Building surveys won’t usually include anything that is concealed, such as the underground portions of the foundations, electrical installations, underground or concealed plumbing and drainage and gas fittings. Nor will it usually include air-conditioning and heating units, pools and spas, fireplaces and chimneys, alarm systems, soft furnishings and appliances. You can specifically request an inspection of these areas and items.
You can also ask for comment on ‘locality aspects’, for example:
common property areas and services
neighbours
sunlight, privacy, views
noise and nuisance from flight paths, railways and busy traffic
soil toxicity, lead in paints, the presence of asbestos, and other contaminants
security in the neighbourhood
swimming pool fence compliance
energy efficiency
any issues about heritage protection (you can research this yourself at the council) (CB)
If you don’t want to do the research
at the local council you can ask the inspector to look into any possible illegal
or unauthorised building work, such as work done without building consent.
You can ask for a review of the plans to check sewerage and drainage
information, and to see if the section had a proper survey. You can
ask the inspector to report on any local council planning issues. (CB)
Asking for a special-purpose survey
Building surveys won’t usually include anything that is concealed, such as the
underground portions of the foundations, electrical installations, underground
or concealed plumbing and drainage and gas fittings. Nor will it usually
include air-conditioning and heating units, pools and spas, fireplaces and
chimneys, alarm systems, soft furnishings and appliances.
You can specifically request an inspection of these areas and items. You can
also ask for comment on ‘locality aspects’, for example:
Common property areas
and services
Neighbours
Sunlight, privacy, views
Noise and nuisance from flight paths, railways
and busy traffic
Soil toxicity, lead in paints, the presence of
asbestos, and other contaminants
Security in the
neighbourhood
Swimming pool fence
compliance
Energy efficiency
Any issues about heritage protection (you can
research this yourself at the council) (CB)