Victoria

What Victoria’s New Tenancy Laws Mean For Landlords

Victoria’s new tenancy laws mean that landlords need to pay extra attention to basic standards, especially relating to health and safety. These include (but are not limited to) providing functioning heaters, stoves and even deadlocks. Furthermore, ...
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The Dirty World Of Termites

This summer it’s time to think pests. "Generally the soil moisture is high, that makes a big difference to termites. Termites are really just organised cockroaches," says Dr Ewart to The Age in an article titled: Hungry termites marching on Melbour...
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Timing of a building inspection

THE TIMING OF A BUILDING INSPECTION MOSTLY DEPENDS ON THE METHOD OF SALE. As the findings of a building inspection report may prompt you to withdraw an offer, you should always ensure that you are correctly informed of your rights and options. This ...
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The Politics Of Smoke Alarms

From 1993 to 2015, CSIRO conducted tests on smoke alarms but the public is yet to read the findings. This comes at a time when activists want ionised smoke alarms banned due to alleged issues with response times to common fires. In America, the alarm...
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What is Caveat Emptor?

Increasingly property buyers are aware of their responsibility to discover building defects before sale – this is known as the Latin principle Caveat Emptor or ‘buyer beware’. The full quotation is ‘caveat emptor, qui ignorare no...
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Rental Reforms To Hit Queensland

Queensland’s 40-year-old rental laws are under scrutiny. One big potential change: making it easier for tenants to own pets and more pressure to address repairs in a timely manner. Property owners, however, may have more powers in their hands to ch...
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Things to consider when building your first home

You might decide that rather than buying an established property as your first home, it would better suit you to build. Building your first home can be both an exciting and overwhelming experience. Building allows you to customise your home from t...
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To Buy Or Not To Buy (Off The Plan)

To buy or not to buy (off the plan) is an important issue for an increasing number of new homebuyers and property investors. When done responsibly with professional guidance (offered by Jim’s Building Inspections, for example) it can be a positi...
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What does Domestic Building Insurance means to Builder or an Owner Builder in Victoria.

Whether you are a homeowner who is using a Builder or an Owner Builder, it is mandatory to get a domestic building insurance. If you undertake domestic building work worth more than $16,000, then you need domestic building insurance. Furthermore,...
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Asbestos Concerns? Call The Experts

Here’s an all too familiar story from the Newcastle Herald: A Glendale property is demolished after its owners found deadly loose-fill asbestos insulation. This type of asbestos was relatively popular in the1960s and 1970s. Science now tells ...
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