Home inspection for a building

A home inspection for a new building from a contractor can make it hard to notice construction defects, yet some of them are critical to catch as early as possible. So which defects in a new building matter most? That is what we are here to answer.

For a private client's own apartment, the matter is simpler: there is a specific client and a comprehensive contract for that specific apartment, which makes a home inspection, even a home inspection for a resale apartment, much more straightforward.

Common areas are a different story, whether a single building's or areas shared between several, and for a simple reason: residents are often unaware of their rights, and not organized enough to demand what they are entitled to. That makes inspecting a shared building's common areas absolutely essential.

Why shared buildings need regular inspection

Apartments in shared residential buildings are sometimes exposed to more damage than a ground-floor apartment or a private house, largely because you cannot control damage caused by the neighbors next door or upstairs, which can seriously affect your own apartment too.

A burst pipe or a leaking solar water heater at a neighbor's can cause a great deal of damage in your own apartment, which is why it is recommended to carry out a home inspection periodically on a shared residential building, catching pipe damage and other standards issues in advance.

Many residents today act on their own, or band together, to confirm that the flooring is sound, the structure is free of cracks, and there is no hidden waterproofing problem or leak. More and more are also aware of their rights, such as the inspection period (tkufat bedek) customary in sale contracts, and the seller's liability for the apartment in a shared building.

Skipping the building inspection can mean a financial risk, paying more than the property is actually worth, and a safety risk too, which is why a building inspection to identify construction defects matters so much.

Construction defects in a new building

Just as the contractor hands the apartment to the buyer through an orderly protocol, the common areas should be handed over to the building's appointed representation the same way, with a protocol covering every part of the building: the roofs, facades, entrance lobby, floor lobbies, stairwells, landscaping, parking garage, and shared rooms such as the generator room, garbage room, pump room and more.

This does not always happen properly: sometimes the management company the contractor or developer appointed for the building's first year signs off on the common property on the residents' behalf, or one of the first residents to move in signs off on the common areas without knowing what needs checking or which areas need to be covered.

That makes it important, sometimes even more so than checking the apartments themselves, to have the common property inspected by experts who know how to find every existing construction defect and check every place that needs it.

Catching defects in time can save you from a bad deal, significantly lower the property's price, let you adjust renovation plans while there is still time, require the seller to pay for repairs, and, when it uncovers a safety failure, even save lives. Do not move into a house or apartment, and do not close any deal on a property, without an inspection by an experienced engineer.

At Ron Arad Bedek Bayit, we provide comprehensive professional guidance, from the initial inspection of the property through to the completed repair of the defects and damage, or fair compensation for them.

Construction defects in a building from a contractor

If you bought an apartment in a shared building from a contractor, the law requires you to report any defect you find to the contractor as soon as you discover it, and the contractor is obligated to repair it within a reasonable time.

Keep in mind that an inspector hired by the contractor will naturally lean toward the contractor's interests, while one working for you has no such conflict and will give you the full picture of your apartment's real condition. That is why it matters to use a professional company experienced in construction, so the building, renovation, buying and selling process stays as transparent as possible.

An inspection of common areas, like any home inspection, also looks at cosmetic construction defects, since these affect the property's price too. During the inspection, the engineer may find several defects in the plastering and paint, such as:

• Uneven painting on the building's walls.
• Cracks in the plaster of the exterior walls.
• Faulty window reveals.
• Non-standard aluminum work on the building's windows.
• Crooked railings in the stairwell.
• And more.

A report by the Israeli Green Building Council found that 26% of defects can be prevented at the initial planning stage alone. So do not rely on luck: contact us, order an inspection of the shared building, and give yourself real leverage in the negotiation with the contractor or seller.

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