Before nearby work
Dilapidation reports in Canberra
A dilapidation report is a dated, photographed record of a building's condition before work starts next door. No ACT law requires one, but it gives both sides a fixed point to compare against if cracks appear later.
- From $750 + GST ($825 inc GST), fixed before we start
- Fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours
- Before work starts a dated record of existing cracks and condition
Prefer to talk? Call 02 6189 9876
Or email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm
- Engineering onlyWe never sell the repair or the build.
- From $750 + GST($825 inc GST), confirmed before we start.
- Fixed quote in under 20 minutes on averageDuring business hours, Monday to Friday.
- Canberra and the Queanbeyan sideEvery district, plus Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong.
In short
A dilapidation report in Canberra starts from $750 + GST ($825 inc GST). It's a dated, photographed record of a building's condition before nearby demolition, excavation or building work. No ACT law requires one, but Master Builders ACT says one should be treated as essential before excavation or demolition. Same price across Canberra, Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong.
- Fee
- From $750 + GST ($825 inc GST)
- Quote
- Fixed, in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours
- You receive
- A dated record, with photos and notes of existing condition
- ACT law
- No statute requires one: it's advice, not law
- Who orders it
- The party doing the work, or a neighbour for their own home
- Area
- Canberra, Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong, same price
Do I need a dilapidation report in the ACT?
No law requires one. The ACT has no statute on dilapidation reports or neighbour notice before excavation, and no "protection of adjoining property" section in its building regulation.
That makes it a choice, not a requirement. Master Builders ACT says a dilapidation report "should be treated as essential" before excavation or demolition, which is industry advice rather than law.
The value of the report is simple: it shows what a building looked like before the work started. Without one, nobody can show whether a crack was already there. With one, both sides have the same dated starting point.
It's most useful before jobs like these:
- Demolishing a house, especially one half of a duplex
- Excavating near a boundary for a basement, pool, retaining wall or new slab
- Rock breaking or other heavy groundwork close to neighbouring homes
- Major building work next to an older or heritage home
- Commercial or multi-unit work beside occupied homes. See commercial inspections and defect reports
Who pays for a dilapidation report in Canberra?
No ACT rule decides it. The party doing the work often commissions one to guard against unfounded claims, and a neighbour can commission their own.
| Who orders it | Why | What gets recorded |
|---|---|---|
| The owner or builder doing the work | A record of neighbouring homes before work starts, so a later claim can be checked against it | The neighbours' homes, with their agreement and access |
| A neighbour next to the work | Their own record of their home, made by someone they chose | Their own home |
| The owner of one half of a duplex | Before the attached half is demolished or rebuilt | Their half, including the party wall |
A dilapidation report is a record of condition, not a ruling on who is at fault. If damage appears later, a second inspection can be compared with the first. Builders recording several neighbouring homes before one job can see our page for builders, designers and certifiers.
Why do duplexes and shared walls need extra care?
Because the party wall belongs to both homes. Demolishing or rebuilding one half can take away support the other half relies on.
Canberra's red-brick duplexes go back to the 1920s at Blandfordia, then Reid, and more were built after the war, for example at Vaughan Gardens in Narrabundah. Each pair shares one party wall.
In a 2013 case reported by the Canberra Times, a Yarralumla owner's attached half was left with "gaping holes in her walls" when the other half was demolished.
ACT planning rules reflect this. Demolishing a single dwelling is only exempt from development approval when there is no shared party wall and the neighbours get written information before demolition starts. Some duplexes also sit inside registered heritage precincts: see engineering for older and heritage homes.
If you're rebuilding next door, or on your own half, knock-down rebuild engineering covers the new house, and our guide to knock-down rebuilds in Canberra covers the approvals. The dilapidation report covers the neighbours. Reid's duplexes are in the Inner North, and Blandfordia's and Narrabundah's are in the Inner South.
What happens to neighbouring footings when you dig?
Digging close to a boundary can take support from a neighbour's footing. How far the effect reaches depends on the depth of the dig and the ground.
Canberra's rock is often deeply and unevenly weathered. Rock can be near the surface on one part of a block and metres down on another. Where hard rock sits near the surface, a dig may need rock breaking or even blasting, which is exactly the kind of work worth recording neighbouring homes before.
Our guide to Canberra soils and footings explains the ground in more detail.
A dilapidation report records condition. It doesn't design the excavation or the way it's supported: that belongs to the engineering for the work itself.
Is the neighbour's footing within the zone of influence?
What's included in a dilapidation report?
A dated, photographed record of the building's condition before nearby work starts, from $750 + GST ($825 inc GST).
| What you get | What we need from you |
|---|---|
| An inspection of the building before work starts | The suburb and the building to be recorded |
| Dated photos of its existing condition | What work is planned nearby, and when it starts |
| Notes on existing cracks and other visible defects | Access to the building, arranged with its owner |
| A written report you can keep and share | Plans of the nearby work, if you have them |
The starting price covers a typical house. Several buildings, or a large or multi-storey one, can change the price, and your fixed quote says so before we start. See all our prices.
We're engineers only. We don't demolish, excavate or build, and we don't recommend who does, so the record isn't written for either side.
What happens next?
Book before the work starts. You see the price before anything is booked.
Tell us about the work
Use the form at the top of this page or our quote page, or email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au. Add up to 5 photos or plans.
Get a fixed quote
We reply with a fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours.
Inspection and report
We inspect and photograph the building before work starts, then send the dated report.
Often needed alongside a dilapidation report
Every service is quoted at a fixed price before we start. Send photos or plans and we reply in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours.
Knock-down rebuild engineering
Site classification of the cleared block, footing and slab design, and structural drawings for the new house.
Fixed quotefrom your photos or plans See the service
Older & heritage homes
Garden City cottages, red-brick duplexes, post-war houses and homes in heritage precincts, priced from your photos.
Fixed quotefrom your photos or plans See the service
Commercial inspections & defects
Structural condition, defect and change-of-use reports for commercial buildings and apartments.
Fixed quotefrom your photos or plans See the serviceDilapidation report questions
Something else on your mind? Call 02 6189 9876, email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au or send photos for a fixed quote.
What is a dilapidation report?
A dated, photographed record of a building's condition before nearby work starts. If damage is claimed later, the building can be compared against it.
Is a dilapidation report a legal requirement in the ACT?
No. No ACT statute requires one, or neighbour notice before excavation. Master Builders ACT advises getting one before excavation or demolition; that's advice, not law.
Who pays for a dilapidation report?
No ACT rule decides it. The party doing the work often pays, to guard against unfounded claims, and a neighbour can order their own. Ours start from $750 + GST ($825 inc GST).
Should I get one before half of a duplex is demolished?
Yes, it's worth having. The two halves share a party wall, and demolition with a shared party wall isn't DA-exempt in the ACT. Record the attached half before work starts.
My neighbour is excavating. Can you record my house?
Yes. Book it before the work starts. A record made after the first cracks appear can't show what was there before.