Home Performance Baseline - Service & Booking Terms

Joe Builds Pty Ltd · ABN 90 630 051 795 · Measure → Understand → Recommend → Verify

NSW Licensed Builder - Licence No. 332487C · Certified Passive House Tradesperson · Australian Passivhaus Association Member

These terms are here to make the service clear before we begin: what we will measure, what you will receive, how your booking works, and the boundaries of the assessment.

Part A - Booking Summary

What you are booking

The Home Performance Baseline creates a measured record of how the home is presenting at the time of assessment. We record selected conditions throughout the accessible internal areas of the home using structured measurement points and supporting evidence.

Depending on the confirmed scope, this may include: moisture readings; thermal imaging; temperature and relative humidity; CO₂ and indoor environmental readings; airflow and ventilation observations; wet-area measurements; photographs and thermal images; recorded measurement locations; a digital / 3D property model; walkthrough documentation; and a written Home Performance Baseline report.

The purpose is simple: measure the home first, understand what the readings indicate, and give you a clear next step based on the measured evidence.

What you receive

Your completed assessment creates a recorded baseline for the property. This may include: your written report; mapped measurement points; photographic and thermal evidence; your digital / 3D home record; recorded observations and risk indicators; areas recommended for monitoring or further investigation; and a reference point for future comparison if the home is reassessed.

The value of the baseline can increase over time because later measurements can be compared with the original recorded conditions.

Important service boundary

Payment

Payment is made in full at booking. Your assessment date is reserved once payment has cleared. All prices shown to consumers include GST.

Once the booking is confirmed, Joe Builds begins the pre-assessment work required to prepare the property measurement model and assessment structure before attending site.

Changes or cancellation

Rescheduling. With 3 or more Business Days' notice, you may move the booking once at no charge. With less than 3 Business Days but more than 24 hours' notice, one change of date may still be made and the preparation already completed will carry across to the new assessment date. A further change is treated as a cancellation and rebooking.

Cancellation more than 24 hours before the visit. Joe Builds retains $250 for the property setup, pre-modelling and assessment preparation already performed. The balance is refunded.

Cancellation or change within 24 hours. Joe Builds retains 50% of the booking amount. This reflects the pre-assessment work already completed and the assessment time reserved for the property at short notice. The balance is refunded.

No access when we attend. If Joe Builds attends at the agreed time but cannot access the property because access has not been arranged or made available, the booking is treated in the same way as a cancellation within 24 hours. Joe Builds retains 50% and refunds the balance.

Areas we cannot safely access

Safety comes first. If an area included in your agreed scope cannot be safely accessed on the day, we record the limitation and you are not charged for the portion of the service we cannot provide. Joe Builds will initiate the applicable refund on the same Business Day.

Your report

Your Home Performance Baseline is prepared for: you + this property + this assessment date + the conditions recorded at the time. You can share the complete report with your agent, conveyancer, builder, designer or another adviser. The report remains prepared for the named client. Another person receiving a copy does not automatically become a client of Joe Builds or obtain independent reliance rights.

Your consumer rights

Nothing in these terms removes any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law or another law that cannot legally be excluded. By completing the booking, you confirm that you have read and accepted these Service & Booking Terms.

Part B - Full Terms

1. Our agreement

Your agreement with Joe Builds consists of: your booking confirmation; the confirmed assessment scope and any agreed add-ons; these Service & Booking Terms; and any later change agreed in writing. If something in your individual booking confirmation expressly changes these terms for your assessment, the booking confirmation applies to that change. You accept the agreement when you confirm acceptance during booking and proceed with payment.

2. What Joe Builds will do

Joe Builds will carry out the confirmed assessment using reasonable care and skill and our structured diagnostic process: Measure → Understand → Recommend → Verify. The Home Performance Baseline establishes the first measured record. It is designed to help identify: what appears stable; where recorded conditions differ from surrounding or control areas; what should be monitored; what warrants further investigation; and what information should inform the next decision about the home. Where later verification is commissioned, the original baseline can be used as a reference for same-point or comparable retesting.

3. What the Home Performance Baseline covers

Only the work shown in your confirmed assessment scope is included. Depending on the property and booked service, the assessment may include: room-by-room internal measurements; selected moisture measurement points; wet-area measurement points; window and door-opening observations; ceiling-edge observations; representative flooring measurements; thermal imaging; indoor temperature and relative humidity; CO₂ or other stated indoor environmental measurements; airflow or ventilation checks where included; photographs and video; digital mapping; measurement point identification; a 3D representation of recorded assessment information; risk indicators; written interpretation; and recommended next steps.

The assessment is based on the areas, surfaces and measurement points that are accessible and included in the confirmed scope.

4. What it does not cover

The Home Performance Baseline is not a general inspection of every component of the property. Unless separately agreed in writing, it does not include: a building and pest inspection; structural engineering or structural assessment; inspection of roof coverings; inspection of the external cladding system; invasive waterproofing investigation; drainage or stormwater investigation; electrical testing; plumbing or gas testing; pest or termite inspection; asbestos or lead assessment; hazardous-material assessment; mould species identification; laboratory analysis; property valuation; statutory, NCC or other compliance assessment; or certification of building work.

It does not determine whether you should buy or sell a property. For a pre-purchase client, the Home Performance Baseline remains a Home Performance Baseline. Its scope does not change because the assessment is being used before a property purchase.

5. Measurements show conditions, not automatically causes

A reading records what was measured at a particular location, by a particular method and under particular conditions. One reading does not automatically identify the reason for that condition. Joe Builds interprets readings using: surrounding measurements; control points where appropriate; material and surface context; thermal information; environmental conditions; visual observations; patterns across the home; and other evidence collected within the assessment.

Where the evidence does not justify a conclusion about cause, we will not invent one. The appropriate result may instead be: Further Investigation Required. A recommendation for further investigation does not itself mean that a defect, failure or particular cause has been established.

6. A measured point in time

Homes change. Readings can be affected by matters including: recent weather and rainfall; season; outdoor temperature and humidity; wind; heating and cooling; ventilation; doors and windows; occupancy; showering and cooking; recent leaks or drying; maintenance; renovations; and changes made after the assessment.

The report therefore records the conditions observed during the assessment and any stated monitoring period. It is not a guarantee that the same conditions existed before the assessment or will continue afterwards. This is also why future same-point measurements can be valuable: they allow changes to be compared rather than assumed.

7. Access and non-destructive assessment

Unless specifically agreed otherwise, the Home Performance Baseline is non-destructive. Joe Builds is not required to: remove wall or ceiling linings; lift flooring; dismantle fixtures; open cavities; excavate; move heavy furniture or stored items; disturb suspected hazardous materials; or carry out another invasive investigation. Conditions hidden behind finished surfaces may therefore not be visible or measurable. Only areas that can be safely and reasonably accessed are assessed.

8. Safety

Joe Builds decides whether an area can be safely accessed during the assessment. We may decline entry where there is a reasonable concern involving matters such as: confined spaces; unstable surfaces; unsafe heights; live services; excessive heat; suspected asbestos or hazardous materials; contamination; vermin; aggressive animals; or another site condition that makes access unsafe.

Choosing not to enter an unsafe area is not a failure to provide the service. The access limitation will be recorded. Where an included and separately identifiable part of the assessment cannot be provided because the area is unsafe or inaccessible, the applicable portion is refunded.

9. What we need from you

To carry out the assessment properly, you agree to take reasonable steps to: provide accurate property and contact information; tell us about known concerns relevant to the assessment; tell us about known leaks, recent repairs or renovations where relevant; provide any floor plan or documents requested before the visit; make sure lawful access to the property has been arranged; provide working keys, codes and access instructions; secure animals where necessary; disclose known hazardous-material concerns; make agreed assessment areas reasonably accessible; and tell us about any transaction or decision deadline that is important to you.

If monitoring equipment is left at the property, it should not be moved, covered, unplugged, reset or otherwise interfered with unless Joe Builds asks you to do so. Joe Builds may reasonably rely on information provided by you, the owner, occupier, agent or another authorised person.

10. Booking, preparation and payment

Payment is required in full at booking. The assessment date is held once payment has cleared. Once the booking is confirmed, Joe Builds begins preparing the assessment. This can include: reviewing property information; reviewing plans supplied; establishing room and measurement references; preparing the digital property model; establishing the assessment structure; planning sensor positions; and preparing the field record. This work forms part of the service whether or not the site visit has yet taken place.

All consumer prices include GST unless clearly stated otherwise. Additional testing or work outside the booked scope requires separate approval.

11. Rescheduling and cancellation

11.1 One planned reschedule. A booking may be rescheduled once without charge where at least 3 Business Days' notice is provided. Where less than 3 Business Days but more than 24 hours' notice is provided, Joe Builds may move the booking once to another available date and carry the existing property preparation into the new booking. A second client-requested change is treated as a cancellation and new booking.

11.2 Cancellation more than 24 hours before the assessment. Where the client cancels more than 24 hours before the scheduled assessment, Joe Builds retains $250. This amount relates to property setup, pre-modelling and assessment preparation already undertaken following confirmation of the booking. The remainder is refunded.

11.3 Cancellation or change within 24 hours. Where the client cancels or requests to move the assessment within 24 hours of the scheduled attendance time, Joe Builds retains 50% of the booking amount. The retained amount relates to work already performed and assessment capacity reserved at short notice. The remaining 50% is refunded.

11.4 No property access. If Joe Builds attends the property as booked but cannot obtain access because access has not been made available, clause 11.3 applies.

11.5 If Joe Builds cannot attend. If Joe Builds cancels for a reason within our control, you can choose: a new assessment date; or a full refund of the amount paid for the service not provided. Where weather, site conditions or another circumstance makes the assessment unsafe or likely to produce unreliable results, we may recommend moving the visit. No cancellation provision in these terms removes a statutory right that applies to you.

12. Your report and Digital Home Record

Only the final report issued by Joe Builds is the completed assessment. Draft material, field notes, preliminary observations, software-generated outputs or automated analysis should not be treated as the final conclusion unless incorporated into the issued report.

Your deliverables may include: written report; measurement record; photographs; thermal images; digital / 3D model; walkthrough video; and Digital Home Record. The 3D or spatial model is a diagnostic visualisation. It is not: a registered survey; an architectural drawing; a dimensionally certified as-built drawing; or an engineering model.

Long-term property record. The Digital Home Record is intended to create an ongoing historical record for the property. Joe Builds may change the technology or hosting platform used to provide that record. If a particular platform is replaced or discontinued, Joe Builds may migrate the record or provide a reasonable archival version instead. Your historical assessment does not become a current assessment merely because it remains available in the Digital Home Record.

13. Sharing the report and third-party reliance

You may share a complete and unaltered copy of your report with people involved with the property, including: your conveyancer; agent; vendor; builder; designer; consultant; property manager; insurer; or a later owner. Sharing is fine.

However, the assessment was prepared for the named Client, for the identified Property, for the agreed purpose, using the conditions and access available at the time. Receiving a copy does not automatically create a professional relationship between Joe Builds and the recipient. Joe Builds does not accept responsibility to an unknown third party who relies on the report for a different purpose unless Joe Builds has expressly agreed to that reliance in writing. A third party requiring their own reliance can contact Joe Builds to discuss whether the existing information remains suitable or whether an updated assessment is required.

14. Recommendations and specialists

The correct next step is sometimes outside Joe Builds' diagnostic scope. Where appropriate, we may recommend further assessment by someone such as: a structural engineer; building and pest inspector; drainage or stormwater specialist; plumber; electrician; hazardous-material specialist; laboratory; mould specialist; or another appropriately qualified professional.

That referral means the available evidence warrants further investigation. It does not mean Joe Builds has already confirmed the specialist issue. Unless expressly stated otherwise, an independent specialist is engaged separately by the client and is responsible for their own work, advice and conclusions.

15. Our building and Passive House background

Joe Builds brings residential construction experience and building-performance training to the assessment process. Our building licence and Passive House credentials are relevant professional background. They do not change the agreed diagnostic scope. Under this agreement Joe Builds is engaged to provide the Home Performance Baseline described above. If Joe Builds is later engaged to carry out building work, that is a separate service and is documented separately. A diagnostic recommendation is not automatically a quotation or agreement for Joe Builds to carry out building work.

16. Property information, privacy and the measured record

Joe Builds may collect information required to create and maintain the property record, including: client contact details; property address; plans; photographs; video; audio notes; thermal images; measurement data; room and point identifiers; environmental data; digital models; reports; and correspondence.

We use this information to: perform the assessment; prepare and quality-control your report; maintain the Digital Home Record; compare future assessments; provide verification or Home Stability Tracking if later engaged; communicate with you; operate and improve the service; and meet our legal and business-record obligations. Joe Builds may use appropriately selected technology and service providers to store, process and manage this information.

Long-term retention. The purpose of a baseline is partly to create a record against which the property can later be compared. For that reason, property-performance information may be retained long term rather than automatically deleted after the report is issued.

De-identified building-performance data. Joe Builds is developing a broader understanding of how residential buildings perform across different conditions and over time. Joe Builds may retain and use De-identified Building Performance Data generated through the service for purposes including: benchmarking; research; internal analysis; improving assessment methods; developing diagnostic and comparison systems; aggregated building-performance analysis; training; and future service and product development.

For this purpose, De-identified Building Performance Data means information that has been separated from direct identifiers such as: your name; contact details; exact street address; and other information intended to directly identify you. This does not give Joe Builds permission to publicly publish identifiable photographs of your home, identifiable occupants, your exact address or an identifiable private floor plan for marketing. Separate permission will be obtained before identifiable client or property material is used publicly as a case study or marketing asset. Joe Builds may retain its de-identified analytical and aggregated datasets on an ongoing basis.

17. Intellectual property

You retain ownership of documents and information you provide to Joe Builds. Joe Builds retains its rights in its: diagnostic methodology; templates; report structure; point-mapping system; assessment systems; software and workflow logic; analytical methods; graphics; compiled and de-identified datasets; and other reusable business intellectual property.

You receive ongoing rights to use your completed Home Performance Baseline deliverables in relation to the property. You must not alter a Joe Builds report in a way that changes or misrepresents its findings.

18. Responsibility and Australian Consumer Law

Joe Builds stands behind the service it agrees to provide. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies a consumer guarantee or another right or remedy that cannot legally be excluded. Subject to those rights, Joe Builds' responsibility is assessed within the service actually commissioned.

Joe Builds is not responsible merely because a condition: was outside the agreed assessment scope; was concealed behind finished construction; was in an area that could not safely be accessed; required destructive investigation; required laboratory or specialist testing; was intermittent and not present during the assessment; arose or materially changed after the assessment; could not reasonably be detected using the agreed measurement method; or depended materially on inaccurate or incomplete information supplied to us.

Similarly, the report should not be treated as something it expressly says it is not. This includes using a Home Performance Baseline as though it were: a building and pest report; a structural report; a compliance certificate; a waterproofing report; or another specialist assessment excluded by these terms.

Decisions made from the report. The report is designed to improve the information available to you. It does not remove the need for other professional advice where that advice is appropriate. Joe Builds is not responsible for a loss to the extent it results from: using the report for a materially different purpose; relying on an incomplete or altered copy; treating an indicator as a confirmed cause; ignoring an express recommendation for further investigation; or relying on the report after conditions have materially changed. Nothing in this section limits liability where the law does not allow it to be limited.

19. If something does not look right

If you believe there is a material error or omission in the assessment, contact Joe Builds as soon as reasonably practicable. Where appropriate, we may: review the recorded evidence; clarify the report; review the affected area; repeat a measurement; or identify whether additional investigation is required. This process does not take away any statutory right or remedy available to you.

20. General

Material changes to the agreed service are recorded in writing. Electronic booking confirmations, reports and notices are accepted. If one provision of these terms cannot legally operate, it is read down where possible or removed without invalidating the remainder. These terms are governed by the laws applying in New South Wales, Australia.

In these terms, Business Day means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday in New South Wales.

Terms version: HPB-ST-V2.1 - 19 August 2026 · Joe Builds Pty Ltd · ABN 90 630 051 795 · NSW Builder's Licence 332487C · admin@joebuilds.com.au · 0485 835 959