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Clear Conscience Certification

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17.01.2022 Two Taps I came across this recently, and thought it was interesting, and worth sharing. Take a look at the accompanying photos, and you see two innocent taps to the left hand side of the kitchen Big deal you may think Well, you may be right in thinking that, however, in this case the two taps are located in the lower level of a two story dwelling, that has a complete main dwelling above.... Lets now put this into context you’ve just inspected this property and love it, it ticks all of your boxes, so an offer is made and accepted, and you now have a new home Review the following scenarios: 1. You think of your new home as one big house, and use the lower level for friends or family to use when they come to visit; or 2. Light bulb moment - You see the lower level apartment/granny flat as a way to supplement your income, and successfully find a tenant and they pay you rent. What does it mean: Scenario 1 All good, it’s a regular class 1a (NCC/BCA) use, and it is happy days. Enjoy your new home. Scenario 2 Here’s where the significance of those two taps becomes apparent. The two taps give you all the necessary components (they’re called facilities in the National construction code) for this space to now be considered as a dwelling. The property is now functioning as two dwellings. The implications of scenario 2: Does this comply with the relevant town planning scheme, or will you make yourself vulnerable to action from the local government development compliance department? or perhaps more worrying; You have now created a situation where you have a dwelling above a dwelling, and this is no longer a simple class 1a residential dwelling/building Rather, you now have a class 2 commercial building. Class 2 building are assessed completely differently to a class 1a dwelling, and are subject to a far more intense/involved assessment of a different set of building codes (NCC/BCA Vol 1). The biggest concern (in my opinion), is fire separation are the two dwellings fire separated in accordance with building code requirements? Additionally, there are an entire slew of building code requirements that need to be complied with. Morally and legally scenario 2 would put you (the home owner) in an extremely poor position in the event of: fire, accident, council action, or action taken by your tenant (it does happen). This can of course be avoided engage us to undertake an inspection and provide a detailed report. You will then be informed and can purchase with a clear conscience.

12.01.2022 Did you know - When you buy a property, you also buy its problems meaning, that you become responsible for any unauthorised buildings or structures, or unauthorised use. What can occur on a property in Queensland depends on a number of factors including: zoning, constraints, local and state government overlays, easements, covenants, QDC (Queensland Development Code), sewer location, and these are just the more common. Buildings or structures are classified under the B...uilding Codes of Australia by their use, for example, the average dwelling is class 1a, and works that usually accompany a dwelling like patios, sheds/garages etc. are class 10a. However, swimming pools, retaining walls, and decks are class 10b. Pool fence/barriers require approval, and even replacing a portion of an existing fence requires approval. Retaining walls that directly provide support for a structure/building - require an approval. See more

08.01.2022 Follow-up to "Two Taps" post. After preparing and posting the two taps article I thought it would be interesting to see what was actually available currently of the market, that may fit the scenario 2 example. So, a search was done on a popular online real estate listing site. The search was focused on the Gold Coast area, with house selected, and dual living as the all-important keyword - The result was 237 listings. Sadly, an all too familiar picture was painted, and I was ...presented with many many examples of dwellings that would not comply with building codes, nor council planning requirements. Perhaps more distressing was that numerous were under offer/contract! I saw floor plans that read potential dual living and property descriptions that state live in the top, and rent out the bottom, as-well-as income earning potential etc. One listing went as far as to say rent to a permanent tenant or list through Air BnB. While this may not be impossible, it would be extremely difficult to do legally! From what I could see, the main issues I observed were: unauthorised use, using a building out of classification, fire separation, and low ceiling height, and note: habitable rooms need a minimum ceiling height of 2.4m (excluding a kitchen). Please, before you commit to purchase a property, have us undertake a thorough search and provide a detailed report for your piece of mind. Purchase with a Clear Conscience!

07.01.2022 About us - Firstly, thanks for visiting our Facebook page, and we hope we can help when the time comes to make your next real estate decision. We are a small family-based business, whose aim is to look out for you when you are next considering making real estate decisions be they: buying, developing, leasing, or just maximizing the property that you already have. The director David Johnson, comes from a building certification background and has spent time in both local go...vernment, and the private certification sector. Working for a busy building certification company, it was highlighted often (at times daily), that people had purchased a problem property. Problems ranged from simple unauthorised structures, to the far end of the scale where an investment duplex had been purchased, and it was discovered that the rear dwelling was unauthorised (had no approval), and perhaps more worryingly the two dwellings were not fire separated. See more