Renovating an apartment is no easy business. It starts with choosing the renovation contractor, itself a near-impossible task given how many charlatans and amateurs project a professional image while delivering shoddy work.
Then comes the renovation itself, which means being away from home or living with the dust and noise if you stay. And in most cases there is a further headache: arguing with a contractor who, at best, did not deliver what was promised, and at worst built or renovated with construction defects that only come to light once a home inspection engineer examines the work through a building inspection.
Many people in Israel end up with no choice but to take legal action: hiring a lawyer and filing suit against the contractor. The purpose of most such lawsuits is to force the contractor to fix the defects he caused, or to make good on a technical specification he failed to meet.
At minimum, the goal is to get the renovation contractor or building contractor to finish the job. But to win, claimants have to back their case with evidence proving that the contractor departed from the technical specification he originally presented and did the work as he pleased instead. A home inspection company can carry out that apartment inspection and supply the proof.
What home inspection companies actually do for you
Before getting to how these companies help with a lawsuit, here is what they are: businesses that employ construction professionals, including engineers, architects and other specialists, whose job is to find defects in an apartment, in the electrical and air-conditioning systems, the plumbing, the structure, and more.
It is standard to order a home inspection before buying a resale apartment, before taking the keys to a new one from a contractor, and at the end of a renovation contractor's work. So, back to the question: how can a home inspection company help you file a lawsuit and prove your case in court when you are unhappy with a renovation contractor's work?
As explained, these companies employ professionals who know the standards, requirements and methods for the various types of construction work inside and out. They can identify defects easily, and their findings can help plaintiffs win favorable rulings.
The findings of a home inspection company's engineers are admissible in court, and judges base their decisions on the engineers' expert opinions.
The engineers of Arad Bedek Bayit, led by building engineer Ron Arad, whom courts appoint as their own expert on construction defects. The company has been inspecting apartments and buildings since 2001. Engineer Ron Arad · More about the company