There will be building defects – the truth about building your investment property
Building an investment property is a complex undertaking with a wide range of factors to consider. Your home is a large, customised product created using an extensive combination of manufactured materials, put together by an array of tradespeople completing hundreds of jobs amounting to thousands of work hours.
As much as we may aspire to building a defect-free property, the truth is, even the most quality-focused builder is going to have some building defects, especially towards the end of the build when multiple onsite trades hit the accelerator in unison to bring together the final product.
The good news is, accepting this truth is the first step towards successfully managing the final stages of building your investment property, so you can proactively get on with rectifying the inevitable defects when the time comes, and the benefits are priceless:
achieve a high-quality build
reduce emotional stress for all stakeholders
preserve the all-important positive relationship with your builder
get you or your tenants moving in sooner
prevent medium to long-term maintenance issues with your property.
How the truth will set you free – our top tips to managing building defects:
Talk to your builder during the initial stages of your project about your intention to obtain an independent handover inspection report at the practical completion stage to identify the building defects on your behalf, the builder knows from the get-go that he is going to have an independent evaluating the build at the end.
Choose a qualified and licensed handover inspector who can deliver a report that you and the builder both understand so you can talk through the defects together.
Let your builder know which handover inspector you’ll be engaging – they may already know them and are happy to work with them towards a great outcome for you!
Ask your builder when they think they might reach practical completion (PC) stage so you can keep your handover inspector in the loop.
Ensure you book your 12-month builder’s warranty inspection – this is a further opportunity to pick up any emerging defects, and to invite your builder back for a cuppa if and when they return to fix them