Buying a character home in Perth is exciting, but it helps to go in with clear eyes. Homes built decades ago can be wonderfully solid, yet age, climate, soil movement and past renovations all leave fingerprints. Lets run through the defects most often seen during older home inspections, why they happen in Perth and warning signs to watch for.
If you are mid-offer and want a deep dive before finance or settlement, it is worth lining up a thorough check with a pre-purchase building inspection so you can have a realistic budget that takes into account potential repairs, negotiate fairly or walk away confidently.
Why older home inspections matter in Perth
Perth’s climate brings long, dry summers and winter rain, so buildings cycle through drying and wetting each year. Those swings influence soil movement, moisture levels and corrosion, all of which can affect structural elements over time. The Bureau of Meteorology’s Perth Metro dataset shows distinct winter rainfall peaks each year, which is when leaks, damp and drainage issues show themselves most clearly.
Beyond weather, the ground underneath matters. Australia’s National Construction Code uses site classifications to describe soil reactivity. Highly reactive clays can swell or shrink with moisture changes, lifting or settling footings and cracking walls. While much of coastal Perth is sandy, pockets of reactive soil do exist across the metro and hills areas, so the home’s local classification and history of movement are worth understanding.
1. Cracks caused by foundation movement
This is number one for a reason. During older home inspections, we commonly see stepped cracks in brickwork, diagonal cracks from window corners, doors that bind and uneven floors. Most movement relates to changes in soil moisture, tree roots competing for water, poor surface drainage or past plumbing leaks.
What it means in Perth
• Seasonal moisture swings can cause clay soils to expand and contract, lifting edges or centres of slabs and strip footings. CSIRO’s homeowner guide explains how post-construction moisture changes can dish or dome footings over time, opening cracks as the structure flexes.
• Inadequate water control, blocked soakwells and missing paving fall can keep soils damp at footings after rain, increasing movement risk. The WA Government’s stormwater manual highlights the need for fit-for-purpose site drainage to protect buildings and surrounding land.
What you should look out for
• New cracks wider than a 20 cent coin, cracks you can slide a fingernail in, or cracks that change after rain.
• Doors or windows that suddenly stick, skirting gaps, or rippling cornices.
• Localised sagging around old bathrooms or where past leaks occurred.
2. Termite damage to structural timber
Timber pest activity is a regular finding in older home inspections across Perth. This is why you should ensure a timber pest inspection is included in your pre purchase building inspection. Subterranean termites can enter via slab penetrations, garden beds built up against walls or damp subfloor conditions, then quietly consume framing, skirtings and roof timbers.
What it means in Perth
• The WA Government notes termites readily attack timber in buildings and other structures which can turn into costly damage to your home. They further outline the importance of inspections and management systems, especially in WA’s warm climate where vigilance is key.
What you should look out for
• Hollow-sounding skirtings or architraves, blistered paint, soft spots in floors.
• Mud leads in subfloors or along slab edges, bubbling around door frames.
• Past treatment plugs without recent inspection stickers.
3. Damp, leaks and decay in masonry and floors
Persistent moisture is a big driver of structural issues in old homes. In Perth’s heritage houses, we often see rising damp in solid masonry, salt attack near the coast, and decay where roof plumbing has leaked for years. During older home inspections, tell-tale signs include musty smells, blistered paint at skirtings, fretting brickwork and cupped timber floors.
What it means in Perth
• The City of Fremantle’s technical sheets explain how rising damp and salt attack affect older walls, and why rigid cement renders or non-breathable coatings can worsen the problem rather than fix it.
• Good site drainage helps. The Western Australian Government’s stormwater guidance promotes designing systems appropriate to our sandy coastal plain, which reduces wetting of footings and walls.
What you should look out for
• Tide marks or salts blowing out at the base of internal walls.
• Fretted brick faces, crumbling mortar, or spalling around corroded embedded steel.
• Old shower leaks where subfloor or adjacent walls show long-term damp.
4. Roof and ceiling problems, including tie-downs and collapse risk
Roof structure issues are regularly found in older home inspections. We see sagging ceiling sheets, loose or corroded tie-downs, cracked truss connections and fatigued battens, particularly after years of exposure to heat and cold, and occasional storms.
What it means in Perth
• Building and Energy WA has repeatedly warned homeowners about plasterboard ceiling collapse and the need to act on warning signs like sagging or cracking joints. Building and Energy WA’s fact sheet outlines risk factors, inspection prompts and safety advice.
What you should look out for
• Visible dips, noisy creaks when walking above, or screw pops in patterns.
• Rust staining around roof penetrations, corroded straps or brackets in older roofs.
• Loose ridge cappings, cracked tiles or brittle old sarking.
5. Coastal corrosion and steel fatigue in lintels and fixings
Perth’s coastal air and wind-driven rain can be tough on exposed steel. During older home inspections, we often note corrosion in supporting brickwork over windows and doors, rusted wall ties and weathered roof fasteners. Left unchecked, steel expansion can crack surrounding brickwork and compromise support.
What it means in Perth
• The Master Builder’s Association WA notes higher corrosion in coastal zones, which affects steel masonry accessories and fixings, so appropriate selection and protective systems are important for durability.
• Heritage Council of WA’s guidance for corrugated roofs, which are often found in older homes, stresses the importance of maintenance and correct detailing to protect fabric and structural performance of corrugated roofs over the long term.
What you should look out for
• Rust staining at brick heads, bulging bricks above openings, flaky paint on steel.
• Cracked mortar joints near corrosive elements or fixings.
• Roof screws with red rust or loose sheeting in windy conditions.
How structural issues in old homes show up during inspections
Structural issues in old homes cover a whole range of problems. From random hairline cracks with no seasonal change relating to age, to wider cracks that widen after winter rain, pointing to possible footing movement. A musty skirting line or salt crystals might suggest rising damp, while blistered paint high on a wall suggests roof plumbing leaks. By mapping defects carefully during older home inspections as part of our pre purchase building inspections, we can separate ongoing risk from historic scars and help you plan sensible, staged repairs that suit Perth’s climate and building stock.
What we check, and how older home inspections keep you in control
When we carry out older home inspections, we are performing a modern pre purchase building inspection with a sharper focus on age-related risks. We test moisture levels around visible wet areas, observe site drainage during or after rain, check clearances at visible slab edges, access roof spaces where safe, and look closely at visible cracking patterns, bearing points and corrosion-prone elements. The result is a clear picture of structural issues in old homes, tailored to Perth conditions, along with practical priorities you can use to negotiate and plan.
Perth-specific tips to stay ahead
• Watch your home in wet weather. Take photos of leaks, pooling and new cracks. Some councils with older properties, such as City of Fremantle even suggest walking the property in heavy rain to see how water behaves, which is smart advice for buyers and owners alike.
• Keep soil and garden beds below damp-proof course level and away from weep holes.
• Check and perform maintenance on roof plumbing every year, especially before winter.
If you are weighing up a character property and want an independent, plain-English view on structural issues in old homes, we can help. Book a thorough pre-purchase building inspection and we will walk you through the findings, prioritise repairs and make sure your next step is the right one for your budget and peace of mind.