Home inspection across Cape Town

What inspectors actually find in Cape Town

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

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

Areas we cover

• Table ViewFlat and fully exposed to the south-easter, so roof sheeting fixings and ridge detail take more load than almost anywhere in the city.
• BloubergNewer stock, but direct marine exposure means fixing corrosion and sealant failure arrive far earlier than the building age suggests.
• MilnertonOlder sections sit on low-lying reclaimed ground near the lagoon, producing settlement alongside marine corrosion.
• Century CityAlmost entirely sectional title, so the practical question is nearly always where the boundary of common property lies.
• ParklandsRapid-build era stock where workmanship varies sharply between developments a street apart.
• SunningdaleExposed, newly developed ground where stormwater management around the structure is the recurring issue.
• MelkbosstrandOpen west-coast exposure with many second homes standing unoccupied for months at a time.

What it costs

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