Pre-purchase house inspections substandard

A Consumer magazine survey of 10 building inspection companies in Auckland and Wellington has revealed poor standards of inspection and inconsistencies in reporting. The survey found that far from providing peace of mind for potential buyers, the pre-purchase house inspectors missed many potential problems and exaggerated others.

Thursday, August 10th 2006, 12:00AM

by The Landlord

“We surveyed building inspectors in 1997 and in 2001 and were dismayed by the results then,” says Catherine Hutton of Consumer magazine. “I’m sad to say that standards have not improved since.”

As a result of the survey findings, the Department of Building and Housing is considering licensing and regulating pre-purchase house inspectors.

One of the companies tested in the survey welcomed the calls to regulate and license the property inspection industry.

Bruce Symon, director of Wellington company Realsure Limited, says “Without thorough licensing procedures and quality standards, there will continue to be rogue operators in this industry”.

“The survey demonstrates there is a significant discrepancy in the quality of house inspectors in the Auckland region especially.”

“The Consumer survey serves as a timely reminder for home buyers to do thorough research on the inspection company they appoint until licensing becomes a reality. Pages of tick boxes or single adjectives do not constitute a house inspection report, and any professional inspection firm should be happy to verify the tools, systems, and reporting procedures they use,” says Symon.

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