What a Melbourne inspection covers, what it costs, when to book around auctions and cooling off, and the defects we find most often.
Buying a home in Melbourne moves fast. Campaigns run for three or four weeks, auctions are unconditional, and the cooling-off period on a private sale gives you only three business days. A pre-purchase building inspection is the one step that turns a property you like into a property you understand.
This guide explains what an inspection covers, what it does not, how much it costs, when to book it, and the specific problems Melbourne housing stock throws up. If you would rather just talk it through, call 1800 918 281 or read our Building Inspection Services.
A pre-purchase inspection is a thorough visual assessment of everything safely accessible on the property, reported in writing so you can act on it.
It is equally important to know the limits. We do not cut into walls, lift fixed floor coverings, or dismantle plumbing, electrical or gas systems. Locked rooms, blocked sub-floors and unsafe roof spaces are recorded as inaccessible rather than assumed to be sound.
Melbourne's soil, climate and building history produce a recognisable set of defects. These are the ones that come up again and again.
Much of Melbourne, especially the west and north, sits on highly reactive clay. Seasonal swelling and shrinking shows up as stepped brick cracking, sticking doors and uneven floors. We assess the pattern and severity, not just the presence of a crack.
Victorian and Edwardian homes in suburbs like Brunswick, Fitzroy and Northcote frequently have failed or bridged damp courses. Rising damp is expensive to remediate properly, so it is one of the first things we look for.
Weatherboard homes with enclosed sub-floors and poor ventilation can hide timber decay and previous termite damage. Our combined building and pest inspection includes a timber pest check, so evidence of termites, borers and decay is assessed in the same visit.
Apartments and townhouses across the inner city show a consistent pattern of failed balcony membranes and shower waterproofing. Symptoms often appear in the unit below, so we look for staining, efflorescence and drummy tiles.
Converted garages, enclosed verandahs, added bathrooms and rewired sheds are common across Melbourne's middle ring. Where work looks unpermitted or non-compliant we flag it so you can check the council record before settlement.
Melbourne's summer storms leave dented roof sheeting, cracked tiles and blocked box gutters that only leak in heavy rain. We inspect the roof and drainage closely for this kind of latent damage.
At a Victorian auction there is no cooling-off period. Sign the contract and the property is yours, defects included. Anything you want to know has to be known before you raise your hand, which means booking the inspection during the campaign rather than after.
In a private sale, residential buyers generally get three business days of cooling off. That is enough time to change your mind, but it is a very short window in which to organise an inspection, receive a report and read it properly. Inspecting before you sign is always the stronger position.
Between contract and settlement there is still value in a pre-settlement check, particularly on a new build or a property where the vendor agreed to complete repairs.
Attend the first or second open for inspection and read the section 32 statement and contract of sale.
Book as soon as the property is a serious contender. Auction campaigns are short, so mid-campaign is the sweet spot.
You arrange access with the agent or vendor, and we handle the scheduling with the inspector and confirm the time with you.
We inspect on site, then email a detailed written report, typically within 24 hours.
We call to explain the findings so you can bid, negotiate, request repairs or walk away with clear eyes.
Victorian, Edwardian and interwar homes in suburbs such as Carlton, Fitzroy, Richmond, Hawthorn and Northcote. Expect rising damp, aged stumps, old wiring and plumbing, roof and parapet issues, and heavily renovated rear extensions.
Post-war brick veneer and clinker brick through Box Hill, Glen Waverley, Bentleigh and Cheltenham. Expect tile roof deterioration, dated wet areas, unpermitted garage or verandah conversions and drainage problems.
Newer estates around Point Cook, Tarneit, Werribee, Craigieburn and Wollert. Expect reactive clay movement, slab edge dampness, cosmetic and workmanship defects, and incomplete handover items on recent builds.
We inspect right across greater Melbourne, and our pricing is fixed metro-wide, so there is no travel surcharge for an outer-suburb property. Read more about how we work on the inspections page.
Our building inspections start at $400 + GST and cover a full visual assessment with a comprehensive written report within 24 hours, plus a phone walk-through of the findings with the inspector.
Set against a Melbourne median price in the high hundreds of thousands, an inspection is a rounding error that regularly uncovers tens of thousands of dollars in deferred maintenance. Full inclusions are on the pricing page.
A brand new home is not a defect-free home. Handover is the moment your leverage is highest, because outstanding work is still the builder's responsibility. A new-construction defect inspection documents everything incomplete or non-compliant so you have a clear, itemised list to hand over rather than a vague complaint.
If the report turns up work that needs doing, whether on a new build or a 1920s weatherboard, we can also carry it out. See renovations, repairs and make-safes for insurance work, maintenance and full renovations.
Read the summary first, then the itemised findings. Separate the report into three buckets: safety and structural items that need action now, maintenance you can budget over the next few years, and cosmetic items you can live with.
From there you have four options: proceed as planned, renegotiate the price to reflect the work, ask the vendor to rectify specific items before settlement, or walk away. We call you to talk the findings through so the decision is an informed one rather than a guess. Still unsure? Our FAQ page covers the practical questions, or send us an enquiry.
Book online in under a minute. Once access is arranged, we handle the scheduling and report back within 24 hours.
