Owning a home has quite a few advantages over renting, but it does come with the responsibility to care for and maintain your home. Whether you’re planning on a project to enlarge or modify your home, replace a roof, or have significant remodelling work done, it’s important to get a dilapidation report to make sure everything goes smoothly.
What is a dilapidation report, and why should you care as a homeowner? This blog will explain what a dilapidation report is and why you should retain one for your own peace of mind.
What is a Dilapidation Report?
The word dilapidation itself isn’t a fun one for property owners to hear. It means to leave a building to decay and fall into a state of disrepair. If you’re planning on some major works for your home, isn’t the purpose to improve the home’s condition and add beauty and function?
All contractors, even those that abide by the latest building standards, best practices, and comply with the building code, may complete a project, but leave behind problems that could develop later on. These can cost you a potential fortune to remediate.
A dilapidation report documents the existing, actual conditions of your property before a project commences and after it’s finished. Think of it as a snapshot of the state of your property, so if anything unexpected occurs, then you may have recourse for due compensation.
How Can Property Owners Rectify a Problem with a Construction Project?
Risks and liabilities are always present in construction projects. From installing a new roof to removing or erecting structural load-bearing walls, a number of things can go wrong, even with the best of intentions and due diligence on behalf of the contractors.
In most cases, the optimal outcome if something goes wrong is to resolve the matter peacefully. Litigation can be time-consuming and costly, and you’ll need to provide evidence of damage caused to your property. Whenever possible, try to settle these disputes in a peaceful manner, at first, and have a dilapidation report at the ready in the event that the contractor is unwilling to compensate for damages.
How Does a Dilapidation Report Give Clarity to Property Owners?
A comprehensive dilapidation survey conducted by fully qualified builders and inspectors allows them to prepare a thorough, detailed dilapidation report of your property. This allows you to see first-hand any pre-existing issues before construction work commences, e.g. presence of a roof leak, cracked foundation walls, or no notable issues at all.
Once construction work has been completed and if any issues arise afterwards, you can refer back to the dilapidation report and determine whether the problem(s) came from pre-existing issues or if they are new. In the latter case, the contractor may be liable, and you’ll have a clear and detailed report to back it up.
Benefits of Dilapidation Reports for Property Owners
Dilapidation reports are perhaps best thought of as a form of insurance, one that can be well worth your time and money and save you lots of both should anything go wrong.
Often, resolving disputes with contractors over poor work that has damaged your property comes at a high cost, even if you’re able to litigate the matter formally. Dilapidation surveys are quick and thorough, affordable, and can be used as evidence, which in turn can make disputes much easier to resolve.
Guardian Building Inspections
Planning on a big project for your home? Get a dilapidation survey from Guardian Building Inspections.
