Buying a house that is only a few years old
The question is whether the first list was ever closed.
In short: What to ask when the Riverstone home you are buying was built recently.
The warranty is attached to the home
Under the Home Building Act 1989 the statutory warranty runs six years for major defects and two years for everything else from completion, and it runs with the property rather than the first owner.
So ask for the paperwork
The occupation certificate, the original handover report if there was one, and any correspondence with the builder about defects.
What we look for
Evidence of items that were listed and never closed. The envelope findings on this site are exactly the sort that survive a sale unnoticed.
What a resale inspection can and cannot say
It reports what is visible on the day against AS 4349.1. It cannot tell you what was agreed with a builder three years ago, which is why the paperwork matters.
Time it properly
If the two year window is still open on the home you are buying, knowing that before you exchange is worth considerably more than knowing it after.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Riverstone. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
