Terms and Conditions

Building and Timer Pest Inspection Report Terms

Please read both property and timber pest sections of the agreement

Property Inspection Report

1. This agreement is between the building consultant (“Inspector”) and you (“Client”). You have requested the Inspector to carry out an inspection of your property for the purpose of preparing a Standard Property Report (“Report”) to you outlining their findings and recommendation from the inspection.

2. The purpose of the inspection is to provide the Client with an overview of the Inspector’s findings at the time of the inspection and advice as to the nature and extent of their findings.

3. This Report has been prepared at the direction of and exclusively for the Client. Details contained within this Report are tailored to the Pre-Inspection Agreement between the Inspector and the Client at the time of the Inspection and no other party can rely on the Report nor is the Report intended for any other party.

Scope of the Report

4. This Report is limited to the findings of the of the Inspector at the time of the inspection and any condition of the property which is not within the scope as set out herein or which occurs after the inspection is expressly excluded from this Report.

5. This Report expressly addresses only the following discernible to the Inspector at the time of inspection:

(a) Major Defects in the condition of Primary Elements including Structural Damage

(b) any Major Defect in the condition of Secondary Elements and Finishing Elements and collective (but not individual) Minor Defects; and

(c) any Serious Safety Hazard.

(d) Please note chemical delignification to tile battens will not be identified as a major structural defect in accordance with industry association position papers. Chemical delignification to other Timbers is assessed by the amount of damage to the timber.

6. This Report is limited to the observations and conclusions of the Inspector that were readily observable at the building or site and given the state of property at the time of the Inspection.

7. This Report does not include the inspection and assessment of items or matters that are beyond the Inspectors direct expertise.

Inspection Limitations

8. The Inspection is limited to Readily Accessible Areas of the Building & Site based on the Inspector’s visual examination of surface work (excluding furniture and stored items) and the carrying out of Tests.

9. Where the Inspection is carried out on a strata or company title property, the Inspection is limited to the interior and the immediate exterior of the residence inspected. The Inspection does not extend to common property areas and the Inspector will not inspect common property areas.

10. The Inspector’s findings do not extend to matters where the Inspector was restricted or prevented from assessing the building or site as a result of:

(a) possible concealment of defects, including but not limited to, defects concealed by lack of accessibility, obstructions such as furniture, wall linings and floor coverings, or by applied finishes such as render and paint;

(b) undetectable or latent defects, including but not limited to, defects that may not be apparent at the time of inspection due to seasonal changes, recent or prevailing weather conditions, and whether or not services have been used some time prior to the inspection being carried out; and

(c) areas of the building or site that were obstructed at the time of the inspection or not Readily Accessible Areas of the Building Site. An obstruction may include a condition or physical limitation which inhibits or prevents inspection and may include – but are not limited to – roofing, fixed ceilings, wall linings, floor coverings, fixtures, fittings, furniture, clothes, stored articles/materials, thermal insulation, sarking, pipe/duct work, builder’s debris, vegetation, pavements or earth.

Exclusions

11. This Report does not consider or deal with the following:

(a) any individual Minor Defect;

(b) solving or providing costs for any rectification or repair work;

(c) the structural design or adequacy of any element of construction;

(d) detection of wood destroying insects such as termites and wood borers; (covered in the timber pest section of the agreement)

(e) the operation of fireplaces and chimneys;

(f) any services including building, engineering (electronic), fire and smoke detection or mechanical;

(g) lighting or energy efficiency;

(h) any swimming pools and associated pool equipment or spa baths and spa equipment or the like;

(i) any appliances or white goods including dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, stoves and ducted vacuum systems;

(j) a review of occupational, health or safety issues such as asbestos content, the provision of safety glass or the use of lead based paints;

(k) a review of environmental or health or biological risks such as toxic mould;

(l) whether the building complies with the provisions of any building Act, code, regulation(s) or by-laws;

(m) whether the ground on which the building rests has been filled, is liable to subside, swell or shrink, is subject to landslip or tidal inundation, or if it is flood prone; and

(n) in the case of strata and company title properties, the inspection of common property areas or strata/company records.

12. Should the Client seek information from the Inspector related to one of exclusions above, that information is to be provided by way of a Special-Purpose Inspection Report which is adequately specified and must be undertaken by an appropriately qualified inspector. Additional information requested by the Client is not included in this Report.

Workplace Safety

13. The Client warrants to the Inspector (including the Inspector’s, agents, employees and other personnel) that the Building Site is, to the Client’s reasonable knowledge, safe and free of hazardous materials and that no party of the Building site constitutes a dangerous environment or work place safety concern.

Acceptance Criteria

14. The Inspector may compare the building being inspected with a similar building, unless specified otherwise in the Special Conditions or Instructions. The similar building which the Inspector may compare the current building to was, to the best of the Inspector’s knowledge, constructed in accordance with ordinary building construction and maintenance practices at the time of construction and as such has not encountered significant loss or of strength or serviceability.

15. The Inspector assumes in their Report that the existing use of the building or site will continue unless specified otherwise in the Special Conditions or Instructions.

Acknowledgments 

16. The Client Acknowledges that contents of the Report is subject to the Scope of the Report, Inspection Limitations, Exclusions and Acceptance Criteria. This Report does not include recommendations or advice about matters outside the scope of the requested inspection. 

17. Should the Client have any queries or concerns about the purposes, scope or acceptance criteria on which this Report was prepared, all enquiries or concerns are to be discussed with the Inspector within a reasonable time upon receipt of this report.

18. The Client acknowledges that they will take all reasonable steps to implement any recommendation or advice provided by the Inspector in their Report as a matter of urgency specified otherwise.

19. Any further discussions the Inspector following the production of this Report addressing concerns will not be reflected in this Report and as such the Report may not contain all advice or information related to the building or site provided by the Inspector.

20. The Client acknowledges that a visual only inspection restricts the Inspectors capacity to inspect the building or site thoroughly and is not recommended by the Inspector unless an inspection of the Readily Accessible Areas and appropriate tests are also carried out.

21. The Client Acknowledges that in accordance with the Australian Standard AS4349.0 2007 Inspection of Buildings, this Report does not warrant or give insurance that the building or site from developing issues following the date of inspection.

22. Please note additional inspection charges will be charged for any additional inspections requested by the client

Timber Pest Inspection Report

Service

1. This agreement is between the Timber Pest Detection Consultant (“the Inspector”) and you (“Client”). You have requested the Inspector to carry out an inspection of your property for the purpose of preparing a Pre-Purchase Standard Timber Pest Report (“Report”) to you outlining their findings and recommendations from the inspection.

2. The purpose of the inspection is to provide the Client with an overview of the Inspector’s findings at the time of inspection which includes whether the inspector has identified any Timber Pest issues and advice as to the nature and extent of those findings.

3. This Report has been prepared at the direction of and exclusively for the Client. Details contained within this Report are tailored to the Pre-Inspection Agreement between the Inspector and the Client at the time of the Inspection and no other party can rely on the Report nor is the Report intended for any other party.

Scope of this Report

4. This Report is limited to the findings of the Inspector at the time of the inspection and any condition of the property which is not within the scope as set out herein or which occurs after the inspection is expressly excluded from this Report.

5. This Report expressly addresses only the detection or non-detection of Timber Pest Attack and Conditions Conducive to Timber Pest Attack discernible to the Inspector at the time of inspection.

6. This Report is limited to the observations and conclusions of the Inspector that were readily observable at the building or site and given the state of property at the time of the Inspection.

Inspection Limitations

7. The Inspection is limited to Readily Accessible Areas of the Building & Site based on the Inspector’s visual examination of surface work (excluding furniture and stored items) and the carrying out of Tests.

8. Where the Inspection is carried out on a strata or company title property, the Inspection is limited to the interior and the immediate exterior of the residence inspected. The Inspection does not extend to common property areas and the Inspector will not inspect common property areas.

9. The Inspection is not in respect of a particular type of timber pest. Any analysis of a specific timber pest is to be at the request of the Client in which the Inspector would present their findings in a Special-Purpose Inspection Report separate from this Report.

10. The Inspector’s findings do not extend to matters where the Inspector was restricted or prevented from assessing the building or site as a result of:

(a) possible concealment of timber pest attack, including but not limited to, timber pest attack concealed by lack of accessibility, obstructions such as furniture, wall linings and floor coverings, or by applied finishes such as render and paint;

(b) undetectable or latent timber pest attack, including but not limited to, timber pest attack that may not be apparent at the time of inspection due to seasonal changes, recent or prevailing weather conditions, and whether or not services have been used some time prior to the inspection being carried out;

(c) areas of the building or site that were obstructed at the time of the inspection or not Readily Accessible Areas of the Building Site. An obstructions may include a condition or physical limitation which inhibits or prevents inspection and may include – but are not limited to – roofing, fixed ceilings, wall linings, floor coverings, fixtures, fittings, furniture, clothes, stored articles/materials, thermal insulation, sarking, pipe/duct work, builder’s debris, vegetation, pavements or earth;

Exclusions

11. This Report does not consider or deal with the following:

(a) any information or advice related to timber pest preventative, treatment, rectification, or maintenance options for an attack by Timber Pests; and

(b) an environmental risk assessment or biological risk associated with Timber Pests (e.g. toxic mould), occupational health and safety issues.

12. Should the Client seek information from the Inspector related to one of exclusions above, that information is to be provided by way of a Special-Purpose Inspection Report or management proposal which is adequately specified and must be undertaken by an appropriately qualified inspector. Additional information requested by the Client is not included in this Report.

Workplace Safety

13. The Client warrants to the Inspector (including the Inspector’s, agents, employees and other personnel) that the Building Site is, to the Client’s reasonable knowledge, safe and free of hazardous materials and that no party of the Building site constitutes a dangerous environment or work place safety concern.

Acceptance Criteria

14. The Inspector may compare the building being inspected with a similar building, unless specified otherwise in the Special Conditions or Instructions. The similar building which the Inspector may compare the current building to was, to the best of the Inspectors knowledge, constructed in accordance with ordinary timber pest management and maintenance practices that ensure it does not attract or support a timber pest infestation during its life.

15. The Inspector assumes in their Report that the existing use of the building or site will continue unless specified otherwise in the Special Conditions or Instructions.

16. The Inspector does not guarantee or warrant the absence of Timber Pests in their Report. The Client acknowledges that certain species may be more difficult to identify than others or require regular inspection or testing to help monitor infestation of the species or susceptibility of the timber, including but not limited to the following species:

(a) Drywood termites. This species has extremely small colonies and is difficult to detect; and

(b) European House Borer (Hylotrupes bajulus). It is difficult to detect an attack or infestation of this species as the galleries of boring larvae rarely break through the affected timber surface.

Acknowledgements

17. The Client acknowledges that the contents of the Report is subject to the Scope of the Report, Inspection Limitations, Exclusions and Acceptance Criteria. This Report does not include recommendations or advice about matters outside the scope of the requested inspection. Where a home has extensive obstructions it is advised that further and more invasive termite inspection takes place when the home is vacant.

18. The Client acknowledges that this Report does not assess the structural integrity of the building or site.

19. Should the Client have any queries or concerns about the purposes, scope or acceptance criteria on which this Report was prepared, all enquiries or concerns are to be discussed with the Inspector within a reasonable time upon receipt of this report.

20. The Client acknowledges that they will take all reasonable steps to implement any recommendation or advice provided by the Inspector in their Report as a matter of urgency unless specified otherwise.

21. Any further discussions the Inspector following the production of this Report addressing concerns will not be reflected in this Report and as such the Report may not contain all advice or information related to the building or site provided by the Inspector.

22. This report is valid for 90 days of the date of the inspection