Building & Pest Inspection FAQ's

We have some great definitions of both building and pest inspection in our glossary page

Here's the building inspection definition:

And here's the pest inspection definition:

Which leaves us with the definition of a combined building and pest inspection:

As soon as you contact us Brett will liaise with the agent to arrange for the earliest access to the property. We guarantee you will be emailed your report within 24 after the physical inspection, however you will usually receive it much earlier.

Our Prices are listed on our service pages

• Building Inspection Prices
• Pest Inspection Prices
• Building & Pest Inspection Prices

Essentially we have a set of charges for each report and the price is dictated by the number of bedrooms. The combination of the building and pest inspection works out to be the best value as many of the costs cover both reports

After receiving your instructions to proceed Brett will liaise with all the relevant parties to arrange access to the property.

No, certainly not, but for a relatively small investment, a combined building and pest inspection can give you peace of mind that the property you’re interested in is structurally sound and free of potentially damaging pests.

One of the major benefits of a building and pest inspection is it will help you negotiate the sale price if there are any issues found that you and the seller weren't aware of. It is far less stressful to find out about termites before you buy. Sometimes, in such cases, the seller is willing to address the problem at their cost and offer a small compensation (including paying for another pest inspection) for any delays

Yes! As a seller, an inspection can give you confidence that the house you’re selling is of a good condition and you won’t get any surprises when the buyer gets their own inspection done. It's a lot cheaper to address issues before a buyer falls in love with your property but then breaks the contract after receiving a damming inspection report

One. His name is Brett Zenovich. He is the owner, operator of the company and is the only member licensed to carry out building and pest inspections.

Yes. If your roof void is accessible and safe to access then we will inspect it. We will ask the agent to ensure accessibility before we attend. We bring our own ladders to access such areas.

If the inspector deems that the roof void is unsafe to enter, then they will do all that they can to inspect it by other means.

This may involve a visual inspection from the manhole or an exterior roof inspection. The report will clearly outline how the roof void was inspected and why it was unsafe to enter.

Yes. This is important as there is no sub floor for the inspector to assess due to the concrete being on the ground.

Termites only need very small gaps in the concrete to gain access to timber structure such as gaps around pipes and electrical cables or through covered weep holes.

Unfortunately Yes. Steel framed houses contain a number of elements which are made of timber such as doors, cabinets, window frames etc which are all prone to termite infestations. Termites are quite happy to traverse the steel frame to find a soft wood window frame.

Again, building inspections are still necessary as steel frames are still susceptible to structural issues.

On average, a combined building and pest inspection will take between 60 and 90 minutes to complete.

This depends largely on the size of the house, any difficulties during the inspection and sometimes if the house is older, which may take longer to inspect.

Regardless of the time taken, our price is fixed

Yes, we use the latest thermal imaging cameras. These show up issues that are hidden in walls such as water leaks or a termite infestation!

Brett is a fully licensed and insured building and pest inspector. Feel free to read Brett's profile page

We guarantee that you will get your building inspection report within 24 hours of the inspection. However we are often able to email them a lot earlier.

Please look on our service location page.

Absolutely! Brett actually prefers it if you do as it will help you to get a better understanding of the condition of your property. However it's certainly not necessary. We’ll still provide you with a detailed, personalised report and you can always call Brett at any time to discuss any questions or issues.

Obviously we think North Brisbane Building & Pest are! However it really depends on what you are after. If you want a comprehensive detailed, easy to read report that you can trust, if you want an inspector that is fully licensed, qualified, uses the latest technology who is open to any questions you may have and if you want a speedy, value for money report, then we fit the bill.

Brett is currently matching the cheapest prices around. This is only going to happen whilst he is expanding his building business. Once word gets around, and with his reputation, prices may go up. So get in now!

However, price is not everything. Please ask around about Brett's previous building work and previous building & pest inspections. Read his reviews on the ProductReview website linked below. You'll be pleased with what you see & hear.

Being a small family business Brett will not leave any issues un-addressed. He is always approachable about any concern or issue you have, and not only is he insured in case the worst happens, but he is also always ready to listen.

If you are at an open house and think you may put in an offer subject to finance, building & pest, then make sure you have a good look around first. All though you can negotiate after you have obtained a building & pest inspections report from a qualified professional, you will also benefit from spotting any obvious issues upfront. Look for the following and make a list whilst you are at the open house:

Read more on our blog...

If you are a buyer, then you should organise an inspection immediately after you sign a contract on a property which is 'subject to a building and pest inspection'. You normally sign contracts as having 'x many days' to accept or reject based on the conditions, where x is usually 14 or sometimes as low as 7 in a hot market. This means you would only have 7 days to call a building and pest inspector, book them in, read their report and make a decision to buy the property.

If you are a buyer it is best to do a pre-sale inspection before you put the house on the market. This way you can resolve any issues in a timely manner and not lose a buyer because you have a builder around fixing a broken gutter for example.

Not sure what to do about a Building and pest inspection?

New to buying a house? Making an offer on a property? Selling your home?

Read all about how to Organise A Building & Pest Inspection ... on our blog

Building inspectors look for structural issues and conditions that may lead to structural issues in a property. This involves checking for building defects, cracks, moisture, mould, water damage, leaks, rot, roof structures. They will check inside and outside the building such as paths, driveways, lofts, bathrooms, kitchens and floors.

Building inspections start at around $200 for a 1 bedroom house or apartment and increases depending on the number of bedrooms. However it is usually to also include a pest inspection at the same time. The combined costs start at $250. For an average 3 bedroom home a building and pest inspection costs around $390. House with more than 4 bedrooms normally need quoting.

Yes a building inspection is considered necessary but not they are not legislated. Therefore you don't have to conduct one if you don't want to. However, if you consider the average home costs over $500,000 and only a licenced inspector will find potentially costly issues (sometimes in the region of $100,000's), for around $350, why wouldn't you get one?

For an average sized home, a building inspection normally takes about 60 to 90 minutes. A building and pest inspection can take a further 30 minutes. If the customer attends the inspection it can take a little longer as most inspectors are happy to discuss issues as they find them.

Typically the most common reason a home inspection fails is due to some form of water or dampness issue. However, ultimately a home inspection fails if the customer paying for it decides the issues found are reason enough to change their mind. So it is all relative as some customers are already aware there will be major issues.

No not normally. Home inspectors are usually looking for structural issues inside and outside the building. However, if a defected appliance is causing structural issues then they will check this. Appliances, such as fridges, hot water systems, ovens should be checked out by licenced electricians and plumbers.

We think so! When the average price of a home is over $500,000, a building inspection costs as low as $199 and it can reveal hidden issues that can cost anywhere in the region of $100,000's. All inspections must be carried out by qualified, licenced & insured experts so you are buying a significant piece of mind.

As a buyer normally no, however when the market is hot, very hot, some sellers only accept unconditional offerers! In which case, when you make your offer, if it is accepted you've bought the house! Therefore the vendor allows you to organise a building inspection before you make your offer.

Definitely! Mould is a sign of moisture. Moisture leads to decay. Decay leads to structural damage. A building inspector will determine the cause of the mould. Sometimes it is simply the residents living style, such as never opening windows. Other times it is due to design defects or lack of maintenance resulting in a very large cost to fix.

I'm assuming you are the sellor? Either way, you don't really pass a home inspection, it's more that the the buyer still wants to buy the property even though they are now aware of the building and pest issues. Inspection reports are also relative. That is someone buying a new home expects no serious issues, whereas with an older house they will be more willing to accept a long list of 'concerns'. You can mitigate surprises by conducting a pre-sale inspection yourself so that you are aware of the issues before the buyer.

One of the best ways is to purchase a pre-sale inspection where you pay for a licenced, qualified, inspector to discover the defects before the buyer. This will allow you to make repairs, or adjust your price accordingly. Other ways are to watch videos on building inspections and learn what is looked for

NBBPI stands for North Brisbane Building & Pest Inspections. North Brisbane Building & Pest Inspections is the Building & Pest Inspection company Brett Zenovich set up in 2019 to offer some of the cheapest and highest quality inspections in and around Brisbane.

LocalBuildingInspections.com is also North Brisbane Building & Pest Inspections. In the early days we decided to change the name to include 'Brisbane' so that everyone knew that we were a local Brisbane company. At the same time we also added the 'North' which is ironic as we do as many inspections on the southside of Brisbane!

If you have a question that you would like to ask, but you can not find it, please feel free to contact us and we will add it to our list. You can call us, or feel free to use the Call Back form and leave your question in the 'Call Time' field.