In short: Every house is imperfect. The question a report has to answer is whether a given imperfection exceeds the published tolerance, because that is the line a builder has to act on.
Opinion versus standard
A report that says a wall looks crooked invites a debate. A report that says a wall is out of plumb beyond the tolerance in the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2017, with the measurement and a photograph, does not. We have recorded exactly that in Oran Park.
Why owners under-report
Most owners accept things they should not, because without the standard they have no way to know whether what they are looking at is normal. Tolerance documents exist precisely so that this is not a matter of confidence or negotiation.
Using it
Reference the clause, include the measurement, photograph it. In the Camden Council area as anywhere in NSW, escalation runs through NSW Fair Trading and then NCAT, and measured items against a published standard are what survives that process.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Oran Park. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
