Pre-Sale Inspections

Prepare the records before your Richmond property goes on the market

A clear property record helps your salesperson explain the home and gives buyers a useful starting point for their own checks. Gather the paperwork early, identify gaps and decide which inspections or repairs need time before photography and viewings. Start with the actual home and work completed during your ownership.

Choose a building report for the questions you need answered

A seller-commissioned inspection can help you understand condition and plan maintenance before a campaign. Agree the inspector’s qualifications, scope, access and exclusions in writing. Ask which areas will be inspected, whether testing is invasive or non-invasive, what photographs are included and who may rely on the report.

A general inspection may leave specialist questions about drainage, retaining, structure, moisture or services. Obtain further advice where the findings call for it. Keep the report’s date and limitations visible when sharing it. A buyer or their lender may still require a separate inspection or a report addressed to them.

Bring council information and the home together

For a Richmond property, use Tasman District Council’s LIM guidance and review the property file. The council explains that the file contains documents outside the LIM and should be compared with the building and activities on site. For a home elsewhere in the region, use the council responsible for that address.

List alterations such as a deck, wood burner, changed layout, retaining wall or additional dwelling. Gather the relevant plans, consents, completion documents and correspondence you hold. Ask your lawyer and the council to explain missing records, outstanding notices or differences between the plans and the home. Keep a record of what remains unresolved when the property is marketed.

Unconsented work and small dwellings need their own checks

A certificate of acceptance can apply to some work completed without the required consent, but the council can grant or decline an application and may be able to assess only parts of the work. Read MBIE’s certificate-of-acceptance explanation. A safe-and-sanitary report should not be presented as a substitute for the approvals or completion evidence the property needs. Ask what the particular document establishes before describing the work to buyers.

For a small standalone dwelling built under the granny-flat exemption, retain the PIM, professional records and completion documents. The exemption has conditions, requires licensed professionals and Building Code compliance, and councils do not issue a code compliance certificate for exempt work. Check MBIE’s current homeowner guidance, including the process applying to your build. Floor area alone does not establish eligibility.

Prepare claim, repair and insurance information

If the property has had natural-hazard claims, put the assessments, settlement information, repair scope and available evidence of completed work together. Identify gaps and ask your lawyer about any remaining rights or benefits that need assignment. The Natural Hazards Commission’s buying-and-selling guidance explains the claims process. Give buyers clear records without describing an insurance settlement as proof of the home’s current condition.

If tenants live in the property

Gather the tenancy agreement, available Healthy Homes records and statements, and relevant maintenance information. Agree access for inspections, photographs and viewings with the tenant. Working smoke alarms are compulsory in rental homes; use Tenancy Services’ smoke-alarm guidance for the applicable requirements.

For a periodic tenancy, where an unconditional sale agreement requires the home to be vacant for the buyer, Tenancy Services states that the landlord must give at least 42 days’ written notice. That is a specific sale scenario. A fixed-term tenancy cannot be ended early merely because the property sells. Check the current selling-a-rental guidance and get advice before promising a possession date. Our tenanted-sale guide explains the wider planning questions.

Make a manageable preparation list

• Records ready: title information, council documents, inspection reports and relevant claim or tenancy records.
• Work to investigate: the issue, appropriate adviser, quote and likely timeframe.
• Repairs completed: invoices, photographs, warranties and any required sign-off.
• Questions still open: who will resolve each one and how it affects the campaign or agreement.

Do I have to fix every issue before selling?

The answer depends on the issue, any statutory obligation and the agreement you intend to sign. Discuss repair options, disclosure and sale terms with your lawyer and salesperson. A council notice needs its own advice; simply listing a defect does not resolve it. Avoid concealing an issue with cosmetic work.

Plan the campaign around the information

Book an appraisal with Ray White Richmond and bring your records and preferred timing. Discuss the marketing plan and which preparation matters for the property, so the campaign explains its strengths and the information buyers need.