Browse Forums Building Standards; Getting It Right! 1 Sep 27, 2016 9:18 am I was wondering if anybody who has a copy of the above standard could answer the following questions. From the extract I was able to download I can see that the foreword states that "it is implicit in this Standard that the inspection includes the subjective appraisal by an inspector competent to assess the condition of residential buildings." Does this mean that Standard AS 4349.1 does not actually set out who is competent to carry out an inspection? Also, as this is a second edition (the first edition appearing in 1995), does anybody know whether the first edition defined who was competent and whether this was omitted from the second edition? Lastly, the preface says that the Standard "does not include compliance with building regulations". Why would this be so? And how useful is the standard if it ignores compliance with building regulations? Re: AS 4349.1-2007 Inspection of buildings - 2Oct 06, 2016 1:45 pm Hi Liliana, Basically the code series AS 4349 are pretty lightweight when it comes to saying anything categorical. Firstly those who carry out building inspections such as stage construction inspections and pre-purchase inspections are called building consultants. Those who inspect buildings to pass and issue certificates for work at various stages of a house builkd are called builkding inspectors but should be called certifier building inspectors in my opinion. In the 1995 version, there was a list of suggestions as to the ability and qualification of suitable building consultants under definitions at 1.4.1 /consultant which read... "person, partnership or company qualified and experienced to undertake property inspections. (( This code at clause 2.2 also permitted verbal inspection reports as long as detailed notes were kept of this advice (but not given to the client note). NOTE: This may include, for example, a licensed or registered builder, engineer, building consultant and architect." This is clearly fairly basic and not binding... but wait... it gets better... In 2007, this (property inspections - residential buildings) code was replaced by Pre-purchase inspections - residential buildings code... same number as previously. Now there is (wrongly) no mention of the word consultant at all and under Definitions: Inspector it states that an inspector is a... " Person or organization responsible for carrying out the inspection" It's absolutely pathetic is what it is. (Code AS4349-0 - General Requirements is also mute when it comes to saying anything relating to qualifications or regulations And as to your other question... there is no mention of building regulations at all it seems In 1995 at clause 1.5 Building Consultant Insurance was required including public risk and professional indemnity. In the 2007 version, this clause 1.5 was removed. Again I think you will agree... it is not worth a read at all... and there are far worse deficiencies in this AS 4349 series of codes. particularly as regards definition of defect.There is a book out there about that topic. Re: AS 4349.1-2007 Inspection of buildings - 3Oct 06, 2016 11:08 pm Hmmm.....a degraded Clayton's standard it would seem. How did this ever get published? 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: AS 4349.1-2007 Inspection of buildings - 4Oct 07, 2016 7:05 am Hi Leonardo_23, Many thanks for the detailed reply. You've told me exactly what I wanted to know. So the 1995 version actually included a reference to "a licensed or registered builder, engineer, building consultant and architect" as being persons qualified to inspect a residential building? Why would this have been left out of the subsequent edition? Just to open up the field to the open market and anyone who wants to make a buck by calling themselves a building consultant by the sound of it. Re: AS 4349.1-2007 Inspection of buildings - 5Oct 07, 2016 8:19 am Write reply... Degraded Claytons is right. The only explanation I can give for the degrading is that the tome has always seemed more focussed on disclaimers than anything else... and so why not protect not just the larger concerns from people falling off ladders, but protect everyone in the field of opinion reporting so that building consultants cannot be sued for anything basically. Re: AS 4349.1-2007 Inspection of buildings - 6Jan 29, 2017 5:41 pm In answer to Liliana's question, competency for pre purchase inspection is not defined, it merely says suitably qualified and experienced. However this is not always a bad thing. A carpenter spending a lifetime on house construction but a part of the gang and never registered as a carpenter or a builder may nevertheless have competent understanding of house construction and produce a competent inspection and a report. Similarly a building supervisor but never registered as a builder in own name. Conversely there are engineers who may have spent a lifetime on mining or civil projects and their generic knowledge of housing is only basic. I actually met one from Building Commission that did not know terminology of house frame members. The critics of AS 4349.1 always fail to mention that it requires a pre inspection agreement that spells out limitations and disclaimers for clients to read and agree before ordering inspection. If you don't like it, don't order one.(mine is on display on my web site) I would like to see leonardo-23's pre inspection agreement. I am pretty sure he never had one. A further misconception is about PII insurance. The short answer is that if the inspector does not have PII, walk and go to the one that does. If you are getting building and timber pest inspection, the best insurer is Rapid Solutions. If you do have a valid claim you will be covered and you dont have to sue, insurer will likely pay out. I neither criticise nor endorse AS 4349 series but work with them to the best of my ability. My insurer requires me to. Whoever is critical of the standards is free to join the standards committee and make a difference Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: AS 4349.1-2007 Inspection of buildings - 7Jan 30, 2017 1:01 pm I agree that PI insurance (not PII insurance) is a worthy insurance and was one of the few who had it. But in my opinion, placing a requirement on the policy that the building inspection report complies with the Codes AS4349 series is like asking a building consultant to be negligent, as most are in their inspecting of completed new homes under warranty in particular. i would suggest nothing is unreasonable for PCI. we did all sorts, including checking the hot water, checking all the GPO's had power, testing that the showers were… 9 98679 you need to understand the breakdown of warranties. 90 warranty is considered as minor defects rectification period where as the longer ones are more major/structural… 1 5339 Hi, I have this sewer inspection point sitting in an odd spot in the rear of my yard: https://imgur.com/ghLI98q What I'd like to do is put a firepit in that corner of… 0 6520 |