How to identify construction defects?

Any property, whether a private house, a new or resale apartment, an office, a commercial building or an event hall, is a major investment that takes real resources to make. Too often, buyers put everything into a property only to discover, after the purchase, defects they knew nothing about.

Construction defects can come from age and wear, or from a contractor's work that falls short of the standards or the technical specification, whether from poor workmanship or low-quality materials. A thorough home inspection before you buy is the way to confirm the property meets the required standards and to identify these defects.

Laying out every defect before you pay for the apartment lets you judge whether the purchase is worthwhile. If you are buying a new apartment from a contractor, you can also have a building inspection carried out after the purchase: the contractor is still required to fix whatever it finds.

What exactly is a construction defect?

A building inspection is worth having before you buy a resale apartment, during construction of a house, when buying from a contractor, and after renovation work too. Defects show up as faulty plumbing, waterproofing failures, flooring that does not meet standards, poorly built walls and ceilings, electrical problems, and more.

They can put residents' safety at risk, lead to unnecessary expense, and in some cases significantly reduce a property's value. A professional home inspection, carried out by a company that specializes in building inspection, is what lets you buy with confidence and live without worrying about the building's safety.

Finding construction defects

Finding the various defects in a building takes a thorough, professional home inspection. An inspection company sends a team of experts, appraisers and engineers who use their expertise and specialized digital equipment to test rigorously for defects.

Israeli building standards apply to every apartment and house, and matter most where safety is concerned: earthquakes, radiation, missile strikes, and the like. Falling short of these standards counts as a serious construction defect.

Every apartment contract, especially for new construction, includes building plans and a technical specification the contractor is bound to meet, and there is often a wide gap between what buyers were promised and what they actually get.

A thorough building inspection is the only way to find out.
A home inspection company runs comprehensive engineering tests: checking for leaks and dampness in walls or under flooring with a thermal camera, checking the condition of the structural frame, checking the flooring, radiation levels, the solar water heater and its collectors, the electrical system against the technical specification, the plumbing, room dimensions, waterproofing, material quality, and more.