Starter Kit. Idea 456 of 500. Cluster 24
Independent building inspection, so that a buyer abroad knows what was actually built
The mechanism, from the book
The one thing. A country where people do not expect the rules to hold cannot build anything else, and proof can be manufactured by private people, one published record at a time.
The first step
Partner with a qualified civil engineer or surveyor you trust to inspect one house under construction for a family abroad, photographing the foundations, the roof and the wiring against the plan. Offer the first report free to a Sri Lankan family through a community group abroad, and ask what they would pay for one at every stage. The proof is a family that orders the next inspection.
- Who pays first
- A Sri Lankan family abroad paying for a house at home that they cannot visit, who pays for inspections so the money they send is built as promised.
- What leaves today
- Money sent home to build is spent on work nobody checks; independent inspection is the proof that lets Sri Lankans abroad invest more at home.
Ask first
- Urban Development Authority. Ask how a buyer can see the approved plan for a building to check against.
- the local council (Municipal Council, Urban Council or Pradeshiya Sabha). Ask which building approvals a house under construction should hold.
Check before you spend
Confirm that the engineer or surveyor who signs each report is qualified and insured, and that the owner agrees in writing to the inspection.
Find out these three numbers
- What would a family abroad pay for one inspection report?
- How many visits does one house need while it is built?
- What does a qualified engineer charge for a site visit?
A comparison from the book
Switzerland. Chapter Sixteen
"Its value was certified in Switzerland and turned into money in Switzerland."
The paper that proves what was done is worth paying for. Issue it here, where the work is.
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.