Buying a home
Pre-purchase structural inspection in Canberra
Established houses sold in the ACT come with the seller's building and compliance report. When it mentions cracks, sloping floors, a leaning wall or an addition, we inspect the structure and tell you what it means before you sign.
- From $790 + GST ($869 inc GST), fixed before we start
- Fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours
- 180 days after its inspection, buyers can no longer rely on a seller's report
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 $790 + GST($869 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 pre-purchase structural inspection in Canberra costs from $790 + GST ($869 inc GST). An engineer visits, inspects the structure and gives you a written report with the findings, the likely cause and what to do next. In the ACT it goes further than the seller's building and compliance report, a visual report whose writer doesn't have to be an engineer. Same prices in Canberra, Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong.
- Fee
- From $790 + GST ($869 inc GST)
- You receive
- The findings, the likely cause and what to do next
- Send us
- The seller's report and the listing photos
- Check the date
- No reliance on a seller's report for contracts more than 180 days after its inspection
- Quote
- Fixed, in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours
- Area
- Every Canberra district, plus Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong
Isn't the seller's building report enough?
It's the starting point, not the last word. It's a visual report, and the law doesn't require its writer to be an engineer.
When an established house is sold in the ACT, the seller must provide a building and compliance inspection report. The inspection can't be earlier than 3 months before the home was first advertised.
The report is completed to AS 4349.1, a standard for visual pre-purchase inspections. Its writer must be independent of the seller and the agent and hold professional indemnity insurance, but needn't be an engineer. Engineers, builders and building inspectors can all write one.
For each structure on the block, it says whether the structure substantially complies with approved plans and whether approval was needed. That's how a deck, carport or extension built without approval gets flagged. Our guide to the seller's building and compliance report explains the rest.
Check the date on the report
The report must say that no reliance may be placed on it for any contract entered into more than 180 days after the date of the inspection. Look for the inspection date before you rely on anything in it.
You're paying for it too
The buyer reimburses the seller for the report's cost at completion. So read it before you book anything else, and send it to us with your questions.
What does a pre-purchase structural inspection add?
An engineer's view on the structural things the seller's report notes: what they are, what's causing them and what work they're likely to need.
| If the seller's report mentions | Our inspection tells you |
|---|---|
| Cracks in walls or ceilings | Whether they point to footing movement, the likely cause, and whether a repair or monitoring fits. More on cracks and footing movement. |
| Sloping, springy or uneven floors | Whether the floor framing or the footings have moved, and what that's likely to need. |
| A leaning or bulging retaining wall | Whether the wall is coping with the ground behind it, and what work it's likely to need. |
| A sagging roof line or ceiling | Whether the roof or ceiling framing has moved, and why. |
| An addition, deck, carport or pergola | How it's built and whether it's structurally adequate. If it was built without approval, an unapproved structure assessment sets out what it needs. |
What's included
An engineer visits, inspects the structure and gives you a written report with the findings, the likely cause and what to do next. We look at what the seller's report flags and at anything else structural we find.
What to send us
- The seller's building and compliance report, so we can see what it flagged
- The listing photos, or your own from an open home
- Any plans or approvals the agent has given you
- Your deadline, such as an exchange date
What we don't do
Pest inspections, asbestos testing, or the seller's building and compliance report itself. We inspect the structure.
Buying an ex-govvie, a split-level or a Garden City cottage?
Each of Canberra's common house types has its own things to check. Here's what matters structurally.
1960s ex-govvies
In the mid-1960s the NCDC built detached houses, almost all brick-veneer, in nearly every new suburb. Many have been renovated since, so ask what was approved and look at any walls that were opened up.
Split-levels on sloping blocks
Built into the slope, mostly from the late 1960s and 1970s, so the retaining walls, the steps between levels and drainage on the high side deserve a look. Both Woden, settled from the early 1960s, and Weston Creek, from 1969, date from this period.
Garden City cottages
Government cottages built between 1920 and the Second World War. Many sit in registered heritage precincts, where changes and demolition are controlled. See older and heritage homes.
Do I need a structural engineer when buying a house in the ACT?
No law requires one. You need one when the seller's report, or your own eyes, turn up something structural.
Good reasons to call an engineer before you sign:
- Cracks wider than hairline, or cracks that have been patched and reopened
- Doors that stick and floors that slope
- Retaining walls on a sloping block
- Additions, decks, carports or pergolas the report says weren't approved
- Plans to renovate, especially to remove walls or add a storey
You engage us, so the report answers your questions. We're engineers only: we don't sell repairs or recommend builders, so our report isn't tied to a sale.
Our guide Do I need a structural engineer? sets out who does what, from building inspectors to certifiers.
What happens next?
Three steps, and you know the price before anything is booked. Tell us your deadline when you ask.
Send the seller's report
Use the form at the top of the page, or email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au. Add up to 5 files: the report, listing photos or your own.
Get a fixed quote
We reply with a fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours, so you can decide quickly.
Inspection and report
An engineer inspects the structure, then sends your written report with the findings, the likely cause and what to do next.
Prices are from prices for a typical house. See all our prices.
Often needed when buying
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.
Unapproved structure assessment
Decks, pergolas, carports, garage conversions and extensions built without approval, assessed by an engineer.
$690 + GST($759 inc GST) See the service
Cracks & footing movement
Stepped cracks, sticking doors, gaps at the cornice. An engineer finds the cause and tells you whether it matters.
$1,090 + GST($1,199 inc GST) See the service
The seller's building and compliance report, explained
What the ACT seller's building and compliance report must contain, who can write it, how long a buyer can rely on it, and what to do when it flags a structure.
Read the guidePre-purchase inspection questions
Something else on your mind? Call 02 6189 9876, email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au or send photos for a fixed quote.
Is the seller's building and compliance report enough?
It's a good start, not a structural assessment. It's a visual report to AS 4349.1, and the law doesn't require its writer to be an engineer. Read it, then send it to us with your questions.
How much is a pre-purchase structural inspection in Canberra?
From $790 + GST ($869 inc GST) for a typical house. Send the suburb and the seller's report and we reply with a fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours.
Who pays for the seller's report?
In the end, the buyer. The buyer reimburses the seller for the report's cost at completion, so it's worth reading closely before you rely on it.
Do you do pest inspections?
No. We don't do pest inspections, asbestos testing or the seller's building and compliance report. We inspect the structure.
Will you check retaining walls, decks and outbuildings too?
Yes, if you want them checked. Tell us about retaining walls, decks, carports and sheds when you ask for a quote, and the fixed quote covers them.
Do you inspect homes in Queanbeyan and Googong?
Yes, at the same prices. They're in New South Wales, so the ACT seller's report rules don't apply there. NSW rules do, and the structural inspection itself is the same.