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Independent · Australian English · Est. journal
The independent journal of
Building InspectIndependent reporting on Australian building inspections, defects and the houses we buy.
Topic hub
Inspecting lots, common property, cladding, balconies and off-the-plan buildings.
An apartment inspection is shorter than a house inspection and often more consequential. The inspector can see the lot. The expensive defects usually live in the common property, the minutes, and the special levy that has not been struck yet.
Read the fabric report with the records report. This hub covers inspecting apartments and townhouses, strata reports and sinking funds, cladding and balconies, and what an independent inspection can still catch off the plan.
A sunset clause is a timing problem, not an inspection problem. By the time you get the keys, the useful questions are alignment, wet areas, appliances and the common property that is still a building site. An occupancy certificate is not a clean bill of health.
Elena Vukovic · 19 November 2024
After Lacrosse and the Australian cladding audits, a visual inspector can describe a facade. They cannot clear it. Balconies fail in a quieter way — at the membrane, at the cantilever, at the glass. The useful file is already in the strata office.
Priya Nair · 8 October 2024
A building inspection looks at the lot. A strata inspection looks at the minutes, the levies and the insurance. The useful purchase is the one that reads both, because the expensive defects are often in the basement.
James O'Halloran · 10 September 2024
A unit inspection is shorter than a house inspection and not simpler. The inspector can see the lot. They cannot open the riser, walk the whole facade, or turn a noise complaint into a measurement.
Maya Chen · 13 August 2024