Who should inspect the house you’re buying?

What’s wrong, why, and what it costs.

A builder spends their working life putting buildings together, taking them apart and pricing the repairs. That’s most of what a buyer needs to know. Bradley has been building and renovating homes for 25 years in Australia, London and Portugal, spent three years as a government-contracted building inspector in Australia, and runs an IMPIC-licensed construction company (alvará 109726-PAR). Every report carries repair cost ranges, because pricing the work is what we do every week.

Calculations and a signature.

A civil engineer registered with the Ordem dos Engenheiros can run the calculations and take technical responsibility for a structural design. You need one when a building has a structural problem that has to be calculated, when you plan to remove or change load-bearing walls, add a floor or rebuild the roof structure, and for most licensing projects at the Câmara.

Most houses don’t need an engineer at the buying stage.

Where one does, the report says so plainly and explains why, and we bring in a registered structural engineer, quoted as an add-on before you commit. More on that in structural surveys in Portugal and cracks in walls: when to call an engineer.

Questions to ask any inspector, us included

1. Who will actually inspect the house, by name?
2. Can I check their licence or registration number?
3. Will the report give repair costs, or only a list of problems?
4. Can I see a real sample report?
5. Do you take any commission or referral fee from agents or builders?

Our answers: Bradley Cahill, alvará 109726-PAR, yes, here, and no.

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