - the builder is still at his liberty to fix what he chooses to fix ? Is there no legislation protecting a consumer, guaranteeing that the end product is going to be atleast decently made ?

Its cement rendered - so what I wanted to ask was is it acceptable at all to have new house delivered with dents and dings in a few places ?

Assuming brand new house??

Yes I would get everything fixed. Tiles should be flush, no dents.

Yes, brand new. What if the builder chooses not to address anything ? I was just looking up the schedule of finishes and the fine print says this is the builders intent at the moment and can change anytime.

 

[hugh72]

Don't let the builder get away with this, he is probably hoping you will just go away. Push the issue, take photos and become a nuisance. What does your contract say? In Qld you would contact the BSA for a dispute, I don't know about the NT?