Electrical, plumbing and other inspections when buying a house in Western Australia.
Most home-buyers understand the importance of arranging a pre-purchase structural building inspection and a timber pest inspection when buying a house. However some home-buyers are also concerned about other features and systems of the home such as electrical safety, plumbing fixtures, gas systems and if there is any asbestos in the home.
These concerns are especially common when purchasing an older property.
However, home-buyers are often unaware of a few key facts that can help them to decide if these extra levels of checks are necessary as part of their contract to purchase a property in Western Australia.
Here’s what you should know before booking these extra inspection services when purchasing a property:
Electrical and Fire Safety Inspections
In Western Australia the vendor is responsible for ensuring RCDs and smoke alarms are correctly installed prior to the transfer of ownership and you should request to see an electrical safety certificate, that includes reference to RCD’s and smoke alarms as a minimum, from the vendor prior to purchase.
The following government departments in Western Australian have more information on this available online, please click on the links below:
General Electrical, Plumbing and Gas Systems Inspections
Firstly check that the inspection of these systems has been allowed for in your contract to purchase the property.
The standard REIWA contract for purchasing property doesn’t includes clauses for negotiation on general electrical, plumbing or gas systems.
If you do require any of these additional inspections these systems need to be checked by a licensed contractor. Be aware that most building inspectors will not have a qualified / licensed background in electrical or plumbing trades. If a building inspection company offers plumbing or electrical inspections as ‘included’ in their service please check this is being done by a licensed electrician and / or plumber / gas fitter.
Asbestos Inspections
Firstly check that an inspection for asbestos has been allowed for in your contract to purchase the property.
The standard REIWA contract for purchasing property doesn’t includes clauses for negotiation on the presence of asbestos unless it’s deteriorated enough that’s it’s causing a structural defect, and this type of defect may be picked up in your Structural Building Inspection regardless of the building material containing asbestos or not.
If you do require an inspection for the presence of asbestos, once again – this type of inspection should only be carried out by a trained and qualified asbestos inspector. If a building inspection company offers an asbestos inspection as ‘included’ in their service please check this is being done by a qualified and experienced technician.
A pre-purchase asbestos inspection will usually involve the inspector taking a scraping / small sample of the areas suspected to contain asbestos and then these samples will be tested in a laboratory. The test results are usually returned within a week. This will inform you of the presence or absence of asbestos in the building materials. This type of inspection is considered an ‘invasive’ inspection given the need to take scrapings from the building materials and permission from the Vendor will need to be given in advance.
If you’re concerned about asbestos contamination in the air or soil in / around the property then a qualified environmental health scientist will need to be consulted to assess the risk of contamination and then test soil and air quality if required. We always recommend home-buyer’s read the following information first:
- Australian Government – getting an asbestos inspection
- WA Department of Commerce – finding an asbestos license holder in WA
You can read more about what’s included our building and timber pest inspections HERE.
Get in touch if you’re looking at buying soon so we can assist.
info@nightingalepropertyinspections.com.au or 0438 905 819
