MEDIA RELEASE

7 August 2006

Pre-purchase house inspections come up short

A Consumer survey of 10 building inspection companies in Auckland and Wellington has revealed poor standards of inspection and inconsistencies in reporting.

The Consumer survey found that far from providing peace of mind for potential buyers, the pre-purchase house inspectors missed many potential problems and exaggerated others.

“We surveyed building inspectors in 1997 and in 2001 and were dismayed by the results then,” says Catherine Hutton of Consumer magazine. “I’m sad to say that standards have not improved since.”

As a result of the survey findings, the Department of Building and Housing is considering licensing and regulating pre-purchase house inspectors.

ENDS

The full text of this article is available at www.consumer.org.nz

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