Canty initiative for house inspections

Press, 28 October 1982, Page 7

Canty initiative for house inspections

“House Check," the inspection service launched yesterday by the New Zealand Institute of Architects, was developed at the initiative of the institute’s Canterbury branch. Under the scheme, homeseekers can apply for an eight-page report on a prospective purchase, much as the Automobile Association provides for would-be car buyers. An architect, registered with the institute’s marketing society as an inspector, will be appointed on a roster system to perform the service. The assessments will cover “observable construction features" and environmental factors -- air and noise pollution, aspect and outlook, ventilation, frontage and access. They will also include service details — water supply, stormwater and sewerage disposal facilities, and electricity and telephone connections. The reports will be based on a “visual inspection” only on those parts of the house to which the architect had “reasonabble access," according to the application forms. They will not cover “details of a latent or structural nature" requiring the remo-

val of cladding or lining materials. Neither will they provide a valuation of the property or advice on possible alterations. However, a buyer thinking of altering the ’ house can commission a separate report as an additional service. The scheme will be administered in Canterbury by Willis and Associates. Mr G. F. Willis said yesterday that nine architects had been nominated, eight to cover the city and environs and one at Timaru. Negotiations were still under way to appoint an inspector for Nelson, he said. The service is based on one running in Melbourne since 1978. Mr Willis prepared a report on it in 1979 and recommended that something similar be adopted in New Zealand. The proposal was accepted but the institute needed time to raise the money to launch the scheme nationally. Mr Willis said that it was hoped that, through it, the public might become more aware of the services of architects in the residential property market. Many people associated them only with commercial, civic, or industrial buildings. The basic charge . for a report on a home with four

bedrooms or fewer will be $l6O. The cost will rise with the size of the property and travel expenses will be added to the bill if the house is more than 5 km from the inspector's office. Under the terms of the contract, the society will pay a maximum of $lOOO towards the cost of repairing any defect not listed in the report which "should reasonably have been discovered" by the inspector. Mr Willis said that the scheme would be promoted among lending institutions. The society hoped that eventually a report would be made a condition of lending but said that that was “some time off.” The Canterbury chairman of the New Zealand Institute of Valuers, Mr G. Whale, said yesterday that the reports would not contain any information which a registered valuer would not be competent to give. Valuers were trained in accountancy, design, construction. and townplanning, he said-. Mr Whale was reluctant to comment further because he had been advised that a statement would be issued soon by the institute’snational executive.