Blogs

Home Warranty Insurance Scheme – Building Defect Inspection In Queensland, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission QBCC has a new home warranty insurance scheme. Most residential building work valued over $3300 must have home warranty insurance the premium for which the builder pays. Claims can only be made against this policy in the following situations: […]

Building and Pest Inspections – Physical Termite Barriers A common problem detected during many Pre-Purchase Building and Pest Inspections is referred to as “Bridging” of termite barriers. The term barrier is a little misleading because the purpose of a physical termite barrier such as an “ant cap”, metal termite barrier, or exposed slab edge is […]

N0 8. Spalling of Concrete Piers (Stumps) Many high-set or low-set homes built in the middle decades of the last century were set on concrete piers (stumps) which were cast by the builder on site. This approached allowed the builder to cast piers of the required length and unlike timber stumps, they were not prone […]

N0 7. Cracking and Movement When cracks are observed during a Pre-Purchase Building and Pest Inspections they always attract the attention of the inspector. Cracks have many possible causes and the inspector uses his experience to attempt to identify what has caused them. This process includes examining the characteristics of the crack or cracks and […]

Why Don’t Pre-Purchase Building Inspections Cover Plumbing and Electrical Work? ABIS often get asked why Pre-Purchase Building Inspectors don’t look for and report on defects in plumbing and electrical work. In the terms and conditions of most Standard Building and Timber Pest Reports conducted in a pre-purchase situation, there are clauses referred to as “exclusion […]

No 6. Ceiling Damp Stain – Is The Roof Leaking? Damp stains seen from the underside of ceiling sheeting are a common defect on older homes. Unfortunately, the causes of these stains may be difficult to establish during a Pre-Purchase Building Inspection especially if the stain is currently dry. When our inspector identifies a stain […]

Building & Pest Inspection – Building Work Not Conforming To any Recognised Standard – Shoddy Work Australia is fortunate in having a good set of codes governing the standard, utility and safety of building work. However, there are no building police walking up and down our streets ensuring that non complying work or “shoddy work” is not […]

No 5. Leaking Shower Closet A shower that is leaking into the surrounding walls is one of the most common problems detected during our Pre-Purchase Building Inspections. What is not fully appreciated by the average homeowner is that bathrooms and in particular the waterproofing membranes to showers have a limited life compared with the rest […]

New Home Build Handovers and Stage Inspections. Having a new home built? Australian Building Inspection Service’s Construction Stage and Final Handover Inspections looks after your interests and takes a lot of stress out of building a new home. Most new home build contracts require “stage” payments to be made to the builder as construction progresses. […]

Pre-Purchase Inspections – Termite Activity – Shelter Tubes Here is a clear example of termite activity in a roof void seen during a recent Pre-Purchase Building and Timber Pest Inspection. In this example Termites have made shelter tubes as they track from an entry point into the dwelling to an area where conditions are ideal […]