Building inspection FAQs
Straight answers on price, process, timing and compliance. If yours isn't here, call 022 309 8813 and ask us.
Pricing
Every price is published and set by floor area. The full list is on the pricing page.
$550 to $850 + GST in Hamilton, set by floor area. Up to 100 m² is $550, 100 to 200 m² is $650, 200 to 300 m² is $750 and 300 to 400 m² is $850. Some properties will exceed $850 + GST: anything over 400 m², homes built between 1900 and 1950, and follow-up inspections are quoted. A standalone garage, sleepout or separate small dwelling, or a drone roof inspection, adds $50 each.
Yes. It's the same inspection and the same report, so it sits in the same price band by floor area.
From $350 + GST for a typical residential sample set, with lab results in three working days. More materials or a larger property are quoted, and adding it to a building inspection is the cheapest way to do it. Meth testing is from $275 + GST, discounted with an inspection.
No, not within about 45 minutes of Hamilton, which covers Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Huntly, Ngāruawāhia and Matamata. Further afield, ask when you book and we'll tell you straight.
No. Every price on the site excludes GST. Your invoice shows it added at 15 percent.
Process
What happens on the day, what's in the report, and what we can and can't look at.
Everything that can be seen without opening the building up. Outside, that is cladding, roofing, spouting, windows and decks. Inside, it is every room, with moisture testing. Then the roof space and the subfloor wherever there is access, plus a visual check of plumbing and electrical.
The report has around 17 sections covering the roof, exterior, interior, roof space, subfloor, plumbing and electrical, with moisture readings and photos of anything worth knowing about. Each item is graded red, orange or green so you can see at a glance what is serious, what is maintenance, and what is fine. It is written to NZS 4306:2005 and accepted by banks.
They go in the report with photos and a grade, and your inspector explains what they mean on the phone. You can then renegotiate the price, ask the vendor to fix them, get a specialist quote, or walk away. Most issues are maintenance rather than dealbreakers, and the report helps you tell the difference.
Yes, and it is a good idea. Come for the last half hour and your inspector will walk you round the main findings while you are standing in front of them. If you cannot make it, the phone walkthrough after the report covers the same ground.
Anything that needs the building opened up, specialist electrical or plumbing testing, and laboratory work like meth or asbestos sampling. It is a visual, non-invasive inspection, which is what the standard requires and what banks accept. Where something needs a specialist, the report says so.
Timing
How long things take, from booking to the report landing in your inbox.
Usually within two or three days, sometimes the next day. If you're up against a finance or due diligence date, say so when you book and we'll do what we can.
Generally around 1.5 hours on site for a typical three or four bedroom home, longer for bigger or older houses, or ones with sleepouts and garages. Small units take less. The written report follows within 2 working days.
Within 2 working days of the inspection, as a PDF by email. If you are up against a deadline, urgent same-day reports are available on request, subject to availability. Should you have any questions about the report, get in touch and we are happy to schedule a call and go through it with you.
Sampling takes well under an hour on site. The laboratory returns results in two working days and the written report follows straight after. If it is added to a building inspection, it happens on the same visit.
Three working days from the lab receiving the samples, then the written result goes to you by email. Meth results take two working days. Same visit as the building inspection if you book them together.
Compliance
Qualifications, standards and what the law actually requires.
In New Zealand, building inspection is not a licensed trade, so anyone can call themselves an inspector. Look for inspectors who hold the relevant certificates and ensure the report is prepared in accordance with NZS 4306:2005.
Yes. It is written to NZS 4306:2005, which is the standard lenders and lawyers expect. If your bank has a specific requirement, tell us before the inspection.
The Healthy Homes Standards are law for every rental in New Zealand, and landlords must include a compliance statement in tenancy agreements. An independent assessment is the practical way to know you comply and to have the evidence on file. Non-compliance can cost up to $7,200 per breach.
A building inspection checks plumbing and electrical visually, looking for obvious faults, but a building inspector is not a registered electrician or plumber. If the report flags a concern, it will recommend a registered electrician or plumber for a proper test. Most homes do not need that step.
Yes. A Code Compliance Certificate means the council signed off the consented work, not that the workmanship is good or that everything was finished properly. Defects found before final payment or before the maintenance period ends are far cheaper to sort than after.
General
The bigger questions people ask before they decide to book.
A pre-purchase house inspection is a thorough visual assessment of a property's condition, carried out by a building inspector before you go unconditional. It covers the exterior, interior, roof space and subfloor and produces a written report with photos and graded findings, so you know what you are buying and can negotiate or walk away.
No. A building inspection is not a pass or fail test, it is a condition report. Every house has something in it, and the report grades each finding so you can decide what matters to you, what to negotiate on, and what you are happy to live with.
Yes, that is what most people use it for. The graded findings and photos give you and your lawyer something specific to put to the vendor, whether that is a price adjustment, a repair before settlement, or a decision not to proceed.
The inspection is the same. The difference is the output. A verbal inspection gives you the findings on the spot and starts from $350 + GST, a full report gives you the written document with photos that banks, insurers and lawyers want. If you start verbal and need the document, you top up the difference.
It is not mandatory, but it takes the surprises out of the sale. A pre-sale report finds what a buyer's inspector will find while you still have time to fix it or price for it, and sharing it upfront tends to shorten due diligence and reduce renegotiation.