Little Italy’s mix of older Carlton terraces, shop-top apartments and renovated hospitality spaces can hide serious defects behind plaster, tiling and fit-outs—especially cracking, damp and roof drainage faults that affect safety and resale.
Answer a few quick questions to receive your personalised quote for Little Italy
Complete this step to continue
Our comprehensive service includes everything you need to make an informed decision about your property.
We inspect internal and external cracking patterns (including around openings, cornices and party walls) and look for signs of ongoing movement versus historic settlement. This matters in Little Italy’s older masonry buildings where movement can indicate footing issues, water-related ground changes or altered load paths from renovations.
We check visible roof framing, roof coverings, flashings and roof drainage points (including valleys and box gutters where accessible). In tightly spaced terraces and shop-top buildings, poor drainage or failing flashings can drive water into walls and ceilings, leading to rot, corrosion and major internal damage.
We assess signs of damp at lower walls, skirtings, adjacent to wet areas and around external openings, and identify likely entry points. Older brickwork and rendered facades in Carlton can trap moisture, and repeated patching can hide the extent of damage until it becomes structural.
We look for indicators of removed or modified walls, undersized lintels and unsupported openings, especially in renovated kitchens, open-plan dining areas and commercial fit-outs. Unapproved or poorly executed alterations can create sagging, cracking and safety hazards that require urgent rectification.
We inspect bathrooms, laundries and kitchens for waterproofing breakdown, deteriorated grout/silicone, swelling to trims and ceiling staining. In apartment-style layouts and older conversions common around Little Italy, leaks can affect multiple lots and trigger costly rectification and compliance issues.
While a full compliance test requires licensed trades, we identify visible warning signs such as improvised wiring routes, heat damage, non-weatherproof exterior points, active leaks, corrosion and unsafe penetrations. In mixed-use buildings, ad-hoc service upgrades are a common pathway to major safety defects.
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
Get Major Building Defects as part of a comprehensive inspection package
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our inspection service.
In Little Italy, we often see movement-related cracking in older masonry, water ingress from complex roof drainage, and moisture issues in renovated wet areas. Mixed-use and repeated refurbishments can also leave behind compromised structural elements or unsafe service changes. A major defects inspection focuses on problems that affect safety, structural integrity, and expensive-to-fix building performance—not superficial wear and tear.
Yes. We inspect apartments, terraces and mixed-use buildings, noting constraints like limited roof access, shared walls and service risers. We focus on major defect risk areas such as roof drainage, moisture transfer between tenancies, altered load-bearing elements and visible safety hazards. If access to certain areas isn’t available on the day, we’ll document limitations and advise what additional access or specialist checks are worth arranging.
Where access allows, we assess indicators of footing movement and inspect subfloor spaces for moisture, ventilation issues, timber condition and supporting structure. In some Little Italy properties, subfloors may be partially inaccessible due to extensions, low clearance or infill construction. In those cases we rely on visible building movement signs and advise targeted follow-up options, such as an engineer’s assessment where warranted.
They can be. Party walls can conceal moisture paths, previous fire damage repairs, and movement that presents as cracking along the boundary line. Renovations on either side can also affect load paths and roof drainage alignment. During the inspection we look for cracking patterns, damp indicators, roof junction issues and any visible signs that alterations have impacted the shared structure, then outline practical next steps.
Yes. We separate major defects and safety hazards from lower-priority maintenance items, and explain why an issue is considered serious. Where a defect suggests ongoing damage—like active water ingress, structural movement, or unsafe electrical indicators—we’ll recommend timely action and the appropriate specialist trade or engineer. This helps you plan repairs, manage risk, and make informed decisions before settlement or renovation.
Still have questions?
Get in TouchSpeak with ACE Building and Pest Inspections on 0413 163 187 for a thorough, Little Italy–aware assessment of structural defects, moisture damage and safety hazards that can materially affect your property.