Leaky Homes

The record growth in the number of house inspections being commissioned around New Zealand suggests that the sad lessons of the leaky homes scandal have been learned by home buyers and sellers. But a house inspection can do more than simply reassure buyers that their house doesn't leak.

Importantly, real estate agents are now urging their vendors to include a registered house inspection in their package of information to buyers: around 65 per cent of business for my company (and I suspect around the country) is now from agents referring their buyers, a dramatic change on even a year ago. Good agents now know that it is good marketing to make the buying process easy and well informed, giving their property the edge.

The market is maturing to match the car market: most people wouldn't dream of buying a car for even $5000 without booking an auto inspection, yet until recently would happily sign up for a house worth hundreds of thousands of dollars without having it checked out by experts. Not any more.

With a growing number of vendors commissioning an inspection of their home, the market is learning that a house check is a wise investment, not just for houses that might be leaky but for all types of old and new homes. One of the benefits of the slightly longer time it is taking, on average, to sell a house is that buyers now have some breathing space to commission an inspection. Inspection companies have met the market's demand by providing a 24-hour turn-around on an inspection and report - leaving buyers plenty of time to make a considered offer.

With council's accepting less and less liability for buildings, even for homes which have signed permits or certificates of compliance, there is a growing demand for our independent Council Records Inspection service. Buyers' solicitors have helped push this demand, so that their clients are not caught out buying a new home that is not fully compliant or has had un-approved renovations. Unwary buyers who have not checked that the building work is permitted may be faced with a costly permit process, or worse, having to demolish works that do not comply on their new home.

As homeowners become more aware of sustainability and concerned about the cost of energy use in their homes, we are noticing another new development: a growing demand for identifying the amount and effectiveness of insulation in a property. The technology now available in high-spec infra-red cameras allows inspectors to check where heat is leaking out of a house, so purchasers know where insulation has been used, and recommend likely costs for improving insulation. Inspectors can also check that appliances which are supposed to keep houses warm and damp-free (extractor fans, for example) are properly installed and doing their jobs. This is all useful information for figuring out future costs of ownership.

Our predictions for the future?

With the next changes to the Building Act requiring certain types of building work to be done only by qualified tradespeople (coming into effect in 2007), future inspections are likely to look at not just what work has been done on a house, but who has done the work. Unregistered do-it-yourself work may not pass inspection.

New Zealanders deserve houses which are sound, warm and dry, so that their well-made house can last well into the next century.

www.nzhouseinspection.co.nz