Home inspection across Cape Town

What inspectors actually find in Cape Town

Asbestos cement materials

Asbestos has been prohibited in South Africa since 2008, so anything present predates that. Intact, painted cement sheeting is generally low risk and often best maintained in place; the hazard is deterioration or disturbance — drilling, cutting, or high-pressure cleaning.Checked: Roof sheeting, ridging, gutters, eaves boards, older ceiling boards, vinyl tiles

Low-lying and reclaimed ground

A high water table and made-up ground produce settlement and persistent subfloor moisture. Wind-driven rain on exposed elevations compounds it where there is little surrounding shelter.Checked: Floor levels, subfloor ventilation, external drainage, wall cracking

Ageing electrical installations

Pre-1990 installations often carry old wiring, no earth leakage protection, and boards extended piecemeal over decades. A certificate of compliance is a legal requirement on transfer and is frequently the largest unbudgeted cost in an older-suburb purchase.Checked: Distribution board, earth leakage, visible wiring, bonding

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

Areas we cover

• Mitchells PlainLarge volumes of asbestos cement roof sheeting from the original build, much of it now weathered to the point where condition genuinely matters.
• AthloneOriginal asbestos sheeting and ceiling boards are widespread, and pressure-cleaning before a sale is a common and damaging local practice.
• Grassy ParkLow-lying with a seasonally high water table, so subfloor damp and floor-level movement occur together.
• LansdowneMixed-age stock where original electrical installations and asbestos materials commonly appear in the same property.
• RetreatMade-up ground in places, producing settlement cracking that is often mistaken for structural failure.
• OtteryExposed position with little shelter, so wind-driven rain reaches elevations on every side.
• Hanover ParkOriginal asbestos materials remain widespread and communal roof structures complicate who is responsible for a repair.

What it costs

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