Chinatown’s mix of older brick buildings, renovated apartments and ground-floor commercial spaces can hide moisture ingress, altered walls and fire-safety risks—our inspection checks the structure and services before you commit.
Answer a few quick questions to receive your personalised quote for Chinatown
Complete this step to continue
Our comprehensive service includes everything you need to make an informed decision about your property.
We check internal and external walls for cracking patterns, stepped brick cracking, bulging, and signs of past patching. In dense CBD-style construction like Chinatown, movement can be harder to spot from the street, so we look for indicators inside apartments and common areas that suggest settlement, vibration effects, or altered load paths.
Where accessible, we inspect roof coverings, flashings, box gutters, downpipes and overflow provisions, then look below for staining and dampness. Leaks in multi-level buildings can travel between floors and present as ceiling stains well away from the source, so we trace likely pathways and flag risks that can lead to timber decay or mould.
We assess wet areas for swelling skirtings, drummy tiles, silicone failure, shower recess leaks and balcony drainage issues. In renovated Chinatown apartments, cosmetic upgrades can hide ongoing moisture problems, so we focus on early signs of waterproofing breakdown that can escalate into concrete spalling, corrosion and expensive rectification.
If the property has a basement, storage cage area or lower-level access, we check for dampness, efflorescence, ventilation issues, and water staining around walls and slab edges. Lower levels in the 3000 precinct can be prone to persistent moisture, which impacts air quality, storage use and long-term durability of materials.
We identify trip hazards, unsafe balustrade heights/spacing where visible, deteriorated stairs, and other safety concerns. We also note obvious red flags relating to building work quality and apparent non-compliant installations, so you know where you may need a licensed electrician, plumber or builder to provide formal compliance advice.
We look for signs of plumbing leaks (corrosion, water hammer clues, staining, cabinet damage) and electrical concerns visible at fittings (aged switchboards, damaged outlets, unsafe cabling where accessible). In properties with repeated fit-outs, services can be modified multiple times, so we flag inconsistencies that warrant targeted trades follow-up.
Discover why thousands of property buyers trust us with their most important investment.
Professional inspections with attention to every detail. Here's a glimpse of our work.
Inspection photo 1
Inspection photo 2
Inspection photo 3
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our inspection service.
Yes. In Chinatown it’s common to have residential lots above commercial tenancies, so we pay close attention to fire and smoke separation indicators, service penetrations, and moisture/odour transfer risks. We also look for signs of heavy kitchen exhaust impacts, vibration or past fit-out alterations that can affect walls, ceilings and building services. We’ll note what we can observe and what requires strata or specialist confirmation.
We inspect accessible areas of the property, including the interior rooms, wet areas, ceilings, visible structure, external elements that can be accessed, and any available roof space, subfloor or basement areas. We also observe visible plumbing and electrical condition for red flags. If the property is strata, we’ll note items in common areas that are visible during access, while recognising limits without full strata access.
We look for indicators of foundation or structural movement such as cracking patterns, uneven floors, door misalignment and signs of past repairs. In tightly built areas, foundations aren’t usually exposed, so our role is to assess visible symptoms and explain likely causes and risk level. If we find concerning movement indicators, we’ll recommend engaging a structural engineer for a definitive assessment.
Moisture can be a recurring issue in Chinatown due to older construction, bathrooms stacked between levels, balconies, and limited external exposure for drying. We look for staining, mould, efflorescence, swollen timbers, drummy tiles and failed sealants, then consider likely sources such as shower recess leaks, balcony drainage or roof/gutter problems. We’ll outline the probable cause and the urgency of follow-up.
Booking speed depends on access arrangements and current demand, but we prioritise pre-purchase timeframes where contracts and cooling-off periods are involved. Once access is confirmed with the agent or owner, we complete the inspection and provide clear findings you can act on straight away. Call ACE Building and Pest Inspections on 0413 163 187 and we’ll help schedule the soonest suitable time.
Still have questions?
Get in TouchChoose ACE Building and Pest Inspections for a building inspection that focuses on structure, safety and hidden defects common in Chinatown’s older and mixed-use buildings. Call 0413 163 187 to organise an inspection in 3000.