Based in Manly West on Brisbane's Bayside, Safeguard Inspections describes itself as a family-owned and operated building and pest inspection business. Its published services include pre-purchase building inspections, combined building and pest inspections, dilapidation reports and inspections at the handover stage of a new build.
The company's About page introduces director Ben Paterson, who carries out the building inspections himself. "At Safeguard Inspections, you'll get the same inspector every time – Ben," the page says, adding that the business sees this as a bonus for clients because it offers continuity.
The same inspector every time
Clients are also invited along. The About page says Ben "WANTS you to accompany him during an inspection", and the homepage tells buyers: "We want you to follow us around and ask questions." The firm describes its approach as transparent, with the aim of explaining everything it finds at a property.
According to the firm, Ben is a qualified building and pest inspector who has spent over 25 years in the building industry. The company says he is a qualified carpenter and builder with both domestic and commercial experience, and that he comes from "a strong family of builders".
What the inspections cover
On its services page, Safeguard lists residential pre-purchase building and pest inspections, dilapidation reports and drone aerial inspections. It says its building inspections cover the interior and exterior, the roof space, the external roof, the underfloor space and detached structures such as fences, retaining walls, sheds and pergolas.
The firm says the main focus of its inspections is structural issues, and that it also inspects for safety concerns and checks for pests. It describes using thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters to help identify water leaks and possible termite activity without cutting into surfaces, and says its reports are written in language clients can understand, with supporting photographs.
For buyers, the homepage presents the report as an advantage during pre-purchase negotiations. For practical completion inspections, the services page describes the report as "an independent view of the work". Its dilapidation reports record the condition of a property at a particular point in time, which the company says can matter when construction, excavation or demolition work is planned.
Drones and the bayside
Safeguard also uses a drone for roofs, noting that not all roofs have safe access. A post on its blog about drone building and roof inspection explains that a drone lets the operator stay safe on the ground while capturing high-resolution photos of a building's condition. The services page says the approach helps identify roof defects that would otherwise go unseen by an inspector on foot.
The company says it knows local properties and the common problems they face. Its About page describes Ben carrying out building inspections in Redlands, on Brisbane's Bayside and as far inland as Greenslopes, and its services page lists suburbs including Manly, Wynnum, Lota, Birkdale and Capalaba.