FAQs

All Tyrrells Consultants were licensed as previously required and now maintain their current Builders Licences. However, the Government recently changed the rules and licensing of Building Consultants is no longer required. Each Consultant is insured by Tyrrells’ professional indemnity and public liability policies.

For Pre Purchase inspections: Yes, this is a critical area that we will be looking to inspect however, it needs to be ‘deemed safe’ under AS 4349.1

This means the Access Opening must be at least 500mm x 400mm & Vertical Clearance for the area must exceed 400mm for Timber floors & 500mm for concrete floors.

For Dilapidation inspections, we do not inspect subfloors as there is limited value. For all other inspections, it would be on a ‘needs basis’.

No, the Report is only sent to you and can be sent via email to your solicitor with no extra charge. We do not send Reports to agents.

Yes. As outlined in our Terms and Conditions the Report belongs to Tyrrells & therefore you can purchase a copy of the Report at a discounted rate.

Your copy of the Report will be covered by our Professional Indemnity Insurance & you will be able to contact the consultant who inspected the property.

Yes we can.

The 1st step is for our call centre to discuss with you the background of your particular matter. We typically look to defuse situations & avoid litigation as it is costly & stressful.

Please call our office today for a confidential, no obligation discussion regarding your matter.

We recommend our fixed fee Progress Report and Final Report. Please see more detail on these services within our Quality Assurance Service page.

The Progress Report is conducted at lock up stage (brickwork complete & clean, scaffold removed, exterior windows & doors installed, frame complete & ready for linings).

The Final Report is completed at handover (practical completion reached & the final clean completed).

These staged inspections will greatly assist you in reducing the likelihood of any serious defects. Please contact our office for any further information, secure a quote or make a booking.

For Pre purchase inpsections, we inspect in accordance to the applicable Australian Standard including 4349.1 (building) and 4349.3 (timber pest).

Regarding how to conduct all other inspections, there are no other applicable Australia Standards to abide by however, Tyrrells is recognised as a leader in our field & a provider of best practice.

We achieve this through our commitement to continuous improvement through the implementation of ISO 9001:2015

Tyrrells will refer to applicable Australian Standards & tolerances, and sections of the Building Code of Australia / National Construction Code as applicable to support arguments.

Referral to these is typically reserved for Expert matters.

We are not licensed plumbers or electricians, however, whilst carrying out a Pre-Purchase Inspection we will:

– a visual check of the hot water service and pipes and can advise on potential drainage problems;

– advise if the wiring & board in the electrics is old;

– advise you to seek professional advice if anything was found to be untoward.

Where necessary, we can also organise for services (Electrical, Mechanical, Hydraulic & Lift) to be inspected by pre-qualified providers (tradesman or Engineer, as required).

Do you do Plumbing and Electrical Inspections?

Tyrrells has carried out almost 90,000 inspections over the last 30 years and is used by hundreds of Government, legal and other large organisations.

We are fully insured.

We are a Quality Assured ISO 9001: 2008 accredited company.

You can meet us on site at the end of the inspection if you wish.

Our consultants are available on their mobile phones to clarify any questions or doubts.

We take a drainage diagram, if provided, to check the location of the plumbing and a survey to check to see if there are any encroachments onto the boundaries.

We like to do a full crawl in the sub-floor and roof interior to see as much timber as possible. We also use a probe to tap the timbers to see if there are termites.

We do random tests with a moisture meter on walls adjacent the bathroom and other areas of likely damp.

We have a very quick Report turn around time.

No, we are not pest controllers however, we can recommend several pest control companies that we consider to be ethical and well qualified.

Call our office today for a referral from our Contractor’s Directory.

To provide an accurate quote, we need to know and/or check:

1. What is the issue? (eg damp, cracking, Defect report, Expert report etc)

2. How big is the effected area? (eg 1 wall, throughout the property etc)

3. Are you in a dispute with your builder or client?

4. What was the extent of works / new building work? (eg contract price, total SQM)

We recommend you call the Consultant after you read the Report. All Consultants are very willing to explain specific details and help you understand the Report’s contents. Often a property that appears daunting, at first read of the Report, will seem worthy of further consideration after discussion. And issues, that initially concern you, may be easily fixed or may not even require repair until you renovate.

Yes. Company policy is that payment in advance for non-account clients.You can ask your solicitor/conveyancer to order on your behalf, in which case we will settle the account with them.

Yes. Company policy is that payment in advance for non-account clients.You can ask your solicitor/conveyancer to order on your behalf, in which case we will settle the account with them.

Consultants are not generally available for weekend appointments. In addition to this, Pre-Purchase Inspections are often difficult to arrange on weekends and as such are generally carried out Mondays to Fridays. Consultants can usually commence the Inspection early in the day in order to meet deadlines or to allow you to attend to your work schedule.

Yes. Our Consultants can mediate between yourself and the builder, though this is an additional service and is not included as part of a standard Report.

No, however, we can recommend Purchasers Strata Inspections on 1300 363 774 or Lancelot Strata Reports on 9482 9755, to carry out your Strata Report.

Property and/or Timber Pest Reports are usually dispatched by close of business one day after the inspection. All other standard services will take 3 days. More complicated technical and expert services can take up to 5 days as Consultants have to research the Building Code of Australia, Australian Standards and other sources of reference.

Not in our Pre-Purchase Reports. Where required we do provide estimates in other Reports. We may advise using the services of a Quantity Surveyor where costings form part of a Report prepared for litigation.

Property Inspections can usually be carried out the day after the inspection has been ordered. Though this depends on access arrangements with the Real Estate Agent or vendor.

The ‘cost of repairs’ refers to the amount of money required to rectify defects.

Consultants will do a limited inspection of:

– any cracking;

– marks in the bottom of pool which may indicate spalling;

– cracking in the coping around the top of the pool;

– cracking, subsidence, deformation in the paving or landscaped areas around the pool;

– height of fence for safety reasons, security of the fence, the operation of the gates and whether or not the safety signs are there; and,

– the equipment enclosure and if deteriorated, we will comment on the visible condition.

We would also comment if equipment box is sufficiently soundproofed, and if not, ask you to check Council requirements. If you would like a specialist pool expert to test all aspects of the pool, we can recommend a reputable company to you.

Tyrrells offers many different inspections and as such pricing varies. You can request a quote from the service page you are interested in. You can also contact us and speak to one our experienced members of staff.

Tyrrells inspect regional areas including as far south as Albion Park, west to Katoomba and north to Newcastle without additional travel charges. We would be pleased to inspect properties further away but do need to charge extra for time and travel.

A Dilapidation Report details the condition of a building and/or piece of infrastructure prior to excavation or other construction work being carried out on an adjacent property. We prepare a photographic record of “before” photos with individual commentary in case they are needed in evidence.

Tyrrells has 19 Building Consultants with more than 200 years of experience and expertise between them.

Tyrrells has a number of founding members of the Institute of Building Consultants and the first IBC President, Jerry Tyrrell.

Tyrrells as a whole has carried out over 100,000 inspections.

Tyrrells offer regular professional enhancement programs for their Consultants.

Consultants primarily inspect for and report on:

– any termite activity and termite damage;

– the extent of termite damage;

– the risks for termite infestation to occur or re-occur (e.g. dampness, poor ventilation, concealed floor slab edges); and,

– the adequacy of termite management at the time of inspection or the measures you need to take to reduce termite pest risk.

The other timber pest issues which are reported on as required relate to fungal decay, borer and delignification damage.

We will check the building and identify any serious building problems which require urgent maintenance;

These problems will be prioritised and we will provide you with solutions to difficult problems.

Estimated costs for the repairs & replacement are also provided.

We carefully review the building plans, specifications or any other relevant documentation to check for omissions or errors before building work begins.

These checks help prevent any delays and possible disputes with your builder.

It is important you understand that ‘incomplete work’ is not considered a defect. Therefore to get the most from our advice, it is crucial to inspect at appropriate times.

This doesn’t mean you cannot get advice during the building process, please read below regarding how we can best assist you.

We recommend our Progress Inspections for detached residential (free standing homes) are completed prior to plasterboard sheeting & when:

brickwork is finished, clean & scaffold has been removed

exterior windows, doors & roof surface are installed

the frame has been completed with all service rough-ins (plumbing, electrical cabling & air condition duct work)

For Highrise clients, we recommend multiple inspections througouht the build including prior to sheeting, preparation of wet areas and waterproofing to balconies & wet areas.

Final inspections are designed to focus on defective work therefore, it is best that the builder has not only reached Practical Completion but that the final clean has been completed.

This will ensure we are able to check all surfaces for scratches & blemishes that may otherise not be picked up if we complete the inspection before cleaning.

Our consultants generally spend 1.5 to 3 hours inspecting properties for our Pre Purchase inspections. This does depend upon the size, complexity & and subsequent problems we may encounter.

They then spend up to several hours preparing the written Report and other documents required for our inspection.

Our office will ask you for the Drainage Diagram (legal requirement & within the contract of sale) & the Survey Plan (may not be available). This is so our consultants can advise you of service mains in your back yard, identifiable encroachments & easements of which you may not be aware of.

Our aim is not only to make you aware of immediate problems but items that if left untreated will lead to increased costs to rectify in the future such as timber frame windows & decks.

We inspect every accessible area including:

interior: using a moisture meter where necessary in wet areas, exterior windows & where there are signs of mould, moisture or water ingress

exterior: includes fences, strucutres & trees within 30 metres for evidence of termites

roof exterior: where traficable we’ll get on there. We are limited by Work, Health & Safety and can only use ladders that are up to 3.6mtrs long

roof interior: includes a full crawl to all accessible areas to see as much timber as possible, tapping with a probe to check for termites.

sub-floor: another full crawl in the accessible sub-floor to see as much timber as possible, tapping with a probe to check for termites.

If there is no sub-floor, the Consultant checks to see if the slab edge is exposed as termites can travel up the slab edge and into cavities without detection.

Once the Report is read, you can ring the Consultant with any questions, his name & number will be on the front page.

You can also meet us on site at the end of the inspection if you wish & our office will ask you for any particular areas of concern so we advise you as best possible.

We guarantee the Report will be emailed to you within 24 hours of us carrying out the inspection (pending payment).

A Property Only Inspection is a comprehensive Inspection from which a detailed Report, which outlines the seriousness and location of the building defects, is prepared.

It excludes timber pests becuase the structure doesn’t contain any susceptible materials or you have requested it be excluded.

Not generally. Our Reports are very detailed, descriptive and focus on the issues you need to know about.

Photographic records are provided with other services such as a Dilapidation Report or an Expert Report.

Pre-Purchase Inspections include a range of services that we offer to clients during the purchase of a property. These services include, Combined Property and Timber Pest, Timber Pest Report, Brand New Property Report, Property Report, Asbestos Identification Inspection and Commercial Property Report.

Consultants are not licensed plumbers or electricians but they check services for obvious faults. This would typically include observing safety, likely remaining service life and any obvious visible deterioration. Consultants often advise inspection by specialists if they are concerned by what they find. This is obviously an area you should discuss with the Consultant once you have read the Report.