Archicentre

Archicentre, the building advisory service of the Australian Institute of Architects, today said this is despite the purchase of a home being the foundation of Australia's wealth creation and a cornerstone of family life and community stability.

Archicentre Chief Executive, Mark Stewart said, "the Government has legislation and registration in relation to real estate agents, financial providers, builders, electricians, plumbers, and building surveyors, however, when it comes to property inspection services, there is no minimum of standards in training, no registration, no qualifications, no insurance and no monitoring."

"In the current situation with no legislative protection for home buyers against unqualified property inspectors, people hiring a person to undertake an inspection before purchasing should make sure they undertake their own due diligence to ensure the inspector has current appropriate qualifications, insurance and experience to inspect the property and give professional advice."

"The lack of current effective legislation to protect home buyers and vendors against unqualified property inspectors reinforces that well known advice of 'Buyer Beware'."

Mr Stewart said, "A minimum $10 million professional indemnity insurance policy should be compulsory for all property inspectors to provide consumers protection against any losses caused by a faulty inspection."

People registered to undertake Property Inspections should be required to have minimum qualifications in an appropriate discipline such as architecture or engineering and
- Diploma of Building Surveying or Building & Construction or equivalent;
- 2 years relevant industry experience;
- Professional Indemnity insurance of $10M minimum with at least one reinstatement provision;
- Specific training in building fault detection;
- Supervised inspections as part of the training program.
- Continuing professional development.

Top Questions to ask before hiring a Property Inspector

1. Are you a currently registered engineer or architect?
2. Is your inspection conducted to the Australian Standard? Do you carry at least $10 Million Professional Indemnity Insurance policy to guarantee your work?
3. How many years experience do you have inspecting properties?
4. Are you experienced with this type of property, residential, commercial, or heritage?
5. Ask to see a copy of a sample report and read the fine print on what is covered and not covered.
6. Find out how long the property inspection service has been in business and what is its operating address. Do not just rely on a mobile phone number for contact.

Mr Stewart said, it simply makes sense that a certification of the building as 'home-worthy' -indicating that there were no evident structural faults or termites on the property, for example, would align well with the 'road-worthy' certification regime in place for motor vehicle purchases.

"The challenge is to formulate legislation that bridges the potential gap between obligation and expectation, to ensure that the scope of the property inspections, the qualifications of the inspectors and the recourse to a buyer in the event of an error or omission are tightly regulated and enforceable."

For a copy of the Archicentre Submission into Registration of Housing Inspectors to the NSW Government please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.archicentre.com.au

Media Enquiries:
Ron Smith, Corporate Media Communications, Archicentre - Mobile: 0417 329 201