Dilapidation Inspections
For Dilapidation Inspections Melbourne and surrounding suburbs, we guarantee a quick turnaround of the inspection report.
Check out some of our Dilapidation Inspection Sample Reports.
What is a dilapidation inspection?
Prior to construction works commencing on a new property or an existing property to be extended/renovated, a builder will sometimes arrange to have dilapidation inspections performed on the neighbouring properties, particularly if there are earthworks/excavations involved during construction.
It is to record the current condition (before construction) of an adjoining property or properties with written and clear photographic evidence of any damage such as cracking in ceilings walls, paving etc, condition of boundary fences and yards/gardens. It can cover both fully internally and externally of a property as well as street/council assets such as footpaths, roads, curbs and gutters etc. In some instances, if deemed necessary, measurements such as the width and length of cracks will also be included in the photographic evidence.
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Below is an example from a Dilapidation Inspection Report:
Council assets dilapidation inspection; curb and channel cracking.
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What are the benefits of dilapidation inspections?
As it is a record of the condition of the neighbouring property/properties prior to commencement of construction, it can help avoid costly disputes from neighbours trying to claim for damage to their home that they may claim was caused during the construction.
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Additionally, councils may also try to claim for damage to council assets, so it is vitally important to have a well-documented report before works commence.
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You can consider a dilapidation report as insurance cover against an unnecessary claim. In fact, some builders' insurance requires that a dilapidation inspection of the neighbouring properties be done as part of their policy.
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Below is an example from a Dilapidation Inspection Report:
External wall crack in the home next door to proposed construction site.
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Who is a dilapidation report suited for?
It’s not only for builders though. If you are a homeowner and a dwelling is about to be constructed next door to you, for additional peace of mind, you can have a dilapidation report done on your home. The report is dated, so if any damage occurs to your property as a result of building works next door, you have photographic proof that the damage may not have been there prior to the works commencing.
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What if a claim for damage is made and a photo of that location is not in the report?
Depending on the size of the property, anywhere up to one thousand photos can be taken onsite. These will include areas where no dilapidation is evident at the time of inspection. These additional photos are not added to the report, as they are not required, plus it would make the report unnecessarily too large with countless pages of photos.
At The Building Inspection Doctor, we keep all of our additional photos on a cloud-based platform, so that if a claim is made for an area not shown in the report, for a small admin fee of $110, we should be able to access photographic evidence of the area in dispute.
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