Ryan Bridge: Have we found the next leaky building saga?

Two questions for you this morning if you're buying or have bought a property recently.

1. Did you get a pre-purchase inspection done?

2. And did that person have a qualification? 

Remember leaky buildings? Well, there are a builders and surveyors out there who reckon we're sitting on another leaky building saga. 

There was a very good piece in the Herald at the weekend about this. 

New builds, builds less than 10 years old, failing. Looks spick and span on the outside, underneath, the timber's damp. There's mould. 

Water is getting inside the walls of houses that are pretty new.

I don't know about you, but when somebody builds a house, or apartment, it should keep the water out. 

I've spoken to some builders and tradies about this. They're worried too. 

They tell me there are two problems. One is builders and developers who cut corners, using materials sourced from overseas that look the similar to products we use here, but aren't. 

The other red flag they talk about is price. There are builders and developers undercutting them on jobs with prices that seem absurd. 

How on earth can you build something for 75% of the cost of the rest of your competitors? 

Now I know what you're thinking. Chill out, bro. I got a pre-purchase inspection. 

And the Council signed it off. 

Bad news. Anyone can call themselves a building surveyor or inspector. 

I could. I could start a business tomorrow. Inspect your house. Write a report. Charge like a wounded bull. Take some photos on an iPhone. Email you a report. And bob's your uncle. 

You don't need a licence. You don't a formal qualification. You don't even need insurance, according to the Herald piece. 

The thing about these types of stories is that it's mostly anecdotal.

How widespread is this problem? Is it 1% of new builds? Is it 20? 

You don't know what you don't know. 

And by the time you find out, your walls are wet and filled with mould. 

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