Building and pest inspections in Queensland

Who may inspect

The licence for a pre-purchase building inspection is the QBCC’s completed residential building inspection licence. Under the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Regulation 2018, its scope is a completed building inspection, including inspecting and reporting in line with Australian Standard 4349.1-2007 on pre-purchase inspections of residential buildings. To hold it, an applicant needs, among other requirements, five years’ experience in the work of a low rise, medium rise or open builder licence, or as a building surveyor, assistant building surveyor or building surveyor technician.

A termite inspection, often called a pest inspection, is done by a licensed pest controller. The two can be done together when one inspector holds both licences. The Queensland Government’s buying advice says the same in short: a combined building and pest inspection is possible, and the inspector should hold a current QBCC licence.

What the building report looks for

The QBCC describes a pre-purchase building inspection as a look for obvious defects or areas of concern. Its examples:

• a faulty roof or a leaking ceiling;
• weak or cracked walls, or damaged foundations;
• mould, missing waterproofing, or drainage problems.

The QBCC is plain that this inspection is not a warranty against future defects. Where one part of a home is a worry, the roof for instance, it suggests a more detailed report from the right expert, such as a plumber or an engineer. It also suggests being there for the inspection, knowing what the inspector will and will not look at, and asking questions on the spot.

The QBCC adds that the building inspector will point out possible asbestos in the house, and that “most homes built before 1990 contain some asbestos”. Queensland’s asbestos website explains that the risk of an asbestos-related disease goes up when asbestos is worked on or disturbed and its fibres are released. Brisbane City Council’s advice is not to disturb a structure you suspect contains asbestos, and to call a licensed contractor to remove or treat it. Among the things Queensland’s asbestos website says not to do when renovating is this one, in its own words: “Saw, sand, scrape or drill holes in asbestos materials.” The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency’s advice for householders says it is “not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself”, and that getting a professional to do the job is easier, safer and often cheaper. The agency also says never to clean asbestos materials with high-pressure water or with anything abrasive, such as scrubbing, sanding or grinding. It adds that all asbestos waste must go to a landfill licensed to accept it. In Queensland, asbestos waste is regulated waste: it has to go to a landfill that can lawfully receive it, and putting it in a household garbage bin is illegal.

On the pest side, the QBCC says a termite inspection checks for termites, for damage they have done, and for any termite management system already in place, and that the inspector should explain how to maintain that system and whether the area is at risk of termite attack. The QBCC’s page on protecting against termites covers termites themselves.