An apartment's condition depends partly on areas you can see inside the lot and partly on shared construction or services you may not be able to access. A standard pre-purchase inspection of the unit should not be assumed to assess the entire roof, façade, basement or building systems.
Our building inspector referral service can connect you with an independent professional. Before ordering, describe the property and any building-wide concerns. Combine physical inspection with the legal and records checks outlined in our property due diligence guide.
Define the physical inspection boundary
The NSW Government says an inspector for strata or company-title property will normally assess the interior and immediate exterior of the unit. Inspection of other common property can require a special-purpose report. That is a useful warning about scope, not a promise that a particular provider can access or assess every shared area.
Ask whether balconies, parking spaces, storage, accessible common corridors or other areas are included. Give the inspector the relevant plan if available and confirm how ownership boundaries will be checked with your conveyancer. What appears attached to the apartment is not necessarily privately owned.
Arrange access rather than assuming it
- Who will provide entry to the apartment, parking and storage areas?
- Which common areas require permission or keys from a strata or building manager?
- Are roof, plant room, façade or other specialist areas safely accessible?
- Will occupants, furniture or locked cupboards limit inspection?
- What will be recorded if access is refused or unavailable?
- Can a separate inspection be arranged, and what qualifications and scope would it need?
Match the question to the right report
A visual building inspection may identify signs such as moisture or cracking, but it does not necessarily test waterproofing, building services or fire systems. Ask what a concern requires: a further physical inspection, a specialist assessment, records review or several of these.
A hypothetical unit shows staining near a balcony door. The inspector may describe the observed moisture without determining whether the source is private-lot waterproofing, shared construction or another cause. A suitable specialist may need to investigate; your conveyancer can explain how responsibility is determined under the relevant scheme and law.
Use strata records as complementary evidence
Meeting minutes, financial information, maintenance history and available defect or engineering reports can reveal work under discussion or planned expenditure. Ask the conveyancer or appropriate records specialist what to review and which documents are missing. A clean-looking unit does not establish the financial health or structural condition of the whole scheme.
Conversely, a records review does not physically inspect the unit or confirm that past repair work was effective. Compare the reports and dates. If minutes refer to water ingress but the inspection is dry, ask whether seasonal conditions or access limitations leave the concern unresolved.
Make the gaps part of the purchase decision
Keep a list of inspected areas, unavailable areas, specialist referrals and cost uncertainties. Confirm who follows up each item before any contract deadline. Do not interpret lack of access as evidence of good condition, or a broad building report as a compliance certificate.
An apartment-inspection question
Is a strata records report enough on its own?
It answers different questions from a physical inspection. It may identify known issues or proposed expenditure, but cannot establish every defect inside the lot. Ask professionals to explain the remaining gaps and whether additional work is proportionate to the property.
Sources and further reading
NSW Government: pre-purchase inspection reports and their limitations
