Gemark Consultancy

Gemark Consultancy Brisbane-based plumbing consultancy specialising in pre-purchase plumbing inspections, backflow testing, strata assessments and compliance reporting.

Your investment property’s plumbing is a compliance obligation — not just a maintenance issue. 🏘️As the owner, you’re re...
02/06/2026

Your investment property’s plumbing is a compliance obligation — not just a maintenance issue. 🏘️

As the owner, you’re responsible for ensuring the plumbing meets Queensland standards. That includes registered backflow prevention devices, correct hot water compliance, and drainage that actually works.
Tenants and property managers won’t always flag plumbing problems early. By the time it surfaces, you’re looking at emergency call-outs, potential liability, and repair bills that eat your returns.

A pre-purchase plumbing inspection before you buy — or a condition check on an existing investment — tells you exactly what you’re holding and what’s coming.
Know your risk before it becomes your cost.

31/05/2026

You paid $600 for a building and pest inspection.

Here’s what it legally cannot check. 👇

❌ Underground drainage condition
❌ Whether drain grades meet code
❌ If stormwater has a legal discharge point
❌ Whether plumbing work was done with permits
❌ Backflow prevention devices
❌ Hot water tempering compliance
❌ Root intrusion inside your pipes

None of it. Zero.

Not because the inspector is bad at their job — because they’re not a licensed plumber. They’re not equipped for it and not required to do it.

The building and pest report tells you about the building’s visible condition. It tells you nothing about what’s underground, inside walls, or whether the plumbing work done during that renovation three years ago was ever signed off.

In Brisbane’s current market, with the volume of overseas-trained trades working through the construction surge, non-compliant plumbing is getting through. And buyers are finding it after settlement — when it’s their problem and their bill.

A pre-purchase plumbing inspection is a separate check. Different scope. Different equipment. Different questions.

We use CCTV drain cameras and sonde equipment to see what nobody else is looking at.

📍 Brisbane & SEQ | QBCC 15355633
🔗 Link in bio — gemark.com.au

What building & pest inspectors don’t usually inspect.Every photo in this carousel was found during a pre-purchase plumb...
29/05/2026

What building & pest inspectors don’t usually inspect.

Every photo in this carousel was found during a pre-purchase plumbing inspection.

Most looked fine from the street.

What we found:

❌ Illegal DIY plumbing
❌ Sewer gases entering living spaces
❌ Hidden drainage defects
❌ Blocked and overflowing sewer lines
❌ Non-compliant plumbing work
❌ Water service defects
❌ Repairs costing thousands after settlement

The expensive plumbing problems are usually the ones you can’t see.

Before you buy, know what’s underneath, behind and below the property.

Swipe through the photos.

How many would you have spotted?

⚠️ Annual Backflow Testing Due?A compliant tag on a device doesn’t tell you:• if the assembly is hydraulically sound• if...
28/05/2026

⚠️ Annual Backflow Testing Due?

A compliant tag on a device doesn’t tell you:
• if the assembly is hydraulically sound
• if isolation valves are holding correctly
• if the relief valve is discharging under fault conditions
• or whether the installation still complies with current requirements

At GemArk Consultancy we provide independent backflow prevention testing and reporting across Brisbane and SEQ for:

• RPZ devices
• Double check assemblies
• Fire services
• Irrigation systems
• Commercial & industrial facilities

What we focus on:
✔ Accurate test reporting
✔ Early failure detection
✔ Asset condition observations
✔ Compliance documentation
✔ Straightforward scheduling and reminders

For facility managers, body corporates, schools, industrial sites and commercial property portfolios — missed test dates become a risk fast.

📍 Brisbane & South East Queensland
📞 0431 502 032

Your building and pest inspection didn’t check the plumbing. 🔍In Brisbane’s current market, non-compliant plumbing is be...
27/05/2026

Your building and pest inspection didn’t check the plumbing. 🔍
In Brisbane’s current market, non-compliant plumbing is being installed inside walls, under slabs and underground — and standard building & pest inspections aren’t scoped to find it.
Underground drainage repairs alone can run $15,000–$30,000+. That’s your cost after settlement.
A pre-purchase plumbing inspection from GemArk gives you an independent, plain-English report before you sign — so you can negotiate, request repairs, or walk away informed.
New build? Renovation? Established home with big trees nearby? All worth checking.
📞 0431 502 032 | Link in bio

The $20,000 Plumbing Problem No One ChecksHere’s the uncomfortable truth:Most buyers will spend hours looking at• kitche...
16/03/2026

The $20,000 Plumbing Problem No One Checks

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most buyers will spend hours looking at
• kitchens
• bathrooms
• paint
• finishes

But almost no one checks what’s happening underground.

And that’s where the expensive problems live.

⸻

What we keep seeing

Across multiple properties, the plumbing system is:

• Still working
• Not visibly failing
• Passing basic inspection

But underneath?

• Old clay or earthenware pipes still in service
• New fixtures connected to outdated drainage
• Mixed pipe materials joined underground
• Stormwater discharging into soil instead of proper connection

All functioning…

Until they don’t.



⸻

Why this matters

Because when these systems fail, it’s not a small fix.

It usually means:

• Excavation through driveways or slabs
• Full drainage replacement or relining
• Stormwater redesign
• Unexpected costs that blow past your buffer

And none of that shows up in a standard walkthrough.

⸻

The blind spot

Most inspections are visual.

They don’t assess:

• Subsurface drainage condition
• Stormwater capacity
• Groundwater behaviour



So buyers assume:

“If it’s working, it’s fine.”

That assumption is where people get caught.

⸻

The takeaway

A property can be:

✔ Structurally sound
✔ Clean and well presented
✔ Fully functional

…and still carry hidden plumbing risk underground.

⸻

GemArk Consultancy
We don’t just check if it works.
We assess how long it’s likely to keep working.




02/03/2026

Most building inspections are visual and non-intrusive.

They don’t flood test showers.
They don’t load drains.
They don’t simulate usage.

In this case, the shower was fine on surface level.

But once tested properly, the PVC gully below was leaking — showing up as water spots downstairs.

No active blockage.
No visible crack.
Just a joint failure under load.

This is exactly how plumbing risk hides.

Industry reporting indicates around 24% of Australian home insurance claims relate to internal water damage, with nearly half caused by burst or blocked pipes .

We don’t replace building inspections.
We don’t guarantee defect discovery.
We assess plumbing system behaviour under use .

If you’re buying in Brisbane or SEQ and want to understand what the drainage is actually doing — not just what it looks like — book a pre-purchase plumbing risk assessment.

Gemark Consultancy
Independent Plumbing Consultancy




Ever read a Building & Pest report and seen this?“Plumbing not tested.”“Drainage not inspected.”“Recommend licensed plum...
27/02/2026

Ever read a Building & Pest report and seen this?

“Plumbing not tested.”
“Drainage not inspected.”
“Recommend licensed plumber.”
“Further investigation required.”

Over. And over. And over.

And you’re sitting there thinking…

So what did I actually just pay for?

To be clear — building inspectors have a defined scope.
They are not licensed plumbers.
They can’t pressure test.
They can’t CCTV inspect drains.
They can’t assess stormwater capacity.
They can’t confirm backflow compliance.
They can’t test heated water system safety valves.

That’s not criticism.
That’s regulation.

Under the NCC and AS/NZS 3500 series, plumbing systems have specific performance requirements — but most pre-purchase reports stop at “visual only.”

The problem?

Most major post-purchase costs are underground.

• Failed stormwater design
• Compromised clay sewer
• Mixed pipework from DIY renos
• Systems operating at capacity
• Non-compliant hot water installs

You don’t need another general overview.

You need trade-specific risk assessment.

That’s where GemArk steps in.

We don’t replace Building & Pest.
We fill the gap.

Plumbing. Drainage. Stormwater. Compliance.

Because “further investigation required”
shouldn’t be your surprise after settlement.

Address

Brisbane, QLD
4017

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+61401093520

Website

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