RENOVATIONS
Defects and Inspections
The importance of a thorough property inspection
BY DREW HOOK
P
roperty inspectors are vital for investors
who are either looking to renovate and
sell or who are planning on purchasing
property to hold over a long term. An estate
agent is not required by any regulation or code
of conduct to actively uncover any defects
within a property but is expected to undergo
a visual inspection and bring to attention
any obvious defects. The responsibility for
an in depth inspection lies at the feet of the
property investor. Home inspections will vary
depending on the type of property you are
purchasing. A large historic home, for example,
will require a more specialized inspection than
a small condominium.
Patent defects are those that are clearly
visible to anyone inspecting the property, such
as cracked walls or broken windows. Latent
defects are either not visible or discoverable
during a brief visual tour of the property, but
which will substantially impair the use of the
property. Sellers are liable for latent defects
that exist at the time of the sale, even if they
had no knowledge of them. Which in turn
means that a buyer can cancel a contract or
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claim part of the purchase price back based on
a latent defect discovered after the purchase of
the property. However most sellers contract
out of this liability by including the ‘voetstoots’
(as is) clause in the sale contract, which means
that any defects uncovered after the sale are the
buyer’s problem.
Property inspectors are
vital for investors who are
either looking to renovate
and sell or who are
planning on purchasing
property to hold over a
long term
A typical home inspection should include
a careful check of a house’s structural and
mechanical condition as well as any specific
requests requested by the buyer. The ten critical
areas for inspection during the process are the
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