Buying Property
Buying is the one moment where an independent set of eyes is worth the most and costs the least. Everything in this category exists to answer the same question before contracts do it for you: what am I actually buying, and what will it cost me to put right?
Pre-Purchase Building & Pest Inspection
The standard combined report for a house purchase: building condition and timber pest activity, inspected on the same visit.
From $499
Who it is for
Anyone buying a freestanding house, townhouse or villa who wants one report covering both building condition and timber pest activity. This is the report most buyers need and the one most conveyancers expect to see.
When to order it
Before you exchange, or inside the cooling-off period. If the property is going to auction, book it once you are serious enough to be bidding — there is no cooling-off period after an auction, so the inspection has to happen first.
What the report covers
- The roof exterior and roof void where there is safe access
- Ceilings, walls, floors and joinery throughout the interior
- The subfloor where an access point exists and entry is safe
- Wet areas — bathrooms, laundry, kitchen — for the signs that precede a leak
- The exterior fabric: cladding, brickwork, windows, doors, eaves and fascias
- Site drainage, paths, retaining walls, decks, balconies and outbuildings
- Evidence of termite activity, termite damage, borers and fungal decay
- Conditions on the property that make timber pest attack more likely
Pre-Purchase Building Inspection – Building Only
Building condition without the timber pest component, for properties where pest risk is genuinely low or already covered.
From $399
Who it is for
Buyers of properties where timber pest attack is not the main exposure — full masonry and concrete construction, or a purchase where a current timber pest report already exists.
When to order it
Before exchange or within the cooling-off period, and before auction day if you intend to bid.
What the report covers
- Roof exterior and roof void where safe access exists
- Interior ceilings, walls, floors, windows and doors
- Subfloor where accessible
- Wet areas and the evidence of past or current water movement
- External fabric, cladding, brickwork and mortar condition
- Drainage, paths, retaining walls, decks and balconies
Termite & Timber Pest Inspection Only
Timber pest activity, damage and conducive conditions, without the full building condition report.
From $299
Who it is for
Buyers who already hold a current building report, and owners who want the property checked for termite activity on its own.
When to order it
Before exchange when a building report already exists, or periodically as an owner — termite attack is not a one-off event and a property clear last year is not clear this year.
What the report covers
- Evidence of live termite activity, workings and mudding
- Visible timber damage consistent with termite, borer or fungal attack
- Conditions on the site that make attack more likely — moisture, ground contact, poor ventilation, garden beds against walls
- Accessible subfloor, roof void, interior timbers and the property perimeter
Apartment & Unit Pre-Purchase Inspection – Internal Lot
The inside of the lot you are actually buying, inspected properly, with the common property questions flagged for the strata search.
From $379
Who it is for
Buyers of an apartment, unit or townhouse within a strata scheme who need the interior of the lot assessed independently.
When to order it
Before exchange, and ideally alongside a strata records inspection — the two answer different halves of the same question.
What the report covers
- Interior ceilings, walls, floors and finishes throughout the lot
- Bathrooms, ensuite, laundry and kitchen — waterproofing evidence, falls, seals and the early signs of a wet area failure
- Windows, doors, balcony doors and their weather seals
- The balcony or terrace surface, drainage and balustrade where it forms part of the lot
- Visible moisture, staining, efflorescence and mould
- Services visible within the lot, and evidence of past rectification work
- Common property issues visible from the lot, flagged so you can put them to the strata search
Pre-Purchase Strata Records Inspection – Strata Search
A review of the owners corporation records for the money and the defect history an inspection cannot see.
From $335
Who it is for
Anyone buying into a strata scheme. The building can present well and still be carrying a levy, a defect claim or a repair bill that lands on you after settlement.
When to order it
Before exchange, alongside the internal lot inspection.
What the report covers
- Minutes, correspondence and records of building defects and repairs
- Capital works fund balance and whether it is realistic for the building
- Special levies struck, proposed or foreshadowed
- Building defect claims, insurance claims and litigation on the record
- Records relating to water ingress, facade, balcony and waterproofing work
- By-laws, and any records of approved or unapproved works to the lot
Independent Buyer’s Verification Inspection
You have been handed a report someone else commissioned. This is your own inspector looking at the same property.
From $399
Who it is for
Buyers who have been supplied with a building or pest report by the vendor, the agent or the builder, and want an inspector working for them to verify it.
When to order it
As soon as you receive the supplied report and before you exchange. If the property is at auction, before you bid.
What the report covers
- An independent inspection of the property in its own right — not a desk review of somebody else’s document
- Verification of the significant findings in the supplied report
- Identification of matters the supplied report does not appear to address
- Assessment of areas the supplied report recorded as inaccessible, where access is possible on the day
- Investigation of the specific concerns you raise before the inspection
- A clear statement of where the two reports agree and where they differ
Pre-Settlement Property Condition Inspection
A final check before settlement that the property is in the condition you agreed to buy.
From $349
Who it is for
Buyers approaching settlement who want to confirm nothing has changed since exchange — including agreed repairs, inclusions and damage caused during the vendor’s move-out.
When to order it
In the days immediately before settlement, while there is still time to raise it.
What the report covers
- Comparison of the current condition against the position at exchange
- Whether repairs agreed as a condition of sale have actually been carried out
- Damage caused during removal of the vendor’s furniture and belongings
- Inclusions listed in the contract that are visible on site
- Services and fittings that were operating and now are not
Termite Damage & Building Integrity Assessment
Where termite damage is already known, an assessment of what it has done to the building.
Quoted on scope
Who it is for
Owners and buyers who have confirmed termite damage and need to understand its extent and what it means for the structure.
When to order it
After termite activity or damage has been identified, and before committing to a purchase or a repair budget.
What the report covers
- Extent and location of visible termite damage to accessible timbers
- Which damaged elements are structural and which are not
- Evidence of previous damage, previous repair and previous treatment
- Conditions still present that would allow attack to continue
- Where engineering assessment is required, clearly identified as such
Pre-Purchase Defect Rectification Cost Estimate
What the defects in the report would actually cost to put right, estimated by a builder.
From $645
Who it is for
Buyers who have a report full of findings and no idea what any of it means in dollars — and who may want to negotiate on the basis of real numbers.
When to order it
After an inspection report exists, and before you finalise your price or exchange.
What the report covers
- The significant defects identified, costed as rectification work
- A scope for each item, so the figure is attached to a described job
- Items separated into urgent, near-term and eventual
- Assumptions and exclusions stated plainly, including where opening up would change the figure
Price guide
What does a building report cost?
A pre-purchase inspection, a leak investigation, a costed rectification scope and a strata report are not the same piece of work, so they are not the same price. These are guide starting prices for a standard job of each type, GST included.
Pre-Purchase Building Inspection – Building Only
Building condition without the timber pest component, for properties where pest risk is genuinely low or already covered.
From $399
Pre-Purchase Building & Pest Inspection
The standard combined report for a house purchase: building condition and timber pest activity, inspected on the same visit.
From $499
Apartment & Unit Pre-Purchase Inspection – Internal Lot
The inside of the lot you are actually buying, inspected properly, with the common property questions flagged for the strata search.
From $379
Handover & Practical Completion Inspection
The inspection that produces your defects list — carried out before you accept the building and release the final payment.
From $445
General Building Defect Inspection
A whole-of-property defect inspection when you know something is wrong but not what, or how much of it there is.
From $445
Water Ingress, Moisture & Leak Investigation
Finding where the water is actually getting in, using thermal imaging and moisture measurement rather than guesswork.
From $445
Roof Condition Inspection – Visual & Drone
The condition and remaining service life of a roof, inspected from above, below and — where access is unsafe — by drone.
From $349
Pre-Construction Dilapidation Report
A dated photographic record of a property’s condition before the excavation, demolition or construction next door begins.
From $445
Defect Rectification Scope of Works & Cost Estimate
A builder’s scope and cost estimate for putting the defects right, in a form trades can quote against.
From $645
Strata, commercial, insurance and specialist compliance reports
Scope varies too much between jobs for a starting price to mean anything. These are quoted after the scope is reviewed.
Quoted on scope
What the confirmed price depends on
- Property type and size
- Location and travel
- Access to the areas that need inspecting
- The scope of the report
- Complexity, and how many concerns are involved
- Urgency
- Any specialist equipment or testing required
Every price on this website is a guide, is GST-inclusive, and is a starting point for a standard job of that type. The confirmed figure is subject to travel distance and job complexity. You receive a confirmed price and a written scope before anything is booked.
Request a report
Tell us the property and the problem
You will get a confirmed price and a written scope before anything is booked. No deposit is taken to answer a question.
Would rather just talk it through?
1300 140 579Describe the property and the concern. You will get a straight answer about which report fits, including when the answer is that you do not need one.
- NSW Licensed Builder
- Professional Indemnity Insured
- $20 Million Public Liability Insurance
- More than 20 years of hands-on building experience
- Independent — the report is written for you
Enquiry received.
Thank you — your request has been sent and you will get a reply with availability, scope and cost.
If you are working to an auction or a cooling-off deadline and need an answer quickly, call 1300 140 579.