When is a dilapidation report required?

There's no single national rule that makes a dilapidation report mandatory for every project. The requirement usually comes from the approval for your specific works, so two projects on the same street can have different obligations. This guide shows how to check yours, what usually triggers a condition, when to book, and when a report is worth having anyway.

When a dilapidation report is required: quick facts

Where it's set

Development consent, building permit or construction contract

Usual triggers

Demolition, excavation, piling and heavy plant near a boundary

Deadline

Before the relevant works start, or as the condition states

Who to ask

Your certifier, building surveyor or council

Public assets

Footpaths, kerbs and crossovers, where the condition asks

After works

A post-construction comparison, if required or wise

Common triggers for a dilapidation report

Any work that could move the ground, shake a structure or load a shared element near a neighbour can trigger a requirement. These are the most common:

Why excavation is the most common trigger

Removing soil next to a boundary can take support away from a neighbour's footings. The closer and deeper the dig, the more likely the neighbour's house sits inside the excavation's zone of influence.

That's why basement and pool excavations near a boundary so often come with a dilapidation condition, and why the report should cover boundary and retaining walls, paving and driveways near the dig, not just the house. A pre-construction dilapidation report records all of these before the excavator arrives.

Piling and rock breaking add vibration

Piling, rock breaking and compaction add a second risk: vibration through the ground. Engineers commonly compare measured vibration with guideline values from DIN 4150-3, which are lower for dwellings than for commercial buildings, and lower again for sensitive or heritage structures. They're guideline values used by engineers, not legal limits.

Do I need a dilapidation report? A quick check

Work through these questions in order. The first "yes" tells you how strongly a report is needed.

1. Does your consent, permit or contract mention a dilapidation report?

   Search for dilapidation, condition survey, adjoining properties or pre-commencement.

   Yes → It's required. Follow the wording exactlyNo → Go to question 2

2. Will you demolish, excavate, pile or dewater near a boundary?

   Near means close enough that a neighbouring footing, wall or paved area could be in the zone of influence or feel the vibration.

   Yes → Strongly recommended, even without a conditionNo → Go to question 3

3. Will heavy plant, cranes or trucks work beside a neighbour or shared driveway?

   Machinery loads and vibration can affect fences, paving, driveways and boundary walls.

   Yes → Recommended for the properties and assets alongsideNo → Go to question 4

4. Is a neighbouring building older, already cracked or on reactive clay?

   Existing cracks are exactly what gets disputed later. On reactive clay, cracks can open and close with the seasons.

   Yes → Worth recording, so old defects aren't blamed on your worksNo → Probably not needed. Keep your own dated photos

How to read your consent conditions

If a dilapidation report is required, it's usually a numbered condition in your development consent or permit. Search the document for these words:

• dilapidation
• condition survey
• adjoining properties
• pre-commencement
• prior to works commencing
• public assets

The condition typically tells you:

1. Which properties must be recorded, by address or description
2. When the report must be done, for example before demolition or before works commence
3. Who receives copies, such as the owners, the council or your certifier
4. Whether public assets such as footpaths and kerbs at the frontage must be included
5. Sometimes who must prepare it, and whether a post-construction report is also needed

When to book your dilapidation report

Book as soon as you have a start date, and have every property inspected before the works the condition relates to begin. Here's how the timing usually runs:

1. As soon as consent is issued

   Check the conditions

   Find the dilapidation condition, the properties it names and its deadline.

2. Weeks before works

   Get a fixed quote and book

   Send the address, works, start date and condition wording. We reply with a fixed price within 1–2 business hours.

3. Before the inspection

   Arrange access

   Write to each owner explaining that the report protects both parties, and agree a time.

4. Before demolition or excavation

   Inspect and record

   Each elevation and accessible room is photographed, and existing cracks are measured and logged.

5. Before works start

   Issue and lodge the report

   Each owner receives the record of their own property. Copies go to the certifier or council if required.

6. During high-risk works

   Monitor key cracks if needed

   Tell-tale gauges show whether a crack is stable, seasonal or progressive.

7. After works finish

   Compare

   A post-construction inspection re-measures recorded cracks and logs any new defects.

If a neighbour won't allow access, read what happens when a neighbour refuses a dilapidation inspection. For cracks that need watching during the works, see crack monitoring, and close the record with a post-construction dilapidation report.

Do dilapidation report requirements differ by state?

Yes. Planning and building rules differ between states and between councils, and so do the conditions they attach to approvals. Rather than rely on a general rule, check your own approval documents and, if unsure, ask your certifier or council.

Our city pages cover what we see locally in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, Newcastle and Geelong.

Do you need to record footpaths and kerbs?

Sometimes. Some councils require builders to record public assets, such as footpaths, kerbs and crossovers at the frontage, before work starts. A dated record shows which defects were already there before trucks and machinery arrived.

Our reports include public assets at the frontage where your consent requires them. Check whether your condition mentions council assets, the footpath or the road reserve, and include that wording when you ask for a quote. In Victoria, read how asset protection permits work, and for longer frontages and haul routes see road and council asset surveys.

When it's not required, but wise

Plenty of projects don't need a report on paper but are still worth recording:

• A pool excavation near the neighbour's fence or footings
• A knock-down rebuild on a narrow lot
• A renovation that cuts into or loads a shared wall
• A neighbouring house that's older or already cracked
• A reactive clay site (AS 2870 Class M, H1, H2 or E), where cracks can open and close with seasonal moisture

If a neighbour later says your works cracked their house, a report from before you started is the fastest way to settle it.

See what you get in our sample dilapidation report, check what a dilapidation report costs, and read who pays for a dilapidation report. When you're ready, request a fixed quote with your condition wording.