Latest news with #propertyinspection
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Plumber's 'horrific' discovery prompts warning to Aussie residents
Plumber Michael Schulze is urging Aussies not to put up with mushrooms inside their home after visiting a property on Monday in Brunswick, Melbourne. This client has mushrooms growing out of their wall, and they don't know where they're coming from. This whole wall is absolutely saturated, as you can see. Which is also evident on our thermal imaging. They've got a shower on the other side of that wall here. A plumber has already been there trying to find what's causing those mushrooms to grow, and they don't know what it is. So we're gonna do an investigation, see where this leak is coming from. So we're gonna do an investigation, see where this leak is coming from. So we're just doing a pressure test of the pipework here with our gauge, and that's not dropping pressure, so there's no leaks on the pipes, it's gonna be coming from something else. Next, we thoroughly inspect the grouting and the ceiling inside the shower, which we found nothing. Let's dye test this bath. There might be a leak coming from the bath waste, so we're gonna test it and see if it's leaking. Again, as you can see, we've got about 50 degrees of hot water inside this bath with our tracing dye. This will test for any leaks. Now it's time to pull the plug and test the drain, let's see how it goes. Alright, after running the water through the bath waste there, it's leaking out onto the floor here. As you can see, there's all water pooling on the ground, so that means the bath waste is leaking underneath the tub. And they're gonna have to open a hole in the wall, fix that pipe, stop it from leaking, and start drying out all of the areas. So, job's all done and we're on to the next one, we've found the leak and this one was causing these mushrooms here. If you've got leaks, make sure you call us, we're the experts.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
My client wanted to buy a property but something didn't sit right with me... I couldn't believe what the real estate agent was trying to do
A fed-up buyer's agent has slammed a real estate agent for trying to dupe his client into buying a shoddy property. Melbourne Property Advocate founder Simon Murphy was outraged after making the shock discovery while inspecting a property in Melbourne's west. Mr Murphy, who has more than 14 years experience, said the agent refused to include a building and pest inspection clause in the property sales agreement. The agent, who Mr Murphy wished not to identify, initially offered to sell the property at $510,000. When Mr Murphy insisted his client would only go ahead with the sale if it passed the inspections, the agent insisted the closing price should be increased to $550,000. Mr Murphy said it immediately set off 'alarm bells' and prompted him to ask the agent whether they were aware of any damage to the property. The buyer's agent recalled the unbelievable experience on his TikTok channel Melbourne Trusted Advocate and claimed he told the real estate agent they were required to tell him the 'material facts'. The agent insisted they were not aware of any issues and Mr Murphy decided to arrange for a building inspector to visit the property the following day. After booking in an inspector at his client's expense, the agent told him they were unable to find the key to allow the inspection to go ahead. Shortly after, the agent called Mr Murphy and insisted the unconditional offer at the initial price of $510,000 was still available. 'I'm like, "Are you joking? We're doing a building inspection, we're going to do one before we even make an offer",' he said. 'In my head, I'm like, "I don't trust you at all".' The former agent said he was already wary of the property's condition, given it had been on the market since the beginning of the year. When asked why it had not yet found a buyer, Mr Murphy said the agent told him previous attempts to buy the property had fallen over 'due to finance'. They also said the sale had been stalled due to the owner becoming pregnant. Mr Murphy's suspicions were confirmed when his building inspector gained access to the property and found the sub-floor alone needed an estimated $40,000 in work. 'It just goes to show, and this has been happening a few times for the agents out in the west, they are doing whatever they can to get sales over the line.' While Mr Murphy refused to identify the agent by name, he added: 'If you are watching this, I know who you are and I will never be dealing with you again.' He closed the video with an urgent warning to homebuyers to be wary of real estate agents who are reluctant to facilitate building and pest inspections. Social media users were horrified, with many claiming they had been persuaded to proceed with a sale without conducting prior inspections. One said an agent had told him inspections 'don't do anything', before finding the property was infected by termites. Another said the behaviour was all the more despicable when it involved first homebuyers whose emotions often cloud their judgments. 'Buying their first home, people are attached more emotionally than financially and those crooked agents know it very well,' he said. Some were less sympathetic, including one man who claimed the onus should be on the buyer to do their due diligence. 'Well, that's the message, do your due diligence prior no matter what,' Mr Murphy replied. Another woman agreed, going so far as to say agents 'should be held accountable for future costs'. Disturbing as it was, Mr Murphy said he had encountered similar agents in the past. 'The agents in the west of Melbourne are absolutely to the point where Consumer Affairs needs to go out there,' he said.
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'.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Scheme finds 6,500 hazards in Peterborough rented homes
More than 6,500 safety hazards were identified in almost 1,500 privately rented properties as part of a council's property inspection scheme looking for things like mould and faulty scheme, run by Peterborough City Council in partnership with Home Safe, requires landlords in designated areas to apply for a five-year licence period confirming their properties meet safety and living standards. In the first 12 months of the scheme, which started last year, the council found that out of 1,500 properties, 49% had at least one significant issue posing a significant risk to Jones, Labour cabinet member for housing, said the scheme was "making good progress". It was "already playing a role in our aim of improving private rental housing", she the scheme, each licensed property receives two inspections over the course of the five-year period which aims to identify and address issues the first year, more than 7,000 licence applications were received and more than 6,476 licences were issued by the council following checks of safety certificates and application data. The authority said the scheme had already led to safety improvements in the homes of thousands of tenants, and landlords had completed required works promptly in line with the compliance process. If issues have not been addressed, then properties were being referred to its officers for further action, the city council said landlords who were operating unlicensed properties could face a financial penalty of up to £30,000, an unlimited court fine, and could be ordered to repay up to 12 months' rent to tenants. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
