Latest news with #SiteInspections
Daily Mail
27-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I make a living inspecting dodgy new properties… here are six steps you can take to stop your dream home turning into a nightmare
A property inspector who exposes dodgy new builds has revealed the best way Australians can avoid getting caught out when buying a home. Zeher Khalil, who goes by the moniker ' TikTok Inspector', has used his decade in construction to inform potential buyers on how to avoid poorly built homes. Clad in black clothes, the 43-year-old uses a body camera and phone to shine a light on every crack or shaky awning at new properties. The videos are a way to raise awareness about his day-to-day, Melbourne-based business 'Site Inspections', which provides customers with forensic assessments. The aim, he told Daily Mail Australia, is to save people from losing money by highlighting issues before they move in and the builders leave the property. 'It's one of the biggest investments you will ever have in your life,' he said. 'These guys that we're busting, they're just scammers and I'm glad we're naming and shaming most of them.' While inspections by his company can cost up to a few thousand dollars, Mr Khalil has shared some steps for buyers to avoid their dream homes becoming a nightmare. Don't trust the display home 'Sometimes a display home is made by the A-team,' he said, adding that this doesn't always guarantee they will also be the builders behind the other properties. 'The company will get different supervisors for different jobs, and you might end up with a different kind of home,' he said. As a result, Mr Khalil advised buyers to keep an eye on the property during its progress to follow changes that are made. Always get an independent inspection Leading on from his first suggestion, Mr Khalil advised bringing in an expert throughout the construction process. 'If you're building (a home), before you make a payment, or you go to make a final stage payment, get it checked,' he said. 'Because you might not see it again, and you might not be getting what you're paying for.' But even if a buyer isn't able to afford an independent inspector, Mr Khalil suggested customers tell the builders they are planning to. 'If they resist, that is a massive indicator that you have to get someone to look at it because these guys are trying to hide something,' he said. He said homeowners he previously worked for have told builders they are bringing in an independent inspector and the job has been delayed, cleaned up or fixed. Read the contract 'Read the contract like you're suing them tomorrow,' Mr Khalil said, warning that there could be clauses that customers might not expect. 'If you're late on payment, or you have to accept alternative solutions, there's all these things that come up later on. 'People just sign the contract, they don't even read it.' The inspector said a lawyer costs a few hundred dollars but it would be worth it to make sure 'no shifty things' are in the contract. Never use the builders' surveyor or certifier Builders sometimes recommend a surveyor who gives a building permit, but Mr Khalil advised buyers to 'always consult someone else'. 'Get someone independent, not someone who's recommended by a builder, because most likely, they'll be more lenient,' he said. 'You want somebody to be really assertive and stringent with their findings.' What to focus on Mr Khalil suggested there are three features on properties that should always be checked when buying: the roofing, bathrooms and balconies. He said these locations are the most common areas that have potential issues with water. 'Water just destroys everything and that's the biggest problem here in Australia,' he said. 'Get those assessed properly and watch out for what's going on.' He also advised that, if there is any subsidence in the pavement around the home or if there are cracks in the external walls, this could mean there is 'movement in the slab'. The Victorian Building Authority has previously described this issue as 'foundation movement' or 'slab heave'. When the foundation lifts excessively in part of a house, this can then develop cracks. Mr Khalil also pointed to 'patched up bricks' as a sign that vendors might be 'trying to hide something'.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Property inspector hit with shock warning after exposing huge number of defects in 'luxury' four-bedroom home in posh suburb
A building inspector was left stunned after receiving a letter from lawyers banning him from visiting a property that he had surveyed for its new purchaser. Dressed all in black and armed with a body camera, the ' TikTok Inspector' meticulously zooms in on every flaw at the homes he surveys, explaining the issues. It's the public-facing side of 43-year-old Zeher Khalil's Melbourne-based business, Site Inspections, which offers forensic assessments of buildings. With a diploma in construction, Mr Khalil said he has used over a decade of experience in the industry to help hold companies and developers to account. 'We want to reveal who these guys are ASAP,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday. On May 20, Mr Khalil appeared to have met his match when law firm Thomson Greer banned him on behalf of their client from a 'luxury' four-bedroom home in a well-heeled suburb of Melbourne. Mr Khalil had visited the property at the request of the purchaser before they finalised payments. 'The homeowners (were looking at) the cosmetic things and I was like, "Yes, but you have a bigger problem here",' he said. 'The cladding's falling apart. The roof is stuffed. It's one of the worst, this job. 'I went on the roof (and) I'm like, "man, this is so bad and there's other units for sale. I gotta alert people about it".' In Site Inspections' report, seen by this publication, Mr Khalil found 48 details in the home that were 'non-compliant' and listed 82 defects. He posted a five-minute video on TikTok walking viewers through some of the most pressing issues. This included a banister outside the property that wobbled, alleged signs of leaking in the house and loose window frames and cladding. Throughout, viewers could hear Mr Khalil's exclamations of 'oh my goodness' and 'look at this mess'. 'I put it there on purpose to warn people because it's not about us getting the work, just watch what you're buying,' he said. Thomson Greer issued Mr Khalil with a letter two weeks later claiming 'unlawful entry and property damage', which he posted on his TikTok account. 'Your actions constitute trespass and unauthorised interference with our client's property, both of which are actionable under law,' it read. 'Given your above conduct we advise that you are hereby prohibited from entering the Development Property Site in any capacity.' If he wants to return to the property, Mr Khalil was told he would have to be granted express written permission from the relevant owner. But he seemed unfazed by the turn of events, claiming it was a sign the group didn't want him to check their other properties. 'We got heaps worse. We get letters from these bigger builders,' he said. 'They're like, "Remove (a video). We're going to sue you for defamation. We're losing contracts".' Mr Khalil said he won't remove videos but has threatened companies with the suggestion he will offer free inspections to anyone using the firm and publish videos of them if legal cases are launched. In the case of the Melbourne property, the inspector said he posted the lawyers' letter to warn people about the company and the house. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Thomson Greer for comment from their client. Mr Khalil said the purchaser, who paid him to survey the property, is holding off finalising payments for the house until Site Inspections' issues are addressed. 'I think he's not gonna settle until they fix the items,' he said.
