A dilapidation survey is a written and photographic record of the condition of a property at a fixed point in time, taken before nearby construction, excavation or demolition starts. It is evidence. If a crack opens up in a common property wall eight months into the build next door, the survey is what settles the argument about whether it was already there.
Bodies corporate commission one most often when a development goes up on an adjoining site. The same document also gets used inside a scheme, before major works such as a roof replacement, a basement waterproofing project or a car park slab repair.
What the term means
Dilapidation sounds like it describes a building in poor repair. In practice it means something narrower and less dramatic. A dilapidation survey does not grade the property, value it, or say whether it is fit for purpose. It records what is there on the day, in enough detail that a later change can be identified and dated.
You will see the same deliverable called a dilapidation report, a dilapidation inspection, or a pre-condition survey. Seymour Consultants issues it as a Dilapidation Report. In ordinary use the words are interchangeable, and a contractor asking for a “dilap survey” is asking for exactly this.
What the surveyor records
Scope varies with the site. A survey of common property will usually cover:
- cracking, stress lines and water staining to floors, walls, cornices and ceilings
- cracks in brickwork, render, driveways, road surfaces and adjoining footpaths
- the condition of roofs, gutters, downpipes, flashings and external fixtures
- fencing, retaining walls, balustrades and boundary structures
- pool surrounds, paving and landscaped areas that plant traffic could disturb
- basement slabs, columns and any visible movement joints
Each item is photographed and described. Location matters as much as the description, so a usable report ties every photograph to a specific position on the property rather than presenting a gallery of unlabelled images.
Pre-works and post-works
Most schemes think of the survey as a single event before the work starts. It is more useful as a pair.
The pre-works survey sets the baseline. The post-works survey, carried out once the neighbouring build or the internal project is finished, is compared against it. Differences between the two are what a claim rests on. Without the second inspection you have a record of the starting condition and no formal record of the finishing condition, which weakens the position considerably if anyone disputes the cause of damage.
Post-works surveys also get used for site restoration. Where a contractor has removed landscaping, fencing or a section of driveway for access, the original survey is the reference for putting it back.
When a body corporate should commission one
Triggers are usually one of these:
- a development application is approved on an adjoining lot
- excavation, piling or demolition is planned within influencing distance of the scheme
- the committee has approved major works on common property
- a lot owner is undertaking structural renovations that touch common property
- road, drainage or utility works are scheduled on the street frontage
Timing is the part committees get wrong. The survey has to be done before anything moves on the neighbouring site, including site clearing. A survey commissioned after the excavator arrives records a condition that already includes whatever the first week of work caused, and its value as evidence drops accordingly.
What drives the cost
There is no flat rate, and any figure quoted without a look at the site is a guess. The cost of a dilapidation survey moves with:
- Size and number of lots. A twelve lot walk-up and a two hundred lot tower are different jobs.
- Length of the shared boundary. Exposure to the works is what needs recording in detail.
- Access. Basements, plant rooms, roof spaces and lots requiring owner coordination all add time.
- Whether a post-works survey is included. Booking both at the outset is generally cheaper than commissioning the second one later.
- Urgency. A survey needed before a start date next week costs more than one with a month of notice.
Set against the cost of arguing about a structural crack with no evidence, it is a small number. That is the comparison worth making.
Choosing a dilapidation surveyor
Independence is the point of the exercise. A survey produced by the builder carrying out the work, or by any party with an interest in the outcome, carries less weight in a dispute than one produced by a consultant engaged by neither side.
Look for professional qualification, experience with strata rather than detached housing, and a report format that a committee, an insurer and a lawyer can all read. Seymour Consultants has worked with bodies corporate for more than 25 years and its quantity surveyors are members of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors.
What happens if the survey is skipped
Disputes between bodies corporate, contractors and developers over damage to adjoining property are common. Where no baseline record exists, the argument becomes one party’s recollection against another’s, and the scheme is the one trying to prove a negative.
Two outcomes follow. The scheme may absorb repair costs genuinely caused by the neighbouring works. Or it may end up in a long and expensive process trying to establish something a two hour inspection would have documented at the start.
Common questions
How is a dilapidation survey different from a building condition report?
Building condition reports assess the overall state of the building and are usually about maintenance planning. A dilapidation survey is narrower and evidentiary. It exists to be compared against a later inspection.
How long does the survey stay valid?
It reflects the condition on the day it was carried out. If the works are delayed by a long period, the baseline is arguably stale and a fresh inspection may be worth doing.
Who pays for it?
Where the works are on an adjoining site, the developer is frequently required to fund the survey as a condition of approval. Where the scheme is running its own project, the body corporate normally pays. Check the development approval conditions before assuming.
Does every lot need to be inspected?
Not usually. The survey concentrates on common property and on the parts of the building nearest the works. Lots on the exposed elevation may be included where there is reason to expect impact.
Arranging a survey
Seymour Consultants carries out dilapidation surveys for bodies corporate and strata managers across Queensland and northern New South Wales. Call 07 5573 4011 or request a quote.
