About SURE Building Inspections
and the DefectIndex.
We've inspected enough homes to build a structured database of building defects: 30,388 types across 242,618 real findings. It's called the DefectIndex, and it helps every SURE inspector turn years of field experience into clearer reports and better advice.
What is the DefectIndex?
Every building defect we've ever found (across 9,237 inspections in Western Australia and New South Wales) has been anonymised, categorised, and entered into a structured database. We call it the DefectIndex.
It covers 30,388 distinct defect types, tagged by suburb, property era, dwelling type, severity, and estimated remediation cost. The corpus spans 242,618 individual findings across structural, moisture, termite, electrical, drainage, and finishing categories.
When your inspector writes your report, the DefectIndex is working behind the scenes: calibrating cost ranges, flagging suburb-specific risk patterns, and connecting your findings to thousands of comparable properties. It's not AI hype. It's ten years of paper converted into queryable data.
Methodology note: 90 defect types are inspector-curated; the remainder are AI-clustered from real inspection cases. Read the full methodology →
Built on a decade of
real inspection data
Founded May 2016
SURE Building Inspections was founded in May 2016 by experienced building inspectors who were tired of watching buyers make six-figure decisions based on rushed, impersonal reports. The model was simple: inspector-owned franchisees who live and work in their territory, backed by a centralised system that standardises quality without removing the human element. In 2023, the business restructured under SURE Services Group Pty. Ltd. and formally launched its franchise model.
The DefectIndex wasn't the plan from day one. It started as a record-keeping system: a way to track what we were finding so we could write better reports.
After a few hundred inspections, patterns emerged. Certain suburbs had signature problems. Certain eras of construction were prone to specific failure modes. The data started talking back.
Today: Two states, four inspectors
SURE Building Inspections operates across Western Australia and New South Wales, with franchisees covering Perth and Sydney metropolitan areas. Four experienced inspectors carry out every inspection personally. No subcontracting, no junior inspectors handed the clipboard on day one.*
The DefectIndex now underpins everything: every suburb page on this site, every cost estimate in every report, and every advice call in the twelve months after inspection.
Inspector-owned
Every SURE franchisee owns their territory. Their reputation is on every report they sign.
Upfront pricing
The price you're quoted is the price you pay. Our fees are published and held to, regardless of property complexity within the standard scope.
Data-backed
Every defect we find goes into the DefectIndex. It makes every report, every suburb page, and every advice conversation smarter.
What you get with every SURE inspection
Every report is backed by the DefectIndex and the inspector who wrote it. Here's what's included as standard.
DefectIndex cost estimates
Every defect we find is matched against 242,618 real inspection cases to give you realistic cost context, not guesswork.
12 months of advice
Direct phone access to your inspector for a full year after the report. Same person, same number, no extra charge.
Suburb-specific context
Your report draws on real defect data from comparable properties in your suburb and surrounding areas.
Same-day report delivery
Your report is in your inbox the same day as the inspection, subject to property access and inspector availability.
Quote-checking support
During the 12-month advice period, we help you sense-check repair quotes against real market data from the DefectIndex.
Inspector-owned accountability
The inspector who signs your report works their own local territory. Their name and reputation are on every page.
Thermal imaging included
Thermal imaging is included as standard with every inspection, helping your inspector identify moisture, insulation gaps, and electrical heat signatures not visible to the naked eye.
Data depth, local ownership, central backing.
Compliance is the baseline. SURE's difference is the volume of inspections behind the advice, the defects we have catalogued, and the owner-operated franchise model that gives customers local accountability with head office support.
Meet your inspectors
Every SURE inspector brings at least ten years of construction industry experience.* They work their own local territory, so their name, reputation, and phone number are on every report they produce. Head office backs them with systems, data, and support, but the customer relationship stays local.
Get to know the people who will be walking through your property.
They work their own local territory, which means their name, their reputation, and their phone number are on every report they produce. Head office backs them with systems, data, and support, but the customer relationship stays local.
With more than 40 years in construction across the UK, Queensland and Western Australia, Gary brings practical depth few inspectors can match. He started as a carpenter and progressed to foreman and site supervisor on residential, commercial and infrastructure projects - including work associated with Heathrow Airport and multiple UK shopping centres - and went on to own building maintenance companies servicing housing associations in the UK and local-authority contracts in Queensland. Since moving to WA in 2021 he has focused on clear, honest inspections that pinpoint not just defects but their causes and what they mean for the owner.
Kim is an experienced building inspector with a hands-on foundation in carpentry, joinery and construction, so he reads how a building was put together and how it performs over time, not just what shows on the surface. His career spans the restoration of heritage-listed buildings and centuries-old timber structures through to major public and private infrastructure and large-scale wetland projects, giving him deep knowledge of both traditional building techniques and modern construction. He takes pride in clear, practical advice grounded in real-world experience.
Rod is the owner and lead inspector for SURE Building Inspections across four NSW zones - Parramatta, Norwest, Penrith and Macarthur. With more than 20 years in the construction industry, he has managed and overseen projects ranging from residential developments to major commercial and infrastructure works. He holds a Graduate Diploma in Building Surveying and a Diploma in Building and Construction, backed by deep experience in construction management, building compliance and defect identification. Rod knows that buying, building or investing in property is one of the biggest financial decisions most people make, so he is committed to thorough inspections, clear reporting and honest advice that helps clients decide with confidence.
Thamindu is a civil and structural engineer who began on high-rise building projects, building deep knowledge of reinforcement, formwork and concrete construction. He holds a Bachelor's in Civil, Building and Structural Engineering and a Master of Civil Engineering from Edith Cowan University (2025), and spent seven years with one of Sri Lanka's leading waterproofing and structural-repair firms - rising to Project Engineer across high-rise developments, heritage buildings, dams and one of the country's largest roof-mounted solar projects. A member of Engineers Australia, he brings strong structural-assessment, remedial-engineering and waterproofing expertise to every inspection.
Real defects our inspectors have flagged
Built to last. Inspected to be SURE.
One inspection, twelve months of advice, and the same person on the other end of the phone every time you call. That is the part you do not see on the brochure.
9,237 inspections · 242,618 defects found · Inspector-owned franchises