VITAL FAQ Page

The homes carpets are dirty, what will the report say about that?

The VITAL report does not cover minor maintenance issues or patent defects. There will be no mention of this in the report. The reports terms and conditions spell this out clearly.

There is a mark on the post form counter top in the kitchen. What now?

This in the opinion of HouseCheck this is not a VITAL issue and will not be reported on. Once again our terms and conditions are clear about this.

The report identifies that the geyser has been installed illegally. What now?

Illegally installed geysers can be very dangerous. If you don’t believe us then take a look at this video. We would report on what is wrong with the installation in the report and your owner could get a quote to fix it.

How expensive is this report?

The cost of the report depends on the number of rooms on the property. You can get a quote within an hour by filling in this form. For a two bedroom house, you would expect to pay around R2 000 and for a 4 bedroom, two lounge property you can expect to pay around R 4 400. HouseCheck offers a generous 25% discount for the cost of the report if the report is paid upfront and the HouseCheck board is displayed on the property.

Who pays for the IPCA or Vital Report?

Mostly it is the seller but we have had agents pay for the report on an exclusive mandate as well. Ultimately it is up to the parties.

What happens if the seller or agent can’t afford to pay for the report?

There are a few options. Firstly HouseCheck accepts credit cards and then person paying could put the payment on their budget account. If they are maxed out or don’t want to follow that option they can enter into a contract with HouseCheck to pay when the sale goes through. This deferred payment is conditional on the HouseCheck board being attached to the street-facing wall of the property. In this case, a copy of this contract must be lodged with the transferring attorney by the agent with instructions to pay HouseCheck.

How long does it take to do a VITAL report?

The inspector can spend up to three hours on site. The report will be available within one working day of the inspection. This is subject to payment being received or a signed agreement put in place for the transferring attorney to make the payment.

What does the vital report cover?

How can the HouseCheck IPCA report garner new sales for the agent?

Firstly agents who recommend that sellers get IPCA reports are positioning themselves as fair, open and transparent people. The sort of people one can trust.

HouseCheck also offers an option to electronically store the IPCA reports in the cloud which are accessible by buyers. These reports carry the estate agents details, thus acting as a calling card for the deal.