A pre-purchase building inspection report tells you what a qualified inspector could see on the day, in the areas they could reach. It does not guarantee the property is free of defects, and it is not a compliance certificate or an engineer's structural assessment. Knowing how the report is put together, and what each part is telling you, is what lets you use it properly before you commit to a property.
What the report tells you, and what it does not
A pre-purchase building inspection is a visual assessment of the accessible parts of a building, carried out by a qualified inspector on the day of the inspection. It records the condition of the structure and finishes the inspector could see, and flags anything that looks like a defect.
It is not a guarantee. An inspector cannot see inside a wall cavity, under flooring that is fixed down, or behind built-in furniture, so a defect hidden in one of those places will not appear in the report.
It is not a compliance certificate. Passing an inspection does not mean the property meets current building codes or council approvals: that is a separate question for your conveyancer or the relevant council records.
It is not a structural engineer's report. If the inspector flags something that needs deeper assessment, such as movement in a foundation, that is a specialist engagement in its own right, not something the standard report resolves.
Building inspection, pest inspection, or both
A building inspection and a pest, or timber pest, inspection look for different things. The building inspection covers the structure, roof, drainage and general condition. The pest inspection looks specifically for termites and other timber pests, which a general building inspector is not necessarily trained to identify.
Many inspectors offer a combined building and pest report, carried out in one visit. Others are separate specialists you book yourself. Either way, check that both have actually been covered: a building-only report that does not mention pests is not evidence the property is free of them.
Who carries out the inspection, and how to check them
Whether building and pest inspectors must hold a licence or registration for this work differs by state, and in some states there is no licence specific to pre-purchase building inspections. Check directly rather than assume: ask about the inspector's qualifications, any licence or registration number, and membership of a recognised industry association, and ask to see evidence of their professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Where your state does license or register this work, confirm it with the regulator, such as its fair trading, consumer affairs or building services body, before you rely on the report.
When to get the inspection done
There are two common points in the process to arrange a building and pest inspection: before you exchange contracts, or within whatever window a building and pest condition in the contract allows, if your contract includes one.
If you are buying at auction, contracts are typically unconditional once the hammer falls, with no cooling-off period to fall back on. Arrange your inspection, and read the results, before auction day, not after. The exact rules differ by state, so check what applies to an auction sale where you are buying.
Example: suppose your contract gives you 5 business days from exchange to get a satisfactory building and pest report (a period some standard contracts use, though yours may differ, so check it with your conveyancer). Booking an inspector might take a day, the inspection and written report another one to two days, which leaves two or three days to read the findings and talk to your conveyancer before the condition expires. Book on day three instead of day one and that time shrinks to a day or less.
How to read the report
A pre-purchase report is usually organised into a small number of standard sections. Reading it in order, rather than skipping straight to the defects list, makes it easier to judge how much weight to put on what follows.
| Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Scope and limitations | What the inspector was engaged to check, and what is explicitly excluded |
| Areas not inspected | Parts of the property that were inaccessible on the day, such as a locked room or a roof void with no access |
| Summary | The inspector's overall read of the property's condition |
| Major defects | Issues the inspector considers significant, described in the report's own words |
| Minor defects | Smaller issues, generally wear and cosmetic condition, often summarised rather than listed one by one |
| Safety hazards | Anything flagged as an immediate risk, kept separate from the general defects list |
| Recommendations | Any further inspection, such as an engineer or specialist, that the report suggests |
Major and minor are the report's own judgement, not a fixed legal test, and the same word can mean different things between inspectors. As a general guide, a major defect is something that affects the structure or safety of the building, or would need significant work to put right. A minor defect is closer to normal wear, such as a hairline crack in render or a sticking door, that does not affect how the building stands up or performs.
What to do with the findings
Do not estimate repair costs yourself from a defect's description or a photo in the report. Get a quote from the right specialist for your specific property, because a similar-sounding defect can cost very different amounts to fix depending on the cause.
Example: a report lists 14 findings. Two are marked as major defects, three as safety hazards, and the rest are minor. Before you decide anything, follow up the five that matter (the two major defects and the three hazards) with the right specialist or a repair quote, rather than chasing quotes on all 14. The minor items are useful to know about, but they rarely change what you do next.
Questions worth asking your inspector:
- Which areas were inspected, and which were not accessible or excluded?
- Which findings need urgent attention or a specialist opinion?
- Do you need a structural engineer, pest inspector, electrician, plumber or asbestos specialist next?
- What evidence supports each finding, and how should it be followed up?
- Does the report recommend another inspection or further documents?
- What are the inspector's qualifications, any licence or registration, and their insurance?
Once you have specialist opinions and quotes where you need them, take the whole picture, the report, the quotes and the contract, to your conveyancer or solicitor. They can tell you what your contract allows, including whether and how a defect can be raised with the seller before you proceed.
For asbestos specifically, the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency has guidance on finding asbestos in a home. The NSW Government also explains what inspection reports can and cannot tell you.
Checking it off in Virtual Buyers Agent
Once your building and pest inspection is done, tick it in the Documents checklist on that property's Property Hub. Nothing is uploaded or read: it is a record that you obtained and reviewed the report, for your own reference. Ticking the box does not approve the property or replace anything in the report itself; the specialist opinions above still sit with you, your inspector and your conveyancer.
See how Documents fits into the rest of the Property Hub.
Reviewed 28 September 2026.