Home inspection across Cape Town

What inspectors actually find in Cape Town

Balcony and parapet waterproofing failure

Water tracks through a failed slab-edge or parapet membrane and appears on the ceiling of the unit below. The defect and the damage are usually in two different homes, which is why these are so often misdiagnosed as a plumbing leak.Checked: Slab edges, parapet copings, balcony falls and outlet detail

Salt-air corrosion

Marine air attacks roof-sheeting fixings, balustrades, gutter brackets, window hardware and reinforcing close to the surface of concrete. The first sign is usually a rust stain on a ceiling or a soffit rather than visible corrosion, because the fixing fails before the finish does.Checked: Roof fixings, balustrade bases, lintels and any exposed steel

Winter driven rain

Cape winter fronts arrive from the north-west and west. Elevations facing into them take sustained wetting that a sheltered wall never sees, and old face-brick, cracked plaster or perished sealant lets it through.Checked: North-west and west elevations, window perimeters, wall cracking

Sectional title boundary disputes

Where water enters through common property — roof, parapet, external wall or common plumbing — the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act puts the repair on the body corporate, even though the damage shows inside the section. A written report identifying the entry point is what settles the argument.Checked: Point of entry, and whether it sits on common property or in the section

Areas we cover

• Sea PointOne of the densest concentrations of ageing sectional-title stock in the country, and the original balcony waterproofing on much of it is now past its service life.
• Green PointThe older cottage stock behind the main road carries pre-DPC masonry, while the newer blocks bring balcony and parapet issues — two entirely different damp problems in one suburb.
• Camps BaySteep sites mean retaining walls, subterranean levels and roof terraces — all high-consequence waterproofing, and all expensive to correct after transfer.
• CliftonExtreme marine exposure combined with cantilevered and terraced construction puts unusual demand on both waterproofing and every exposed steel fixing.
• Bantry BayDirectly exposed to both winter fronts and salt spray, so sealant and fixing life here is materially shorter than a few streets inland.
• FresnayeDecades of additions and level changes mean bridged damp-proof courses are common where a newer terrace or screed meets original masonry.
• Mouille PointAmong the most salt-exposed residential stock in Cape Town — corrosion of concealed fixings is the defining local defect.
• Three Anchor BaySmall older schemes where deferred common-property maintenance shows up first as damp inside individual sections.

What it costs

Indicative market ranges for guidance, not quotes. Full cost breakdown →