New Zealand sits across the boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates, and earthquakes are a fact of life in most regions. For house buyers, the useful question is not whether a property could face a quake but how well its construction is likely to cope with one.

Which features make an older house more vulnerable?

Heavy elements high up are a common concern. Unreinforced brick chimneys can crack or collapse in strong shaking, and many owners have removed them or replaced the upper section with a lightweight flue. Heavy concrete or clay tile roofs add weight compared with lightweight metal roofing. Brick veneer cladding can be affected if the ties linking it to the timber frame have corroded or were poorly installed in the first place.

Foundations matter just as much. Houses on unbraced piles may shift sideways in a quake, while older perimeter foundations of unreinforced concrete or masonry can crack. Split-level homes and houses on steep sites can behave in more complex ways, because different parts of the structure are supported at different heights.

What does an inspector check?

A general inspection looks for visible signs that affect seismic performance: the condition and bracing of piles, how the house is connected to its foundations, the state of chimneys, cracking in foundations and brick veneer, and floors that are out of level. A builders report may also note whether the hot water cylinder is secured, since an unrestrained cylinder can topple and cause water damage or a gas leak. Evidence of earlier earthquake repairs, such as patched cracks or re-levelled floors, is also worth recording.

Signs of past movement can be subtle. Diagonal cracks running from the corners of windows and doors, doors that no longer sit square in their frames, gaps opening between skirting boards and the floor, and cracks in tiled areas can all point to a house that has shifted at some stage. On their own, none of these proves earthquake damage, as settlement and timber shrinkage produce similar symptoms, but together they are worth investigating.

A general inspection is not a structural engineering assessment. Where concerns arise, the usual recommendation is for a structural engineer to review the specific issue and advise on options.

Do houses fall under the earthquake-prone building rules?

The national system for identifying and strengthening earthquake-prone buildings focuses mainly on commercial buildings and larger multi-unit residential buildings. Most standalone houses are outside its scope. That does not mean houses are immune to damage; it means owners are responsible for their own decisions about strengthening.

How do insurance and natural hazard cover work?

Residential buildings with private home insurance that includes fire cover generally also have natural hazard cover through the Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake, formerly known as EQC, up to a set limit. Private insurers are responsible beyond that, according to the terms of each policy. Insurers may ask about previous claims, unrepaired damage or features such as heavy chimneys, and outstanding issues can affect whether a property can be insured on normal terms. Buyers can ask the vendor for information about any past claims on the house. Where a claim was settled with cash rather than repairs, it is worth finding out whether the work was ever actually carried out, since unrepaired damage passes to the new owner along with the title.

Which upgrades are commonly recommended?

Securing the hot water cylinder, fixing tall furniture to walls, removing or strengthening chimneys, and adding bracing to subfloor piles are among the measures often suggested. Larger work, such as replacing a heavy roof or re-piling, tends to be considered alongside other renovations. Official agencies publish guidance on preparing a home for earthquakes, and a builder or engineer can advise on the specifics of an individual house.

Seismic risk also varies by region and by site. Ground conditions, slope and proximity to known fault lines all play a part, and the council’s hazard information is a sensible starting point for understanding a particular location.

Article 19 | Anchor: Building Inspection – https://www.jcconsultants.nz/prepurchase-building-inspectionv2

Where Asbestos Turns Up in Kiwi Houses

Asbestos was once prized as a cheap, durable and fire-resistant material, and it found its way into a wide range of building products used in New Zealand for decades. Homes built or renovated before about 2000 may contain it somewhere, often in places owners would never think to look.

The material is generally low risk when it is intact and left alone. The danger comes when it is drilled, cut, sanded, broken or allowed to deteriorate badly, releasing fibres that can be breathed in. Exposure is linked to serious lung diseases, including cancers, that can develop many years later. For that reason, asbestos matters most to anyone planning renovation, demolition or even routine maintenance that disturbs old materials.

Common locations in older homes include:

• textured or stippled ceilings, sometimes called popcorn ceilings
• fibre-cement cladding, soffits, fences and roofing sheets
• vinyl floor tiles and the backing of older sheet vinyl
• lagging around old pipes, boilers and flues
• wall linings in bathrooms, laundries and garages
• older electrical meter boards
• sheds, sleepouts and other outbuildings built from fibre-cement sheet

You can’t confirm asbestos by looking at it. Many asbestos-free products look identical to those that contain it, and some homes have a mixture of both from different eras of renovation. The only reliable method is to have samples analysed by an accredited laboratory, collected by someone trained to do it safely.

Sampling itself is a small but delicate job. Breaking off a piece of suspect material can release fibres, so it is usually done by a trained surveyor who dampens the area, wears protective equipment, seals the sample and makes good the spot it came from before anything goes to the laboratory.

Surveys come in different forms. A management survey identifies materials that could be disturbed during normal occupation and upkeep. A refurbishment survey looks more closely at the parts of the building affected by planned work, and a demolition survey is more intrusive again, since the building will not be lived in afterwards. The right choice depends on what you intend to do with the house.

Removal is tightly regulated, and whether a licensed removalist is needed depends on the type and quantity of material involved. WorkSafe New Zealand publishes guidance for homeowners and trades on its website, covering safe handling and the rules around removal.

Tradespeople have a stake in this as well. An electrician drilling through an old meter board, a plumber cutting into lagged pipework or a builder pulling down a ceiling can all be exposed if nobody has checked first. Sharing test results with anyone working on the house protects their health as much as yours.

For buyers, the practical step is awareness. A general pre-purchase building inspection is a visual assessment, so it may mention materials that could contain asbestos, but it won’t confirm their presence without sampling. If you plan to renovate soon after moving in, adding asbestos testing to your due diligence lets you factor potential removal costs into your offer rather than discovering them halfway through a kitchen refit.

Until materials are tested, the safest approach is to leave them undisturbed. That means no drilling into old ceilings, no water-blasting fibre-cement roofs and no ripping up old vinyl to see what lies beneath. Painting over sound fibre-cement surfaces is sometimes used to keep them stable, but any work that creates dust is best left until results are back.