Apartment and Strata Inspections in Melton South

We go through the inside of your lot and check its external walls, roof, garage, courtyard and any balcony, then move to the common property that can be safely seen, such as shared driveways, fences, paths, drainage and roofs. Because the plan of subdivision shows which parts are lots and which are common property, the report follows it when you give us a copy.

It is a visual inspection of your lot and the common property in view, not of every lot in the owners corporation. We do not inspect other lots, concealed framing, footings below ground or roofs that cannot be reached safely, and we do not test electrical, gas or plumbing services. Testing for timber pests, asbestos or mould is a separate service, and whatever we cannot reach is recorded as not inspected.

Attached to the Section 32 vendor's statement, it covers current fees, insurance cover and maintenance works done, as well as proposed works, fee increases and any potential or existing legal claims. Any person can apply in writing with the fee, and the owners corporation has to issue it within 10 business days. Compare it with our report, since a defect on the common property matters more when no works are planned for it.

Look at the plan of subdivision, because common property is whatever it says, and that can include gardens, paths, walls, driveways and fences. Your lot is your responsibility, and the owners corporation must repair and maintain the common property. On a townhouse the line can fall in an unexpected place, so check before you treat a fence or wall as yours.

Only if the owners corporation has expressly authorised you to act as its agent. Without that approval, a lot owner must not repair, alter or maintain common property, or a service that benefits more than one lot. Pass the item from our report to the owners corporation or its manager and keep a copy of their answer.

They are. A two-lot owners corporation is exempt from many requirements, including maintenance plans and funds, financial statements and insuring the common property in its own name. It still has to issue owners corporation certificates, and the two owners are responsible for the common property, which makes insurance advice worth seeking.

Ask whether any maintenance or building works are proposed, whether a maintenance plan exists, whether a special levy is planned and whether there are defect claims. Where a maintenance plan exists, a maintenance fund must also exist. Our report records condition on the day, and the answers show whether anyone is already acting on it.

The Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 implies warranties that the work is carried out in a proper and workmanlike manner, with suitable materials, in line with the law and fit to occupy. Later owners can rely on those warranties, and a building action generally has to be started within 10 years of the occupancy permit (or the certificate of final inspection if there was none). That makes a recent build worth inspecting while the time is still running.

The owners corporation does, as it must manage, repair and maintain the common property. An owners corporation with more than two lots generally needs a special resolution before it can bring legal proceedings. A dispute with a builder goes to the Building and Plumbing Commission's dispute resolution service (formerly DBDRV) and then, if unresolved, to VCAT.

We inspect strata lots in Melton, Melton West, Kurunjang, Brookfield, Weir Views and Cobblebank as well as Melton South, which is in the City of Melton. Older streets sit beside estates such as Orchard Green and Skylark Rise here, so the age of the building can differ a lot from one scheme to the next.

Price depends on the type and size of the lot and how much shared property you want included, and we confirm the fee before you book. The report reaches you within 24 hours of the visit, with photographs, and shows which items appear to be in the lot or common property, checked against the plan of subdivision where supplied. The inspector can talk you through it afterwards.