Mandatory Building Inspections

Mandatory Building Inspections

Mandatory Building Inspections are in place across most of Australia … except WA.  There have been calls for years for the practice to be implemented but, as with any new regulation, there are both pros and cons to doing so.

Essentially, mandatory building inspections are designed to weed out the cowboys, keep the genuine builders on their toes and up to speed with Australian Standards and ensure that buildings comply during the various stages of construction.  Ideally, this would result in less ongoing maintenance for both the client and the builder after handover.  Importantly, inspections can provide peace of mind for the investor; especially if they are interstate or overseas.  However, all red tape comes with a price to pay.

In WA, there are simply not enough professionals around to take on this new workload if it is implemented.  Mandatory inspectors would require different qualifications to a general building inspector that clients can engage independently.  Without enough people to carry out the inspections, work on building sites will be forced to stop until such a time as an inspection can be carried out; adding financial burdens to both the investor and the builder in terms of holding costs.

Having an independent party inspecting the build at various stages of construction is part and parcel of the due diligence that investors should undertake.  However, the impact of making these inspections mandatory needs to be considered carefully in terms of how well the benefits balance with the additional costs and timeframes.