What should a villa inspection cover in Bali?

Most Bali villa purchases involve one viewing, in the middle of the day, in dry weather, guided by the person selling it. That is not an inspection.

Engage someone independent

An architect or building surveyor you engaged, not one the agent introduced, for a few hundred dollars against a purchase of hundreds of thousands.

Allow a full day, and go back at different times — after rain, in the evening — because drainage and noise reveal themselves on a schedule.

Bring the certificate, the drawings and the permits, and check the building against them rather than against your impression.

The documents first

PBG, issued, matching the building that physically exists.

SLF, the certificate of fitness. Without it the building is not lawfully occupiable and it is materially harder to sell.

As-built drawings, if they exist, showing what was actually constructed.

PBB receipts, current, because arrears attach to the land.

A building larger than its approval, or with no approval, is a liability you would be buying. Regularising is sometimes possible and sometimes — where zoning does not permit what was built — it is not.

Water, which is where Bali buildings fail

Run every tap, shower and toilet. Check pressure at the highest point of the building, which is where it fails.

Test hot water everywhere, from cold.

Flood the shower trays and wet areas and leave them. Come back and look at the ceiling below.

Look at every ceiling for staining, which is the evidence of a leak whether or not it is leaking today.

Check the roof and the guttering, and ask what the roof is and when it was last done. Alang-alang thatch has a finite life and replacement is a significant job.

Inspect drainage around the building and across the site. If it has not rained, run hoses. Bali rainfall is not gentle and inadequate drainage is the most expensive defect to fix after the fact.

The pool

Does the water level hold overnight? Mark it and return.

Surface condition — cracks, staining, rough patches, failing grout.

Pump, filtration, skimmers, returns and lighting, all run and checked.

When was it last resurfaced? An unknown answer means it is due, and that is a quantifiable reason to reduce an offer.

Electrical and mechanical

PLN connection capacity, on the meter and the bill, against what the property actually runs. Undersized supply trips under load in peak season with guests in residence.

Every socket, switch and light, individually.

Every aircon unit — cooling properly, draining properly, quiet.

Earthing and safety cutouts, tested.

Water source, capacity and cost. On the Bukit especially, establish whether it is mains, a permitted bore or trucked, what it costs annually and what happens in August.

The septic system. Where it is, what type, when last emptied, and whether there is any smell or soggy ground around the soakaway.

Structure and fabric

Cracks, and whether they are cosmetic or structural. This is what the surveyor is for.

Termite evidence — mud tubes on foundations and walls, hollow-sounding timber, discarded wings, doors that suddenly stick. Ask what treatment was done and when.

Timber condition throughout, particularly roof framing.

Every door and window, opening, closing, locking and sealing against rain.

Mould, which indicates a ventilation or water problem rather than a cleaning one.

External render, paint and the state of anything metal, especially near the coast.

The site and the surroundings

Walk the boundary with the certificate. Advertised area, certificate area and fenced area routinely differ.

Access, and whether the route from the public road is documented or merely used.

Setbacks — road, boundary, river, coastal — drawn against the parcel.

Noise, at different times. Proximity to a bar, a junction, a construction site or a mosque affects reviews permanently.

Neighbours and what they might build, which determines whether your view survives.

Flood history for the specific street, asked of a neighbour rather than the seller.

The operation, if it has been let

Two to three years of month-by-month revenue and costs, with tax filings and bank statements behind them.

Existing tenancy, management agreement and forward bookings, in full.

Staff, how many, how long employed, and what has accrued.

Licensing status, and whether zoning permits commercial accommodation at all.

What to do with what you find

Get quotes. A defect with a contractor's number attached is a negotiating position; a defect described in conversation is an opinion.

Make the offer itemised: asking price, less the roof, less the pool resurface, less the PBG regularisation, less the PBB arrears. That is very hard to argue with and very easy to accept.