Suppose you have purchased an expensive product – for example, a flat-screen television. You have only been using it for a few months and suddenly, it stops working. In this situation, you are definitely in the minority, if you had the foresight to register for a warranty. This means that you are left with a broken TV in need of replacement or repair. You may feel that this is a manageable situation. However, what if you fell into this cycle after buying your dream house?
Like most Indians, you probably bought your apartment or villa with a large investment, if not all your savings. The problem multiplies if you live with an extended family of parents-in-law and parents. Experience has shown that no building is exempt from problems, be it from a tier-1 or tier-3 builder. Water may ooze from the floor tiles, mushrooms could grow in wet wooden flooring, door frames may become warped, electrical fixtures may not work as expected and water pressure could drop below the norm. All these problems amount to an additional investment of your time and hard-earned money.
It would be beneficial to hire a service provider who can identify these problems before you move into your home. This is called home inspection.
The role of a professional home inspection company
A professional home inspection company would check the following aspects of your home.
Civil engineering workmanship
An engineer will visit your home and check for workmanship problems. They will go through every single room in the home and the exterior of the space and inspect the area as per a standard checklist. The checklist may contain the following items:
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- Whether the doors have been fitted properly and are flush with the walls.
- Whether doors and windows have the requisite number of screws.
- Whether the walls are undulating.
- Whether any debonded tiles may result in hollowness.
- Whether the slope in the balcony, the bathroom and other areas meet the required standards.
Electrical workmanship
Engineers would check the earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB). In certain cases, the line and neutral may have switched. They will ensure that all points have a power supply in a manner that follow the norms.
Plumbing workmanship
Engineers will ensure that the water supply and pressure meet the standards in all the fittings and fixtures. They will ensure that all the plumbing fixtures and fittings are present and work as required. They will also check the space above false ceilings in bathrooms and the internal shafts.
Safety
Checks are carried out to ensure that the parapet wall heights, the gap between balustrades and other safety requirements meet the standards.
Dampness
Engineers would use an infrared thermal camera to identify areas that may be cooler than the surroundings due to water seepage. To ensure that the coolness is caused by water and not a cool vent, these spots would be checked with moisture metres.
Liveable area or carpet area
The RERA Act of 2017 defined the carpet area of an apartment and the method to measure it. This is the bottom line for selling a property. Engineers would use a laser measure to accurately measure the dimensions of the apartment and the rooms. They would also measure the thickness of the walls to calculate the area as mandated by RERA.
According to the RERA, carpet area is defined as ‘the net usable floor area of an apartment, excluding the area covered by the external walls, areas under services shafts, exclusive balcony or veranda area and exclusive open terrace area, but includes the area covered by the internal partition walls of the apartment’.
All the information is shared in a report with a timestamp. Since the report is technical, the builder cannot refuse to address the problems.
How to deal with the problems uncovered during a home inspection?
If your property falls under RERA norms, then, the builder must attend to all the issues.
Should the buyer be present for the home inspection?
You should remain present for the inspection. This will help you clarify any doubts or queries. It will also prove to be a positive experience for you to walk through the inspection. Being present, means that the owner gets everything from the proverbial horse’s mouth, instead of reading a technical visual report and potentially not understanding or worse misunderstanding it.
See also: What is a HOTO document and why is it important for RWAs?
The six common problems encountered during a home inspection
As one may imagine cosmetic flaws, like a chipped kitchen counter, broken window pane, for example, will be in an inspection report. However, please be cognisant that minor problems rarely lead to major problems. More often than not, the hidden problems cause the most concern.
Problem #1: Hollow tiles
According to the Indian codes (BIS-NBC ), there should be no hollowness when tiles are laid.
Problem #2: Slopes in the balcony and wet area of a bathroom
The national code mentions the appropriate slope for all wet areas in a house because an insufficient slope or slope in the wrong direction could lead to water drainage problems. In some cases, the water may even flow into the house.
Problem #3: Plumbing
Plumbing is one of the most essential and tricky aspects. Improper plumbing could lead to leaks. If the pressure is insufficient, then, the shower may not work properly.
Problem #4: Pests
No one likes an uninvited guest, especially if they are pests. Termites and other insects can cause significant structural damage, if left untreated.
Problem #5: Mould
Dampness could lead to mould growth. If damp spots are not discovered in time, they could lead to mould formation. Apart from smelling awful, mould infestations are expensive to remediate.
Problem #6: Electrical fittings
Engineers frequently encounter problems related to electrical wirings, such as the absence of power supply, reversed polarity or failed earthing, missing junction boxes and damaged plug points, to name a few.
See also: What is design audit, documentation audit and annual maintenance contract in a housing project?
Which problems must be fixed immediately after a home inspection?
Legally speaking, there is no such thing as a mandatory fix after a home inspection. Necessary repairs to make a home habitable must be carried out. Home buyers must insist on repairs that address major health hazards or property risks. These may include:
- Mould or water damage
- Pest infestation
- Leaking plumbing fixtures
- Fire or electrical hazards
- Major cracks
- Building code violations
- Trip hazards
- Non-functioning hardware
On average, there are over 160 issues in a 2,000-sq-ft house. About 60% of these are related to dampness and 30% have variations. Do not put yourself through this pain of enduring issues after moving into your house. It would be prudent to engage a professional organisation to perform a home inspection and provide a visual technical report.
(Suresha R is COO and Uday Simha Prakash is CEO at Nemmadi.in)
