2,405 reviews
AI reviews summary
Pros
Verdict
Overall, consumer sentiment towards Jim's Building Inspections is largely positive, with numerous clients commending individual franchisees for their thoroughness, professional communication, and prompt service. Many reviewers note that the detailed reports and helpful advice provided valuable support during property purchases and construction stages. However, a subset of reviews highlights negative experiences regarding missed property defects, communication challenges following complaints, and perceived inconsistencies in report quality depending on the specific operator.
Todd helped me with a Building and Pest report in SYD NSW. He was very thorough and detailed in the report and called me the following day to run over the inspection outcome. Todd was also very flexible with timing and worked with the realestate to organise timings so I didnt need too. I couldnt recommend Todd enough and will give him a bell for any future inspections I need
I contacted Brenton Lord in Munno Para and requested a building inspection on very short notice. He fitted me in the next day and had the report sent to me that night. Really appreciated his quick response. He was also available to chat about the report after hrs and answered all my questions. Would recommend him to anyone looking for a building inspection.
Reviews with attachments
- +3
We recently engaged Daniel Hills of Jim's Building inspections for a new construction in Regional North of Melbourne. Daniel is highly competent, very professional and experienced inspector who provided comprehensive reports on our build at the 5 stages of construction. Daniel was available at short notice and provided the reports the same day… Read more · 1
with an in-depth review of the build status. This provided great support and peace of mind in discussions with our builder to allow us to identify issues early and allowed timely rectification by the builder before progressing on to the next stage. At no time did the defects identified hold up the build process and there was clearly stated requirements that we used to advise the builder on corrective actions. Daniel also supported any defects with references to the appropriate legislation, standards and guides to ensure corrective actions met to industry standards. Overall, we believe having Daniel on-board saved us money in early rectification and before the next stage was started that the builder could have covered up the defects. The money we spent with engaging an independent inspector we believe ensured the builder lifted their game in ensuring some defects were picked up and rectified prior to the inspection. By contrast the builder's inspector provided a single page of their inspection as a sign-off only, where no detail was provided by them. Our belief is the Builder's inspector works for the builder only, so having an independent inspector certainly ensured a higher standard was achieved and maintained. I highly recommend Daniel Hills of Jim's Building inspections as a great build partner for any new build and for existing constructions.
- +1
We engaged Bunna from Knox to conduct inspections throughout all stages of our new build in Springvale South, and we couldn't be happier with the service provided. From the slab stage through to the final handover inspection, every report was detailed, thorough, and easy to understand. Any defects or concerns were clearly identified and explained.… Read more · 1
Bunna was professional, knowledgeable, responsive, and always willing to answer our questions. Having an independent expert oversee the build gave us great peace of mind and helped ensure our home was constructed to a high standard. We highly recommend Bunna to anyone building a new home and wanting reassurance that their investment is being properly protected throughout the construction process.
John Ivanhoe is Highly professional. We highly recommend John for Building inspections Show reply
- +4
Terrible experience, did not have any of the defects on the images (decayed foundations, internal waterproofing membrane, tiles not even stuck down in laundry and toilet) listed below on the report which made it difficult to get out of the contract (let me know and i can show you the report). Luckily had another inspection which showed brought to… Read more
light to defects. When concerns were raised the inspector was combative and used AI to generate email responses - apparently inspections are only to an Australian standard which is only visual and not an in depth inspection. Looks elsewhere for your inspection
Update - contacted jims by phone and email and they do not even respond regarding the blatant mistakes they've made in the inspection
- +4
I engaged this company for a home inspection, expecting visible defects or areas of concern to be identified so I could make informed decisions before settlement. Several obvious issues—such as missing grout beneath the shower rail and a pinhole leak in the laundry sink—were not reported. These were visible and did not require specialist… Read more
qualifications to notice.
When I raised these concerns after moving in, the company became defensive and dismissive rather than addressing the issues or providing helpful guidance. While the inspection followed industry standards, I felt the service lacked thoroughness, and the way my concerns were handled was frustrating and unprofessional.
Because of this, I cannot recommend their services. Potential clients should be aware of the limitations of the inspection and carefully review what is included in the Pre-Inspection Agreement.
Latest follow-ups
Did an excellent job inspecting my property. Received a very detailed report of condition of inside the property. Show reply
Follow-up · The booking process was simple. They did not inspect the outside of the property or the car park area.
I bought property without inspection in 2023. 3 years later my house in still under warranty and having too many issues and i booked jims building inspection berwick and honestly mohammed is a lifer saver structural engineer. mohammed checked house… Read more · 1
from bottom to top and the building report he made was absolutely helpful and finally builder agree to buy house from me . Highly Recommend mohammed . Thankyou very much Brother. I am So happy god bless you and your family
Follow-up · i paid 660$ it took around 2.5 hour the issues everywhere such as retaining walls, both bathroom leaking behind tiles, outside walls start crecking, no insulation on roof, and many more
DONE and Quick too – Hey, too easy! Job done no messing, reports on time. Helpful on all inquiries
Follow-up · You have it all wrong! I have never used Jims. My report was on Flight Centre who quite frankly were a total cock-up, with a major error that cost me dearly financially and with other unintended consequences. Great stress and nearly stopped my holiday before it had began!
In-depth reviews
My husband and I recently engaged Peter Phokos from Jim’s Building Inspections for a building and pest inspection and honestly we could not have been more impressed. Peter was incredibly professional, thorough and responsive from start to finish. We were hoping to move quickly with putting forward an offer on the property and Peter genuinely went… Read more · 1
above and beyond to accommodate that. He arranged to attend the property promptly and had the full report turned around to us by 9:00am the following morning, which was incredibly appreciated.
The level of detail in the report gave us real confidence that every aspect of the property had been carefully assessed. Peter also took the time to speak with us and answer questions in a way that was practical, honest and easy to understand.
Ultimately, we decided not to proceed with the property, however Peter’s report and guidance were invaluable in helping us make an informed and confident decision.
I genuinely don’t think we’ll use anyone else again and we would both highly recommend Peter to anyone looking for a trustworthy, responsive and meticulous building inspector.
I cannot recommend Daniel highly enough as a building inspector. Daniel inspected 3 properties for me, and on every occasion his work was meticulous, thorough, and incredibly detailed. He didn’t miss a thing. What truly set him apart was his ability to identify serious issues that were not disclosed in the existing building reports, ensuring I… Read more · 1
had the full picture before making any decisions.
One property in particular had defects so significant that Daniel strongly advised me not to proceed with the purchase. In hindsight, that advice alone saved me at least $50k in potential repairs, an outcome that speaks volumes about his integrity and commitment to his clients’ best interests.
After each inspection, Daniel took the time to call and explain his findings clearly, then followed up with comprehensive written reports, detailed notes, and clear photographs to support everything he identified. His communication was excellent, and I always felt informed and confident moving forward.
Daniel’s professionalism, attention to detail, and honesty made an enormous difference in my property journey. If you want an inspector who is diligent, trustworthy, and genuinely thorough, Daniel is exactly who you want!!
Find out how Jim's Building Inspections compares to other Home Inspection Companies
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I had a building inspector come to do a building and pest inspection on a house I'm selling. It was [Name Removed] from Inverloch/Philip Island in Victoria. In his report he took many pictures of the ugliest parts of the house like underneath the house, to make it look like there were more issues than there was. He took pictures of a tangled… Read more
mess of wires under the house that were obviously old disused telephone wires and an antenna wire and said it could potentially be dangerous and is a safety risk.
He said there was debris in the gutters which there was none when I looked into them myself, nothing that would prevent water flow. He said he couldn't survey the rear side of the house due to a locked gate. It wasn't locked. Just a chain needed to be raised off a nail.
He said that the wall coverings such as plasterboard and wood board were considered obstructions to getting into the walls to observe them and requested that the the plasterboard and wood panelling be removed for access.
He made assumptions about big portions of the main house that were constructed back in the 1960s-1970s and said that he had suspicions that they were constructed without a building permit. It wasn't mandatory to have building permits in those days for small alterations.
Basically he made so many assumptions in his report about asbestos and "major structural issues", when he didn't check anything factual, just a whole lot of referrals to other "building area-specific experts" who are more specific in their field such as engineers, plumbers, electricians and pest professionals who are separate to him, meaning more costs for the potential purchaser.
Anyway he cost me a purchaser due to his over dramatic perception of the house I am selling. His report wasn't worth the paper it was written on. He came across as lazy and deceptive given the issues I have with him listed above.
Well one day I was at the house fixing a few things to stop any further water from going under the house.......and who turned up? [Name Removed] from Jim's. I found out he was there doing an inspection for the next purchaser too but he just used his previous report for the first purchaser and added to that second report, the section of the house he thought was locked and that he thought he couldn't get to.
He was there for only 10 minutes, so he was ripping the second purchaser off by borrowing 95% of information off from his previous report but charging his new client for a full building and pest inspection for $770.
Since the first initial report, there had been further works completed on the property to fix up and rectify many of the issues he stated were present in his first report.
I wouldn't recommend anyone use [Name Removed] for anything. He lies and says he is qualified to make assumptions.
Hi Carlton123, Thank you for taking… Read more
Positive reviews
We used Nick Delo from Jim’s Building Inspections (Henley Beach) for our building and pest pre purchase inspection. He was very thorough and his report was very comprehensive. Show reply
I had Terry conduct an inspection for me and cannot rate him highly enough! Terry explained the process on the phone, organised access and communicated with me throughout . As a nervous first home buyer he absolutely put me at ease, would absolutely recommend him to everybody ! Show reply
Patrick attended our property promptly for a building and pest inspection. Patrick was efficient, professional, great attention to detail and made the process seamless. I would highly suggest Patrick to anyone looking for a building and Pest service. Show reply
Negative reviews
Review for Jay - Pallara, QLD branch. I highly recommend avoiding this service if you want actual peace of mind regarding asbestos in your home. I hired them to inspect my property, expecting a professional and definitive assessment. Instead, I received an inconclusive report full of caveats. The inspector used "inaccessibility" as a blanket… Read more
excuse for not checking wall cavities or the roof properly. Essentially, I paid a premium for someone to act as a courier for the specific samples I had to point out myself.
To make matters worse, there was blatant dishonesty regarding the pricing. The inspector claimed the laboratory charged him $70 + GST per sample and framed a reduction to $60 as a "gesture of goodwill." I called the exact lab he used, and their standard rate is $55 including GST.
I spent close to $600 for nothing and now I'm hiring another company to do a proper inspection.
Hi Pietro, we are sorry you were not… Read more
Do not trust any inspection made by Jims Marrickville. Basic issues missed or ignored. Major sub floor damage and pipe damage that is in plain sight and obvious to a layperson not mentioned in the report. Structual floor damage not called out. Also note that all his 4.5 5 star reviews appeared on the same day with the location as Bali, so clearly attempting to cover pervious bad reviews.
Hi Matt, sorry to hear you are not happy, can you please call 131546 to discuss.
Absolutely terrible. Do not use Jim’s Building Inspections. Charlie from Jim's Building Inspections - Cherrybrook noted a total of 17 defects, some of which we had to request be added as we were aware that they existed from a previous site visit. The defects noted in this report is a stark comparison to the 167 defects noted but us (the owners). … Read more
Many of the omitted defects were not minor in nature and were safety hazards, including bubbled and lifted floorboards, screws and shelves missing from cabinetry, protruding rusty nails in carpet, balustrades missing screws and not properly secured.
Pair this lack of detail and effort to the rude and aggressive manor to which we were treated as female customers. Including the fact that when reporting the issues to Jim’s Group Customer Service we were fined off and told it’s up to the individual franchise as to whether they want to issue a refund (which obviously they wouldn’t, even though it was offered at one point before being retracted). We were left out of pocket with a very poor inspection report and now Jim’s isn’t even bothering to respond to our emails. Do not use Jim’s Building Inspections, so many other businesses out there.
Hi Melissa, We appreciate your… Read more (+3 replies)
Recent reviews
We engaged with Todd from Jims Building Inspections from Glenmore Park, who conducted a building/pest Inspection. Excellent customer service called within minutes of doing a quote, conducted inspection within 24 hrs and received a comprehensive report within same day. Todd is very professional and expirenced inspector. Would use his service again and recommend him anyone. Show reply
Mohamed was very good with organising the date/time of inspection for Yarragon property quickly in my anticipation. His report was thorough and extremely comprehensive. We chatted after for further clarification. Wonderful service and could not speak more highly. The property basically "failed" and so the purchase fell through but I have since found another, so the next journey begins! Thanks Mohamed. Show reply
Find out how Jim's Building Inspections compares to other Home Inspection Companies
Know better, choose better.
Had Aaron Wood come out and do a pre-purchase inspection for Asbestos. When I tell you we were on a time crunch, Aaron did everything possible to help us. He was very knowledgeable and gave some recommendations based on his experience. Would definitely recommend Show reply
I was very pleased with the service provided by Brenton Lord. He was efficient with excellent communication. He was very thorough and paid very close attention to my specific concerns. A quick and comprehensive report was provided. I would certainly recommend him. Show reply
It was great having Phil do our inspection on our new home He was very thorough and explained anything we needed to know. I would use him again if needed and I highly recommend his service. Very efficient ! Show reply
Sheraz contacted me immediately after I requested a quote. His price was good and he was available to attend very quickly to do a dilapidation report. He provided the report quickly and was great to deal with. Show reply
Have been using James Bourke from Newcastle for all my pre purchase reports for the last 8 months. They are very thorough reports and gives my purchasers confidence in what they are buying before coming forward with an offer. Bradley Page. Dowling Property Group. Show reply
Aaron was very friendly and professional, and helpful with any questions I had. Quick response after submitting a request for a quote, and quick turnaround to get the inspection done. All in all a very well managed operation, highly recommend. Show reply
Ankit Gadhi was highly professional throughout the building inspection process. He conducted a thorough inspection and delivered a detailed report in record time. His expertise, efficiency, and clear communication made the entire experience seamless. I would not hesitate to use his services again in the future and highly recommend him to others. Show reply
The house I purchased was inspected by their company, but they failed to detect any problems. After we took over the house, we found water leakage points that they had missed. After we hired someone to fix the issues and called them to explain the situation, they claimed it was not their responsibility. Then what on earth were they inspecting for?… Read more
If they can't even detect such obvious problems, what else can they possibly check? Therefore, never hire them for house inspections as they are simply unprofessional.
Hi Zeng, sorry to hear you were… Read more
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Hi Rebecca, Were sorry to hear your… Read more