Buyer Beware! Buying an old house?

What to look out for when buying older properties built before 1914?

An unbiased building inspection report will uncover any significant building defects that will save you from major financial losses

This blog post highlights some of the most important building issues and risks. We recommend you research further, before making an offer?

built before 1914:
Look out for:

• Some of these houses were built close together, so it can be difficult to access the side walls for maintenance and repairs.
• The piles and foundations under the house can deteriorate over time, so check they are still in good condition and are properly braced for earthquakes.
• Check for obvious structural issues, for example, sloping or sagging floors, cracks in the walls and buckling near windows and doors.
• Look at the gutters, as internal gutters can be prone to leaking.

• Is the building heritage listed? If so, this may affect what renovations you can carry out on the property.
• Does the building have the original wiring? It may need replacing and there may not be enough power outlets and light fittings.
• Borer can be found in building timber and can cause structural issues.
• Has the plumbing been updated? If new plumbing was added in the 1980s, look out for Dux Quest piping, which may cause problems.
• Does the house have insulation and, if so, is it up to current standards?
• Check the levels of natural light in the rooms.

Timber built villas were the most popular design style in this period. The bungalow style started to appear in New Zealand from 1910. A home built before 1914 will have plenty of history and character features, but it can also come with issues if it hasn’t been properly maintained over the years.

Timber:
Look out for:

• When was the cladding last painted or stained? Treatments last 10 to 20 years and can be costly to re-apply.
• Is the cladding constructed from sheets or weatherboards? What type of timber is it? Some types require more maintenance than others, for example, cedar.
• Can you see any rot, mould or mildew? Pay special attention to windows and door frames.
• Has the building had issues with borer in the past? Can you see any borer holes?
• If wooden cladding looks faded or has mould or moss growing on it, there could be damage to the cladding.
• Can you see any cladding that is splitting or warping?
• Can you see any bubbling in the paint? This can be a sign that the wood is rotting underneath.
• Check there is easy access to areas of the building exterior that need regular maintenance.
• Check that the cladding isn’t in contact with the ground or plants – moisture from these can cause damage.
• Consider getting a property inspection — this will help you identify any potential issues with the cladding and should give you a good indication of what maintenance you’ll need to do in the future.
• Talk to the real estate agent (or the seller, if it is a private sale) to see what information they can provide about the construction, maintenance and treatment of the cladding.

 
Timber — including treated plywood and engineered wood products. A wooden exterior or cladding needs ongoing maintenance, and there may be problems if it hasn’t been properly and regularly maintained.

Extensions and renovations:
Check that any extensions or renovations have building consent.
You can check by comparing the current layout with the floor plan on the property file held by the council. Any differences between the two should have the proper building consents. If the owner or a previous owner has added a deck, garage or sleepout, check that the consents are on file.
It may be possible to get building consent on an extension or renovation after you have purchased the property, but it is not certain and it could be expensive if extra work is needed to meet required standards.
Check the foundations of the extension. If the foundations are different from the rest of the house, they may move in different ways in an earthquake. Also check that the foundations and the connections between them are in good condition.

Work that should be consented:
Building work that may require consent includes:

• alterations, additions and many structural repairs
• demolition of buildings and structures
• the removal or relocation of buildings
• site work, for example, earthworks for a new extension
• fences over 2 metres high
• installing a swimming pool or spa pool.
• You can find information about any building consents for extensions and renovations in the LIM.

• The council will also hold more detail, including the plans, in the property file.
• If you have found work that has not been consented, check that the property can still be insured.

Roof material
Look out for:

• Waves or wrinkles in flat areas of metal roofing may have been caused by stress and buckling when the roof was installed.
• Nails or screws hold the roof and flashings in place. If they fail, the roof becomes vulnerable to damage — check that fastenings have been properly sealed. Nails, screws and washers may need to be tightened or replaced.
• Weather, debris from trees or walking on the roof can cause damage and reduce weathertightness — can you see any visible dents?
• Corrosion can occur from salt, dust or sand deposits catching under the ridge flashings — check the roof ridges.
• Check for blocked downpipes or guttering, which can lead to water damage to the roof and foundations.
• An old TV aerial that is no longer required may not be maintained and could break in a storm or cause damage to the roof.

• If you’re getting a property inspection from a qualified property inspector, you need to know if a roof assessment is included — most building reports don’t include the inspector climbing up on the roof to inspect it.
• Check the inspection includes the ceiling space.
• Some real estate agencies use drone photography — if you have aerial shots of the property, ask the property inspector to zoom in and look for problems.
• If the property is on a slope, try and get as high up as possible to see the top of the roof. In multi-storied properties look out of the window to check the roof below.
• Talk to the real estate agent (or the seller if it is a private sale) to see what information they have about the roof’s history, construction and any maintenance that has been carried out.

 
Iron and steel — including corrugated and long-run. These roofs last between 40 and 70 years, depending on what they’re made of, the environment and regular maintenance.
An iron or steel roof will need to be repainted or re-chipped every 10 years to ensure the roof remains watertight.

Hillside Slopes:

• Does the property suffer from surface flooding? When you walk around the property, is the soil spongy, soft or uneven underfoot?
• Are the floors level? You can test this by putting down a marble and seeing if it rolls across the floor, which may indicate the building is subsiding or was built out of tolerance.
• Can you see any cracks in the walls, ceilings or exterior from the building moving?
• Check if any of the neighbouring hills, buildings or trees affect the sun on the property.

If the property is near to hills, think about how that will affect how much sun the property gets at different times of the year. Check the orientation of the property with respect to the winter sun.
 
Earthquake Damage EQC and Liquefaction:
These features can make some buildings more susceptible to liquefaction-induced damage.

• Thin unreinforced concrete slab foundations — the slab can crack as liquefaction-induced holes or settlement form under the slab.
• Buildings with irregular design shapes or several split levels — the irregular shape can mean different parts of the building sway or shake at different rates during an earthquake causing stress and damage to the building.
• Sticking doors and windows and gaps around frames can indicate building movement.

Flooding Zones:
Look out for:

• Water stains on external wall cladding, fencing and foundations.
• Cracks in the walls and at stress points, for example, doorways and windows.
• Soggy skirting boards and crumbling interior linings.
• Sticking doors and windows and gaps around frames can indicate building movement.

 
Types of ownership:
Freehold Is also known as fee simple and is the most simple and common ownership type in New Zealand.
Freehold
If you have a freehold property, you own the land and (generally) anything built on the land unless there are any registered or unregistered interests. Examples of interests that might restrict the use of the property include:

• easements that give neighbouring property owners or utility providers the right to use part of your land to access or connect to services
• covenants that limit what type of building can be on the property
• restrictions under the Resource Management Act 1991
• whether the land is Māori freehold land.

Ask your lawyer or conveyancer to review the record of title (also known as the certificate of title), which contains the property’s legal description, details of its ownership and the rights and/or restrictions registered against it.

A cross-lease property, you own two interests in the property — a share of the freehold title in common with the other cross-leaseholders and a leasehold interest in the particular area and building that you occupy.
 
A cross-lease title may include a plan showing the footprint of the building you are entitled to occupy (sometimes called the flats plan). Check the plan to identify:

• the physical location and footprint of the property you are looking at
• areas that any cross-leaseholders have the exclusive right to use
• any common or shared areas.
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Cross-lease ownership usually means that any significant changes made to any area you are entitled to use exclusively (including the building you occupy or a separate garden) or to the shared areas must be agreed upon by all or a majority of the owners.

This means that, depending on the terms of the cross-lease, you may need to obtain the other owners’ consent before painting the exterior or making other non-structural changes to the building you occupy or before making structural changes, for example, building a deck or putting up a fence. There may be restrictions on what you can do with the property under the terms of the lease registered on your title.
Ask your lawyer or conveyancer to review the record of title (also known as the certificate of title), which contains the property’s legal description, details of its ownership and the rights and/or restrictions registered against it.

Have questions about a property?

• Ask the real estate agent (or the seller if it is a private sale).
• Review the relevant documents, for example, the LIM, property file and title.
• Ask your lawyer or conveyancer to review the documents — allow plenty of time for a thorough review.
• Ask the local council about anything you can’t find in the documents.
• Check the local council files, including the LIM report.
• Consider getting a property inspection by a qualified property inspector.
• Ask the real estate agent (or the seller if it is a private sale).
• The LIM will provide information on issues with the land, stormwater and sewage drainage.
• Check the property file at the council to look for information on where the drainage pipes are.
• Visit the property when it’s raining. This will give you a better idea of how/where the water drains to/from.

This is one of the biggest decisions that you will ever make. Get it right first time with a Savvy Houz Inspections Builders Report, we are totally committed to making sure that you understand the condition of the property and expert advice before you go unconditional.

Call Savvy Houz Inspections today 021 143 2995