Dilapidation Reports Sydney.
A photographed, written record of the condition of a property before nearby building work starts, and a follow-up comparison after it finishes. If the excavator next door cracks your render, the report is the proof of what was there before. Your report the same day, Western Sydney first, all of Greater Sydney covered.
Same-Day Report
Written up, photographed and emailed.
Drone, Thermal, Moisture
On every inspection, no extra charge.
1 Visit, 1 Report
Building and timber pest together.
5.0 On Google
From 30 reviews.
Same-Day Report.
Drone, thermal camera and moisture meter on every inspection, at no extra charge.
Before the works start · Report the same day
Book A Dilapidation Report
5.0 from 30 Google reviews · Licensed builder · Timber pest trained · $5M public liability
Licensed Builder
NSW Lic. 326626C
$5,000,000 Public Liability
$2,000,000 professional indemnity
Same-Day Report
Photographed and emailed
5.0 On Google
30 reviews, Sept 2026
2 Sides Of The Fence, 1 Report.
Both intents rank for this search, so both are on this page, clearly labelled. The report is the same document; who commissions it and why changes.
A building site is starting beside you
Excavation, demolition, piling and compaction all send vibration and ground movement into the houses beside them. Without a dated record of your walls, ceilings, paths and fences before the work started, every crack that appears afterwards is an argument about whether it was already there. With one, it is a comparison.
The builder’s report is written for the builder. If you want your own, commissioned by you and held by you, that is what this is.
Your DA has a dilapidation condition
Sydney councils routinely condition a development approval on a dilapidation report of the adjoining properties before works start. It protects you as much as the neighbour: a pre-existing crack that is documented cannot be claimed against you afterwards.
Several adjoining properties, and the council’s own assets where the condition asks for them, can be scoped in 1 booking. Tell us what the condition says and we’ll match the scope to it.
Photographs And Notes, Element By Element.
Pre-works documentation with photographs and detailed notes on existing cracks, damage or defects to buildings, fences, driveways and landscaping, then a follow-up inspection afterwards comparing the condition. For owners next to a construction site, developers and councils.
Every existing crack, stain, gap and defect is photographed with enough context to find it again 6 months later: the room, the wall, the position on the wall, and a close-up. A photograph of a hairline crack with nothing in frame for scale is worth very little in a dispute; a photograph with the room, the date and a reference in frame is the whole point.
The drone covers the roof and the elevations you can’t otherwise see: the rear of the house, the neighbour’s side, the ridge and the gutters. Roof damage from vibration is real and is the hardest to prove without a before photo.
- External elementsWalls, render, brickwork, roof, gutters, eaves, windows, doors.
- Internal elementsWalls, ceilings, cornices, floors, tiles, door and window operation.
- Other structuresFences, driveways, paths, retaining walls, pools, landscaping.
- The follow-upThe same elements re-inspected after the works, compared item by item.
Before The Works, And After.
Book before works start
Tell us the address, who's commissioning it, and what the DA condition says if there is one. A firm price before anything is booked.
Pre-construction inspection
Inside and out, photographed and noted element by element, the roof and elevations by drone.
Report the same day
Dated, photographed, organised by area, so anyone can find a specific wall in it later.
Post-construction comparison
After the works, the same elements are re-inspected and compared, and any change is documented.
Call for a firm price before you book. You will not be quoted on the day. The pre-construction report and the post-construction re-inspection are quoted together so you know the whole cost up front. What changes it (number of properties, size, access) is on the inspection cost page.
Works Starting Next Door? Get The Record First.
A dated, photographed report the same day. A firm price before anything is booked.
Western Sydney First, Greater Sydney Covered.
We’re based in Smithfield, which puts most of Western Sydney, the Hills and the South West within a short drive, and where the greenfield estates and the knock-down-rebuilds are concentrated. Parramatta, Merrylands, Blacktown, Liverpool and the estates around Oran Park and Leppington are the addresses this report is most often written for.
What a dilapidation report is, who pays, when to get one and what happens without one is answered at length in the what is a dilapidation report guide, written from the neighbour’s chair.
Across Greater Sydney, From Smithfield.
6 regions, each with its own housing stock and its own page. If your suburb is not listed, send the enquiry anyway and we'll confirm.
Western Sydney
Parramatta, Blacktown, Merrylands, Fairfield. Post-war fibro and brick veneer on reactive clay.
Inspections in Western SydneyPenrith
Penrith, Glenmore Park, St Marys, Emu Plains. Brick veneer estates and the Nepean floodplain.
Inspections in PenrithHills District
Castle Hill, Kellyville, Baulkham Hills, Epping. Project homes on cut-and-fill blocks, pools and retaining walls.
Inspections in Hills DistrictSouth West Sydney
Liverpool, Campbelltown, Oran Park, Leppington. New estates inside the warranty period, and 1970s stock.
Inspections in South West SydneyCanterbury-Bankstown & St George
Bankstown, Kogarah, Hurstville, Earlwood. Interwar bungalows and semis, damp courses and termites.
Inspections in Canterbury-Bankstown & St GeorgeNorthern Beaches
Manly, Dee Why, Narrabeen, Avalon, Belrose. Salt, weatherboard, steep-block subfloors and the bush fringe.
Inspections in Northern BeachesDilapidation Report FAQs.
Who pays for a dilapidation report?
Usually the party doing the works, because it is usually their DA condition and their protection. A neighbour who wants a report of their own, commissioned by them and held by them, pays for that one. Who must pay in a specific case is a question for the DA condition and your conveyancer or solicitor.
Is a dilapidation report legally binding?
General information, not legal advice.We’re building and pest inspectors, not lawyers. The report is evidence: a dated, photographed record of condition. How much weight it carries in a dispute, and what to do with it if damage appears, is a question for your solicitor. Our job is to make the record clear enough that there is nothing to argue about.
How long does it take?
Long enough to do it properly. How long depends on the size and access of the property, and we'll tell you when you book. The report is with you the same day as the inspection.
Do I have to let the builder's inspector into my house?
General information, not legal advice. Access to your property is a legal question, and NSW has specific rules about neighbouring land. Ask your conveyancer or solicitor before you decide. What we can say is that having a record made is in your interest too, and that you can commission your own if you would rather hold the report yourself.
What if damage appears after the works?
The post-construction inspection compares the same elements to the pre-construction record, item by item, and documents any change with before-and-after photographs. That comparison is what you take to the builder, the insurer or your solicitor. Without the before record, it is your word against theirs.
Does the council require one?
Often. Sydney councils commonly condition a DA on a dilapidation report of adjoining properties, and sometimes of council assets (kerbs, footpaths, road surfaces) as well. Read your consent conditions; they name the scope.
Can you do several adjoining properties at once?
Yes. Tell us how many properties the condition covers and we’ll scope and quote them as 1 job. Access to each neighbour’s property is arranged by you or your builder; we inspect what we are given access to and record what we couldn’t.
When is the post-construction inspection done?
After the works are complete, and ideally before the builder leaves site or the final payment is made, so any change can be dealt with while everyone is still involved. We’ll book it when you tell us the works are done.
You might also find this useful
- What Is a Dilapidation Report?What it is, who needs one in NSW, what it includes and who pays.Open
- Inspection CostWhat changes the price, what is included, and what a cheap quote usually leaves out.Open
- Western SydneyParramatta, Blacktown, Merrylands, Fairfield. Post-war fibro and brick veneer on reactive clay.Open
- New-Build Stage InspectionsFor new-build owners. The pre-handover defects report, and stage checks by arrangement.Open
- Cracks in Walls: When to WorryThe 30-second check, crack types by direction, and when an engineer is needed.Open
- Pre-Purchase InspectionFor buyers. Structure and timber pests in 1 visit, timed to your cooling-off period.Open
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Leave your name and number and we’ll call you back about your inspection. Pre-purchase, pre-sale, timber pest and dilapidation inspections across Greater Sydney.