Browse Forums Real Estate 1 May 15, 2011 10:56 pm Hi, We're first time home buyers. We've inspected a duplex apartment that seems to fit most of our criteria and my wife and I like it. However, we noticed a leak in one of the bedrooms downstairs (as it has been raining in the last week) and a water stain on the ceiling. We could be wrong, but we think the leak is from the balcony upstairs, that is diagonally above the bedroom (and directly where the water was dripping). Neither of us has much knowledge of inspecting or fixing buildings and we can't tell how much damage has been done, or how long the issue has existed for. We're told the building is about 10 years old. The agent said that this would be fixed by the body corporate (he mentioned something about the flashing needing to be fixed). We're not sure what the body corporate has to do with this, as the issue seems to be within the actual apartment itself. Further, the statement by the body corporate, included in the Section 32, doesn't mention any pending repairs to the building. - Is it possible/advisable to make an offer on this apartment, subject to the issue being fixed to our satisfaction prior to settlement? - Is it possible/advisable to make the offer subject to the building inspection in such a way that if the damage is extensive, we do not go through with the deal? - Or is the best way to negotiate a reduction in price, to compensate for any possible water damage? - Would a building inspection be able to determine the rough extent of the damage and provide an estimate of how much it would cost to repair? We've been looking for a while and don't want to let a chance slip through, from being over-cautious. At the same time, we don't want to be stuck with a lemon either. Any advice on this would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Prashi Re: Purchase - subject to leak in the ceiling being fixed 2May 16, 2011 12:18 am I would be getting a building inspection, they should be able to get a pretty good idea of whats necessary to fix the leak. I was going to say maybe try and negotiate a lower price to have the leak and ceiling fixed, providing the building inspector says thats all thats wrong My building thread : viewtopic.php?f=31&t=36059 Paid initial deposit 24/7/10 Tender appointment 20/8/2010 Flooring and tile appointment 25/9/10 Colour and Electrical appointment 13/9/10 December site start delayed Site start (YAY!) 17/1/11 Slab pour 1/2/2011 Re: Purchase - subject to leak in the ceiling being fixed 3May 16, 2011 7:25 am Thanks building1 Does the building inspection have to happen after an offer has been made (and accepted)? Or can this be done prior (assuming the vendor/agent allows us to do so)? Cheers, pjfred Re: Purchase - subject to leak in the ceiling being fixed 4May 16, 2011 7:27 am You definitely need to find the cause of the leak via an independent building inspector. We were tenants in a townhouse which was on the market and we knew that there was a serious building defect in the balcony causing water to back fill into the ceiling and into the walls. The agent was trying to minimise it to the potential buyers (but we intervened every time and pointed out how serious it was). Eventually the place was sold to a young couple who believed the agent and not us - and a few months later they had to rip out the entire balcony and rebuild at their expense. The BC mysteriously wiped their hands of the problem. If you make sure all taps inside and out are turned off, what does the water meter show if you leave it for a while. 2 20235 Hi all, I am hoping someone has some ideas as to what is causing my bathroom leak. The leaking appears to mainly happen when we turn the sink basins on. It takes a while… 0 5080 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Are you doing this with a building permit? Conversion of a non habitable room into a habitable room requires building permit. 3 17318 |