What to do after receiving building reports?
After you receive building reports show them to your solicitor. This is the negotiation stage where your lawyer can help you. The purpose behind this is to either get the repairs done or get the value of the repairs deducted from the purchase price.
There is a possibility of the seller disagreeing on fulfilling either of the conditions, if they know they can get another buyer.
In most cases, the seller reduces the price, the sale proceeds and you get the repairs get done. In rare cases, the seller does not accept any faults.
In some instance, the seller does the repairs poorly and cheaply or will split the cost of the repairs. The agent will have a lot of experience in what to do after a building report. They will try to minimize what is wrong or indicate your prices are too expensive and give another contractor a different brief. You should not accept any advice from their contractors as they are paid, or induced to give a lower price on a different specification.
No Building Consent
Sometimes whole buildings or extensions are completed without consent.
Most territorial authorities will not accept retrospective consents as they cannot see what is underground and underneath the walls. This may mean that you take off the value of the work done without a consent, demolish and redo or have the wall linings removed and inspected after getting a building consent. Obtaining a building consent may incur you a $1000 to $5000 dollars approximately. The cost may depend on the job size as well. It involves plans, specifications, a certificate of title, application forms, fees, testing, and inspections to get a Code Compliance Certificate.
You will need the consent otherwise when you go to sell the house, the buyer will get a pre-purchase report, or a LIM report done, and find no consent, and/or the work does not comply with the Building Act.