- Yahoo News Australia ran a feature with me on what they called the “wild west” of WA’s building industry — the fact that we’re one of the only states in the country without a mandated independent inspector on new builds.
- In over five years of inspecting brand-new homes, I have not signed off on a single defect-free new build. Not one.
- Without independent eyes on the job, insurance companies walk away from non-compliant work every single time — leaving you to pay for the fix out of pocket.
- An independent building inspection isn’t a “nice to have” in WA. Right now, it’s the only thing standing between you and a builder’s clipboard checking itself.
“WA is one of the only states that doesn’t have anybody check the job. Builders argue that’s the job of the site supervisor — but the supervisor works for the builder. They are now cutting corners left, right and centre, knowing that no surveyor, no one, is going to check it out.”
— Russell McCarthy, as featured in Yahoo News Australia
When Yahoo Rang, I Wasn’t Surprised
Back in October 2024 I got a call from Sophie Coghill at Yahoo News Australia. She’d been watching the TikToks I post from inspections — the unfiltered, on-site footage of what I’m actually finding in Perth homes — and one clip in particular had stopped her. A primary roof beam in a brand-new build, sitting against the brickwork with absolutely no fixings. Nothing tying it down. Just resting there, holding up half a roof, while the frame itself sat off-centre from the plan.
She asked me whether it was a one-off.
I had to be straight: it wasn’t. As I told her, it was “a complete blatant disregard for downward force loads” — the worst case being the pier cracks under load and the whole thing comes down.
The article that ran — “Tradie’s alarming discovery at new build exposes costly problem for Aussie homeowners: ‘Wild West'” — pulled back the curtain on something I’d been saying for years. The way new builds get signed off in Western Australia is broken. And homeowners are the ones picking up the tab.
This isn’t the first time my work has ended up in the press, either. Channel 9 ran a piece on the structural defects I keep finding across Perth. RAC featured me on Perth’s most common building defects. And Nova FM ran our radio campaign earlier this year telling Perth listeners to know your building before they buy. The pattern is the same every time: when the media starts looking, the problem is bigger than anyone wants to admit.
The ‘Wild West’: Why WA Has No One Checking the Job
Here’s the bit most buyers don’t know.
In most other Australian states, a third-party inspector — someone who doesn’t work for the builder — checks the build at key stages. Slab. Frame. Lock-up. Practical completion. They sign off, and they’re independent of the company doing the work. (If you’re curious about how WA stacks up against the rest of the country, I’ve written about that in Are Interstate Building Inspections Different?)
In WA, that doesn’t happen.
The “compliance” checks on your new build are done by the site supervisor — and the site supervisor is paid by the builder. He works for them. His job is to keep the build moving, hit the deadlines, and protect the company’s margin. I’m not saying every supervisor is dodgy. I’m saying the system has no independent eyes on the job.
Take the umpire off the field and the game changes. Simple as that.
As I told Yahoo, builders in WA know nobody’s coming behind them. No surveyor, no third-party inspector, nobody. So corners get cut. That’s not me being dramatic — that’s me describing five years of practical completion inspections where I’ve documented the exact same shortcuts being made across the metro.
Five Years. Not One Defect-Free New Build.
This was the line in the Yahoo piece that got the most reaction, and it’s the part I want every Perth buyer reading this to absorb.
In the last five years, I have not inspected a single brand-new build that came back defect-free.
Not one.
We’re talking practical completion inspections on major-builder homes. Project homes. Custom builds. Renovations. Across every price bracket in Perth — from the first-home-buyer estates out through Alkimos, Baldivis and Piara Waters, right up to the half-a-million-dollar custom jobs in the western suburbs.
Every single one has had defects. Some minor — paint touch-ups, cabinetry alignment, a gap behind a tap. Some catastrophic — like the failing new build with water leaks, mould and NCC breaches I caught last year, or the job that was so bad the builder was forced to demolish a brand-new house.
When Yahoo published the piece, they called it “a can of worms that homeowners unknowingly take the brunt of.” That’s the right description. The defects themselves aren’t unusual. The fact that nobody else is catching them — that’s the problem.
What I’ve Been Finding (Just Last Month)
The Yahoo piece highlighted a few examples. Here’s a longer rundown of what’s been crossing my desk recently:
- An unsecured primary roof beam — no fixings, sitting against brickwork, supporting struts for the entire roof structure. Off-centre from the plan. Worst case: the pier cracks, the beam slips, the roof comes down.
- A four-centimetre steel beam bearing — that’s it. Four centimetres of a heavy steel beam resting on a wall. The engineering specifies considerably more. I’ve written a full breakdown of why beam bearing length matters and what the standards actually require, because this one comes up over and over.
- A renovated bathroom that flooded on first use — the client paid thousands for the reno. The waterproofing was wrong, in breach of AS 3740 waterproofing standards. Builder denied responsibility. Insurance wiped their hands. She had to rip the whole thing out and start again at her own cost.
- Undersized gutters and concealed water ingress — sounds boring until you’re sitting inside during a winter storm watching water hit the eaves, back up, and run into the soffit.
- Slab issues on reactive soils — the metro sits largely on reactive clays. When the slab hasn’t been poured to the engineer’s spec — and especially when it lacks the flexible bond breakers required where structures abut each other — the movement starts within the first few years and the cracking follows.
That’s roughly one month of inspections. One month.
Why Insurance Always Walks Away
This is the bit homeowners only find out the hard way, so I’ll say it as plainly as I can.
If your house contains non-compliant work — and you didn’t have an independent inspection at the time it was built — insurance will not pay. They’ll look at the defect, identify it as builder error, and walk. Every single time.
I’ve watched it happen far too often. The clients who come out of those situations okay are the ones who had a paper trail. An independent inspection report with photos, measurements, and references to the relevant Australian Standards. That document is what forces the conversation. Without it, you’re shouting at a brick wall.
I told Yahoo: in the cases where we’ve helped, the Building Commission has turned around to the builder and said, “this customer has made every effort to demonstrate non-compliance, and you ignored it flat out.” That only works because the customer had the evidence in hand on day one — which is exactly why I do everything I can to make our reports admissible as expert witness documentation in WA building disputes.
Site Supervisor vs. Independent Inspector — What’s Actually the Difference?
This is the question that came up most after the Yahoo article went live. Let me lay it out clean.
| Builder’s Site Supervisor | Independent Building Inspector | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays them | The builder | You, the buyer |
| Whose interest they protect | The build schedule, the company | The homeowner |
| Reports to | Builder management | You — directly |
| Incentive on defects | Keep the job moving | Document everything, no exceptions |
| Use as evidence with insurance / Building Commission | No (internal document) | Yes — admissible and weighty |
| Required by WA law | Yes (on the build) | No — and this is the problem |
| Background | Often a tradie or builder | Licensed builder + dedicated inspector training |
The bottom row of that table is the whole article. WA mandates the builder’s own person. WA does not mandate anyone working for you. Until the law changes, the only person standing on your side of the fence is the inspector you book yourself — and as I’ve written before, even then, not every inspector out there is the real deal.
What I’m Pushing For — and What You Can Do Right Now
I’ve been saying it publicly, and I said it again in the Yahoo piece: WA needs to mandate independent building inspections. Not as a recommendation. As law. With a clear framework, defined stages, and inspectors who are paid by the buyer — not the builder.
That’s the long game. It’ll take years.
The short game — the thing you can do this week — is book your own inspection.
- Buying an established home? A Building & Pest Inspection at $499 + GST is the standard service across Perth. It catches the structural, pest, moisture and compliance issues a visual walkthrough won’t.
- Building new? Don’t sign handover blind. A Practical Completion Inspection is the one that matters most. Once you’ve signed handover, all your leverage disappears — and the builder knows it. Get someone independent through before you sign, while the builder still has motivation to fix things.
- Want the deepest look possible? The Advanced Building & Pest Inspection with Thermographic Imaging at $699 + GST adds thermal imaging to the standard scan — picking up moisture, hidden leaks and dampness behind finished surfaces that a visual inspection physically can’t see. For renovated properties and new builds especially, the thermal layer earns its keep.
- Mid-build and worried something’s already not right? The Advanced PCI inspection brings the full forensic toolkit — laser level scan, thermal, drone roof imaging — to your handover.
If you’ve already moved in and you’re suspicious something’s not right? Don’t wait. The earlier we document it, the stronger your position with the builder and with your insurer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does WA not require independent building inspections?
WA legislation places compliance responsibility on the registered builder and their nominated site supervisor. There is no mandated third-party check at any stage of construction. I’m one of several industry voices calling on the WA government to mandate independent inspections at slab, frame, lock-up and practical completion stages — but until that happens, the only independent inspection on your build is the one you book and pay for yourself.
Can a Yahoo News article or media feature be used as evidence in a building dispute?
No — but the independent inspection report behind it can be. Media coverage helps establish a pattern; the admissible expert evidence is the inspection report itself, with photos, measurements, and references to the Australian Standards being breached.
How quickly should I book an inspection after my offer is accepted?
Within 2–3 business days of acceptance is ideal. Most contracts have a building inspection clause that expires within the first week. I deliver reports within 1 hour of inspection completion so you have time to act, negotiate, or walk away inside your cooling-off window.
Does an independent inspection cover me if I find defects after I’ve moved in?
Yes — the report becomes the paper trail. If you discover an issue post-settlement that was documented in our inspection, or that was concealed and only revealed itself afterwards, the report gives you a defensible position with both the builder and your insurer. Without that document, you’re starting from zero.
My Final Thoughts
I didn’t get into this game to be a media commentator. I got into it because I was a builder myself for years and I knew exactly what was getting waved through.
The Yahoo piece, the Channel 9 piece, the RAC piece, the Nova FM campaign — they’re all the same story told in different voices. WA’s build quality has a problem. The fix is independent eyes on the job, paid by the homeowner, not the builder.
Until the law catches up, your eyes are the ones that count.
Or mine, if you’d rather.
Book your inspection online — or give us a ring on 1300 23 63 63. Same-day inspections available across Perth and the Peel region.
— Russell McCarthy Licence BP104751 | Lead Inspector & Founder, WA Building Inspections Perth Real Builders. Better Inspections.