Specialist & Compliance Services
Pre-Construction Dilapidation Report
A dated photographic record of a property’s condition before the excavation, demolition or construction next door begins.
Who this report is for
Builders, developers and owners about to start work; and neighbours of a site about to start work who want their property’s existing condition on the record. Often a condition of development consent.
When to order it
Before any work begins on the adjoining site — before excavation, demolition, piling, dewatering or heavy machinery arrives. A dilapidation report commissioned after work has started has lost most of its value to both sides.
What is inspected
- A systematic photographic record of the property’s existing condition, dated
- Existing cracking recorded with location, width and extent
- Internal walls, ceilings, cornices, floors, doors and windows
- External walls, brickwork, render, paths, driveways, paving and fencing
- Retaining walls, boundary structures, outbuildings and pools
- Roof and roof void condition where safe access exists
- Site levels, drainage and existing settlement or movement evidence
- A written description accompanying the photographs, so the record is intelligible years later
What you receive
- A dated, systematic photographic record with written descriptions
- Existing defects recorded specifically enough to be compared against later
- A document usable by either party if damage is subsequently alleged
- A post-construction reinspection option, comparing directly against this record
Important exclusions and limitations
Publishing this is unusual. It should not be — you should know where the gaps are before you rely on the document.
- A dilapidation report records existing condition. It does not predict damage, apportion fault or determine liability.
- It records what is visible and accessible on the day of inspection.
- It is not a structural assessment and does not certify anything.
- Its value depends on being completed before work starts. Afterwards, it cannot establish what was already there.
Technology and equipment used
- FPV micro-drone access where safe and permitted
Thermal imaging identifies temperature anomalies and supports professional interpretation; it is not proof of a hidden defect on its own. Drone use depends on weather, airspace, privacy and site conditions and supplements physical inspection rather than guaranteeing complete coverage.
Turnaround
Need it fast? An urgent report is delivered within 6 hours of the inspection when you ask for one at the time of booking. Standard turnaround is confirmed in writing with your booking, before the inspection takes place.
Pricing
The guide price for this report starts at $445 (inc GST) for a standard job of this type. The confirmed figure is subject to travel distance and job complexity, and also depends on the property type and size, access, the scope of the report, urgency and any specialist equipment or testing required. You receive a confirmed price and a written scope before anything is booked.
- 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
Service areas
This report is available across Sydney, The Illawarra, Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven. Outside these areas, call 1300 140 579 and ask — travel is often workable.
Questions
Questions about this report
Who should pay for it — the builder or the neighbour?
Usually the party doing the work, and often it is a condition of their consent. But it protects both: it stops a genuine claim being denied, and it stops a pre-existing crack becoming somebody else’s bill.
Work has already started next door.
Get the record made now anyway. It is worth less than it would have been, but a dated record from today is far better than a dispute in six months with nothing on either side.
Do you come back afterwards?
Yes — the Post-Construction Dilapidation Reinspection compares the property directly against this record and documents what has changed.
What access is needed to the neighbouring property?
The record is made from the areas the owner allows access to, and the report states exactly which areas were recorded and which were not. A dilapidation record covering only the accessible elevations is still worth having; it simply has defined limits, and the report sets them out.
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.