Am I An Owner Builder?
Whether you are or aren’t an owner builder can sometimes be a tricky concept to get your head around.
Even if you didn’t personally lift a hammer, but rather project managed different trades to do the work, – you are still, legally, the owne...
Read moreHow do I go back to my home after Fire Damage?
A fire is a traumatic experience, and it can cause more damage than what you can see initially. Beyond the physical fire damage, you must also consider the smoke and soot contamination. Both can be dangerous and costly.
Fire damage can extend to t...
Read moreWhat is a Building Inspection?
A building inspection is designed to give you independent and objective advice about the physical state of a building, enabling you to make an informed decision, generally about whether or not to buy a building.
A building inspection is a snapshot...
Read moreThe D-Word: Time To Talk Depreciation
Sad fact: Many Australian rental property owners are failing to correctly calculate depreciation.
“I have often seen clients who have owned investment properties for five, six or seven years and have never claimed any form of depreciation becaus...
Read moreThe Case For More Home Inspections
Building surveyors are calling on Victoria’s state government to mandate balcony inspections. This follows the tragic balcony collapse in Doncaster East in late 2017. Sadly, two people died and many others were injured, according to The Age.
In ...
Read moreWhat 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...
Read moreBeating the Dangerous World of Mould - Related Illnesses
Moving to a share house is an exciting adventure for young adults. At least, that’s the theory. So when healthy Tim Kirby started losing weight, developing insomnia, experiencing frequent headaches and battling fatigue, he was in search of answers....
Read moreDepreciation - A Most Valuable Deduction
Looking to claim? For property owners, depreciation is the gift that keeps on giving and another reason to talk with the professionals at Jim’s Building Inspections. To wit, investors deduct the amount of income-producing assets in decline over the...
Read moreBuilding? Here Are Mark Campbell's Lessons Learned
“My rationale for building new was threefold,” writes Mark Campbell, a working-class Aussie. “Firstly, it enabled me to have control over the end product and it made sense from an investment perspective because I could maximise depreciation and...
Read moreAsbestos 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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