expert witness and litigation support

We provide Expert Witness and litigation support covering a wide range of building disputes and problems including sub-standard pre-purchase building inspections. The reports are in the standard required by the Court as well as CTTT (Fair Trading) and we abide by the Expert Code of Conduct. 

Building defects, sub-standard work, dampness, termite damage, excessive deflections and cracking within a building are covered within our expertise. This includes a house, unit, commercial or industrial building. Multi-storey, specialist fire reports and air conditioning reports may be referred to other specialist consultants with expertise in that particular area. 

All defects are compared to the required standard, Code or accepted tolerance and references are quoted in our report. There are tolerances for very minor uneven finishes and all claims are compared to the accepted standard in this area. For example, there are very slight differences in brick sizes and this is to be taken up in a mortar joint. 

A common problem is leaking showers and external planter boxes with inadequate membranes in these areas. While there are some warranties that must be provided in new buildings, there are many people as well as Owner's Corporations that initially think that they are entitled to automatically have all the defects repaired to their acceptable standard. In many cases, particularly in units, the builder has closed down the company and it is now up to the insurance company to repair the problem. This is not an easy process and can involve litigation. The insurance company will usually obtain various quotations for the works and attempt to undertake the works in a cost effective manner for the remaining warranty period. Often the Owners Corporation need advice and expertise to help achieve an acceptable result and reduce the risk of litigation as well as future problems. Should litigation or proceedings commence, then we can assist with an experts report to provide that assistance.

Our expertise also covers the area of sub-standard pre-purchase building inspections. There is an Australian Standard for inspections and reports are measured against that requirement as well as the Building Code of Australia. Many purchasers of a property are initially concerned with price, but can be unhappy when the report does not provide sufficient information, is inaccurate or contains omissions. A report must include defects within a roof construction as well as sub-floor area. Where there are omissions, or insufficient information is provided, then a purchaser may be entitled to some compensation, subject to the information provided in the initial report and access available at the time of initial inspection. All reports should be in an easy to read format so that the average non-building person can make an informed decision.

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