[Question] building plans

[murdock]

i purchased a house 3 years ago...and assumed everything was ok...there were a few issues like cracked walls...house required painting etc...etc... but accepted the house in the condition it was in...i did the coc and repaired all the items according to my faults list.

now heres were it starts getting interesting...more than a year after i moved in a building inspector arrived...apparently there had been some extentions and alterations to the exsisitng garage and outbuilding...so i enquired why the visit...he said he was doing a follow up check...so i let him in to inpsect the building and left it at that...then 1 year later he arrived again and requested to view the alterations...i let him in again and thought nothing of it..and so this has been going on ever since.

today he arrives at my gate again for about the 5th time...and now i am getting a bit weary as to why the visits...he tells me he just wants to have a look...i dont know what his intentions are but i will no longer allow him access...on the previos visits he stood at the vehicle and looked at the garage..and that was it...today he tells me he requires outstanding certificates...so i ask what certificates he is not sure but he knows some are out standing...

sorry mate...now i want to see ID...i want a formal request for outstanding documents...on a letter head issuesd by who ever is responsible for plansd etc.

he tells me that i as the new owner am now responsible for the outstanding plans and certificates.

apparently the building alterations were done more than 5 years ago...suddenly i am responsible for them...please advise.

the building alterations were completed before i purchased the property...there were no parts incomplete at the time of purchase.

[Dave A]

Time to haul out your sales agreement and do some reading.

[murdock]

what i dont understand is surely like everything else there must be a time limit...if you buy a house and 10 years late rthe building inpsector arrives requesting test certificates...what are you gona tell him...what if you dont even know that building alterations were done...surely at the time of transfer like the coc all relavent documents must be submitted before the transfer can take place.

i did contact a lawyer and he advised me that the inspector might be looking for a bribe...why didnt i think of that...this is africa...it seems like thats the norm...bribery...fraud...corruption...so the next time he arrives i will record the meeting on my Cell and hopefully i will have my cameras rigged up and recording by the time he returns...and make him an offer he cant refuse.

[mbsmit]

murdock - Be careful! Perhaps he does not seek a bribe, and should you offer, you may open yourself up to criminal action!

[murdock]

thanks for the warning...

when i moved into this property i spent 5 days going thru all the documentation and sorted otu what seemed to be important and what could be thrown away...what i have since found in the documentation i kept is the following...

a copy of the COC for the electrical alterations
a copy of the roof load certifcate
a copy of the pest certificate
an original certificate signed and stamped by the building inpsector indicating that the property is complete and ready for occupation.

so my next question would be what other documentation would you require?

let the games begin...

[Dave A]

Sounds like this could get really interesting.