Reading a stain under a kitchen cabinet
It records where water has been, not necessarily where it is.
In short: Four staining records on one Schofields property.
What we found
Staining recorded four times on a single Schofields pre-purchase inspection: twice under kitchen cabinetry and twice elsewhere, alongside evidence of leaking and a tap dripping.
What a stain actually is
A record. It tells you water has been there. It does not tell you whether it still is, and those are very different properties at the same asking price.
How we go further
Moisture readings, the condition of the surrounding material and the position of nearby fixtures, so the report reaches for the source rather than noting the mark.
Why under cabinetry
Because it is the hardest place for an owner to look and the easiest place for a slow leak to sit for years.
What it should change
Your questions before contracts, and possibly your offer, depending on what the source turns out to be.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Schofields. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
