What does a technical inspection cost?

It is important to be aware of the costs that you have to pay for a technical inspection. Imagine, after a long process of viewings, bids and moving in, you finally have your cottage and you suddenly notice a crack in your ceiling. You thought that the whole process was already so expensive and that a technical inspection might be unnecessary, leaving you now with baked goods and a ceiling that needs to be replaced.

This could have been avoided with a technical inspection, but what does a technical inspection cost? And what do those costs depend on? We have listed everything for you so you know everything about a technical inspection and its costs.

What is a technical inspection?

A building survey, also called a technical inspection, is an inspection that checks the technical condition of a house. A specialist passes by with all kinds of measuring equipment to check the condition of the house piece by piece. He then draws up a valuation report of any defects. You get a clear overview in the architectural report of what needs to be replaced, the severity of it and what the possible costs will be.

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What are the costs of a technical inspection?

The usual factors that determine the cost of a technical inspection lead to an amount of between €275 and €425. However, there are also other factors such as; the contents, area, location of the property and different building inspectors in the Netherlands. These factors influence the cost of your inspection.

But more factors influence the price. In particular, the equipment with which an inspector comes to inspect your home makes a price difference. For example, are they equipped with a ladder, moisture meters, ventilation meters, and video scope? Or do they just come with a tape measure and good humour? As you can imagine, this does make a difference if you are wondering ‘what a technical inspection costs’.

There are also external factors that influence the cost of a technical inspection. Consider factors such as ‘how fast can a building surveyor come by’ or ‘how long does it take to complete a building survey report’. All are important factors that influence the cost of a technical inspection.

Factors that influence costs

Property contents

Of course, the cost of the technical inspection in the Netherlands is influenced by the contents of the house. Often, the parties measure how many cubic metres a particular house is and based on that, the cost of a technical inspection is calculated. The moment the cubic metres passes that amount, a customised quote will need to be prepared to calculate what the inspection will cost.

Surfende area of the property

The surface area also affects the cost of the technical inspection. You might think the surface area should be about the same as the contents of the house but this is slightly different. A technical inspection also looks at any cracks in the ceiling, for example. The moment the contents are large, the ceilings are probably also high and the expert will have to put more effort into analysing everything. So the area of the house greatly affects the cost of the technical inspection.

The area is not just the amount of square metres, but also the types of surfaces. The technical inspection also looks at any crawl spaces and this also affects the cost of a technical inspection.

Distance to be covered (call-out charges)

Of course, the distance to be covered also affects the cost of the technical inspection. This is included and taken into account in the quote.

Equipment technical inspection

In addition, the equipment the inspector in the Netherlands brings is also a factor and therefore also affects the cost of the technical inspection. Of course, all areas need to be measured and viewed during the technical inspection where you need tools like a moisture meter, ventilation meter and ladder etc. The more and better the equipment, the higher the cost of the technical inspection.

So the exact cost of a technical inspection can vary. However, to give you an idea of the cost of a technical inspection for a house with a certain content, we have provided an example below with the average prices.

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Additional charge for technical inspection

Above, you can see that the content of your home, therefore, affects the cost of the technical inspection. Above you can see the approximate difference and average prices for a house with a certain content. The cost of a technical inspection for a 450 m³ home rises approximately between €30 & €40 per 100 m³.

Technical inspection with urgency?

A technical inspection can also be carried out urgently. Of course, you will then have to pay more. In some cases where your legal cooling-off period is about to expire, this can be a big saving. The cost of a technical inspection is about €50 more, but you will have the report within 24 hours.

What does a completion inspection cost?

The cost of a complete inspection for new construction is influenced by several factors. The three biggest factors are time, location, and size. the moment you buy a newly-built house and the renovation are almost finished, a building surveyor should come by to inspect the newly-built house for completion. This is then the completion inspection and its cost varies from party to party.

In a completion inspection, you choose the party that will perform the inspection and together with the contractor, you schedule an appointment for the completion. On the day of the completion inspection, you meet with the contractor and the surveyor to go through the new-build home together and go over all the points.

Once the inspector has noted down all the points, he draws up a police report. The report lists the points of the house that are not in order, should there be any. From then on, the contractor usually has 2 weeks to repair the damage.

Factors that determine costs

• The speed of the appointment is a factor in determining the cost of a complete inspection. During the busy summer months when a lot of renovations take place, the parties carrying out technical inspections or completion inspections are naturally very busy as well. The cost of the completion inspection is also affected by speed.
• Location also affects the cost of the completion inspection. This is because the inspector charges travelling expenses in the final cost. Depending on how far away the new-build home is from the inspector, the cost of the completion inspection is determined.
• The size of the newly built house is also a factor in determining the cost of the completion inspection. Should the house be huge in terms of volume in cubic metres, this differs in the cost compared to a new-build house that is a bit smaller.

Is a technical inspection required?

A technical inspection is not mandatory (except in the above situations), nor do you have to incur the cost of the inspection if you don’t want to. On the other hand, buying a house is not just a step you are going to invest a lot of money in it. Cheap is expensive and if you look at the cost of a technical inspection compared to the cost you would have to incur in case of any repair cost of a renovation.

Another useful reason to have a technical inspection done about costs is for a renovation. Imagine you are going to do an extension on your house but the construction collapses due to rotten wood that is not visible, and you are even further from home. A technical inspection tells you immediately where the weak points of the house are and whether it is solid enough to cope with an extension. Of course, a technical inspection costs something, but it will eliminate other potential costs.

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Isn’t a real estate agent enough already?

An estate agent often accompanies you to viewings and is certainly knowledgeable about houses, but that is certainly not enough if you have doubts about the condition of the house. A real estate agent himself will soon advise you to have a technical inspection done, after all, he is not an expert. Estate agents do often carry out valuations, but a technical inspection goes further than just a visual check. The estate agent’s eye is not a good reason to avoid the costs of a technical inspection.

Comparing technical inspections?

The cost of a technical inspection varies and so it is important to compare parties who do technical inspections. Each party charges its rate and the costs are also seasonal. In summer, requests for technical inspections are busier and often more expensive.

There are a huge number of companies that can carry out a technical inspection, so the costs vary. So make sure you compare well before making your choice. At HuisAssist, we compare all parties for technical inspections free of charge and without obligation. Compare and receive 2 up-to-date quotes from the most advantageous parties.