What experience does the inspectors/consultants have?

All of Surety consultants are specifically trained within the industry and hold all the necessary accreditations with our insurance company and are experienced in handling both building and timber pest inspections to Australian Standards. They each have a minimum of one years experience within the inspection industry and are trained to provide independent, accurate advice based on the full facts. Join us on a property inspection, to see how methodical and thorough we are when working.

How long has the business been operating as an inspection business?

10 years

Does the business have Professional Indemnity Insurance and, if so, how much?

Surety is insured up to $1,000,000. See our insurance papers.

Buyer beware - approximately 40-50% of inspection companies don't carry Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Are the building and timber pest inspections and reports carried out in accordance with the Australian standard and any relevant state/territory legislation?

Surety handles all work in line with Australian standards— AS4349.1-2007 (building inspections) and AS4349.3-2010 (timber pest inspections).
In the ACT all of our inspections and reports also meet with the legislative requirements of the Civil Law Sale of Residential Property Act 2003.

Will you provide me a copy of your pre-inspection agreement as per the requirements of the Australian standard?

Surety will always provides a pre-inspection agreement for building and timber pest inspections. View Sample
You should always be offered a pre-inspection agreement if the reports are being carried out in accordance with Australian Standards.

Does the business have a building consultant on staff accredited by the Master Builders Association?

Surety has such a consultant. Bruce Cohen, Director and Technical Expert, is approved as part of this small and unique group of consultants.

Is your business a member of any professional bodies within the building industry?

Surety is a member of both the Housing Industry Association and the Master Builders Association.

Are the business’s inspectors generalist or specialists?

Surety are specialists in a range of services and not only building and timber pest inspections and reports. We also are fully qualified to conduct more specialised work like defect reports, expert witness reports and strata sinking fund forecasts to name a few.

How quickly does the business supply post-inspection reports?

Surty provides reports the next business day (except for more complex reports which may take a bit more time for example a building defect report).

How does the business provide me with my reports?

Surety advises you by phone, SMS or email when you reports are ready. We post the reports to a secure page on our website for easy viewing online or printing.

Can you provide me with a sample report?

Surety is always willing to do so. You can view several types online.

Is the business independent?

Surety is. While sometimes we work through real estate agents and/or solicitors we only ever produce independent, reliable and credible work. We are never biased or influenced in our reports or advice.

Does the business call to advise me of the outcome of my inspection on the same day?

Surety consultants always call clients before providing a copy of the report—to have a chat about the outcome of the inspection.

Do the inspectors respect the property they are inspecting?

Every Surety consultant respects each property they inspect as if it was their own. They all wear overshoe booties when inside your property, use drop sheets, use gloves and use gutter ladder protectors.

Do the inspectors gain access to the roof and under floors?

Surety always does unless it is unsafe to do so or we cannot for some reason gain access. In these cases we let you know that we could not get on the roof or under floors.

Does your business have a process for handling disputes or complaints?

Surety does. We take all feedback seriously and while receiving a complaint is very rare, our staff are trained to handle client concerns in accordance with our guidelines. We carry out a customer satisfaction survey 2 weeks after our report has been finalised to encourage client feedback.