QLD Is this considered a safety issue and required a builder

I have an IP in North Brisbane. It was tenanted for 1.5 years. When the tenant moved out, PM inspected and insisted that there are some safety issues to be dealt with -- a crack in a concrete wall that is at the back of the lower storey (it's a Queenslander with 1 storey above the storage). It's not a retaining wall and is not supporting anything.

Based on where the wall is (unlikely to be used/accessed other than for storage) and that it being a thick concrete wall, I think PM exaggerated the risk. In the worst case, if I need to do anything, it looks like a quick fix for a tradie/handyman (I'm interstate).

PM stopped advertising and only put it back after I said I'd look for a new PM and talked to their Principal PM. What do you guys think and recommend?

 

If it fell, it could take off a child’s toe or an adult’s toe.

Due to the paint pattern, it’s not immediately obvious, either.

A kid could stand on it and it could break away.

I would get it fixed. Or remove that section.

 

Also, doesn’t need a builder. Maybe a brickie if you rebuild that section, or a skilled handy person.

Or a handyperson to remove it.

 

A couple of hours for a handyman to remove and relay a few new blocks.

Did someone drive into it?

 

I can't see what's behind the wall but if you didn't want to spend much money, you could just get a handyman to remove the broken loose part if it doesn't affect anything else.

 

Ask your Landlords insurer what they think of it, send them extensive photos and get in writing back if they deem it a risk or not, that's where it will get interesting.

 

I've got a question. I'm from Melbourne so never seen a house standing on tall exposed stumps (my properties are sitting on stumps, but they are short (1m-ish) and under the house with no access.

What happens if someone drives and knock those two big stumps? The whole house comes crashing down?
How's that not a major risk?
I'd expect that something that holds the whole house will be protected from a likely occurrence.

 

The PM has identified a hazard and notified you. That is their job. They took the listing off market while they notified you. Again, probably good management practice.

Now the entire responsibility rests with you.

Get quotes to either remove the affected sections of the wall, remove it entirely, or repair. PM should have a handyman to give quotes.

Should you choose to do nothing, your insurance won’t cover you (known hazard) in the event of a resulting injury.

 

Cool.
Thanx for that.
Steel beam support make sense.

Just looked a bit scary in the picture. Kinda large span and tall stumps.

 

is that the house foundation behind the wall in the second photo ???
what pushed it over ?
it looks like someone has excavated under the house to level it off and then built a dodgy retaining wall.
the wall is probably going to fall eventually, but it could be wise to get some professional advice at least.

 

Looks like it is there to manage water that would otherwise flow over the concrete.

Tools

 

Agreed, I suspect it was built to keep dirt and moisture off the main concrete area. It is a novel drainage solution, but I suppose whoever built it was happy with the result.

For some reason most trades don't like to fix Masonry walls, they'll usually insist on removal. I look at that and think surely it could be fixed, but you wont known until you get a trade to look at it- which you should do asap.

That said, I would personally not think that this was a serious enough safety hazard that we would withdraw the advertising while looking to rectify- I would be very disappointed as a Landlord if my Property Manager did that.