We get asked this a lot: "Do I even need a building inspection if I'm buying a unit?" Short answer: yes, but it's a different job to inspecting a house, and it's worth knowing exactly what you're paying for before you book one. A pre purchase building inspection covers very different ground depending on whether you're buying a freestanding house in Sandringham or a two-bedroom apartment in Albert Park.
Houses: We Can Get Into Almost Everything
On a standalone house, we're accessing the roof space, the subfloor where there is one, the exterior walls, the roof exterior, site drainage, fencing, sheds, and every accessible internal area. That's the scope AS 4349.1-2007 sets out for a full pre-purchase building inspection, and it's why house reports tend to run longer and cover more physical ground. Literally. We're up in the roof void with a torch, under the floor if there's clearance, walking the perimeter checking for drainage falls and cracking. It's a full structural picture, because on a house, the whole structure is yours and it's all in scope.
Apartments: A Different Scope Entirely
An apartment is a different proposition altogether. In our experience inspecting bayside and inner-Melbourne units, the structure, roof, gutters and subfloor come back essentially clean in the report, not because those elements are necessarily in perfect condition, but because none of it is accessible to us or within the scope of a unit inspection. You don't own the roof. You don't own the external walls' structure. That's common property, and it belongs to the whole building, managed by the owners corporation.
Why the Roof, Subfloor and Structure Aren't in Scope
This trips people up more than anything else. You can own a two-million-dollar apartment in Beaumaris and we still won't be climbing into the roof space, because it's not yours to inspect and the building manager isn't going to hand us access on a pre-purchase visit anyway. Our job on a unit is to assess what's actually part of your title: the interior of your apartment and, where applicable, your balcony.
What We Focus on Instead: Wet Areas and the Balcony
So that's exactly where we put the effort. Bathrooms get close attention: sealant condition, grout, and moisture readings in the floor tiles. Elevated moisture readings in a bathroom floor are one of the most common things we pick up in apartment inspections, and it usually points to a leak or failed waterproofing membrane under the tiles, which is a real cost if it's confirmed. The balcony is the other hot spot: degraded sealant around doors and balustrades, failing waterproofing on the balcony floor, and deteriorating exterior paint finish. These are the areas that actually belong to you, and they're where problems most commonly turn up in a strata unit.
Why Apartment Reports Often Show a "High Risk" Rating
Here's something worth explaining clearly, because it catches buyers off guard. Apartment inspection reports are routinely rated a high undetected-defect risk. That surprises people who read the rest of the report and see nothing alarming. The high rating isn't because we found something bad. It's because so much of the building simply isn't accessible for inspection: the roof, the structure, common hallways, the lift, the car park slab, the building's render and cladding. All of that could be sitting on a maintenance backlog or have a defect nobody's told you about, and a standard unit inspection has no way of seeing it. The rating reflects the limits of what's inspectable, not a red flag on your specific unit. Worth knowing before it spooks you.
The Part You Have to Chase Yourself: the Body Corporate
This is the piece that a lot of buyers skip, and it's arguably more important than anything in the physical inspection. Every apartment report we write states plainly that it does not cover common property or common areas of the building, and we strongly recommend buyers follow up directly with the owners corporation before signing. Ask for the last few AGM minutes. Ask if there are planned maintenance works: a re-render, a roof replacement, waterproofing works on other balconies. Ask if there are any known building-wide defects already logged, and whether there's a special levy coming to pay for rectification. That paperwork will tell you things no building inspector can see by walking through your unit for an hour. It's arguably where the real financial risk hides in an apartment purchase.
So Which One Do You Actually Need?
If you're buying a house, you need the full AS 4349.1 building inspection plus a timber pest inspection under AS 4349.3-2010, covering roof to subfloor. If you're buying an apartment, you still need the inspection (the wet areas and balcony findings are genuinely useful and can save you an expensive surprise), but you also need to do your homework with the body corporate. One without the other leaves a gap. Skip the inspection and you might miss a failing balcony membrane. Skip the body corporate check and you might miss a large special levy landing next year for lobby remediation.
Book the Right Inspection for What You're Buying
Whether it's a Californian bungalow in Mentone or a third-floor unit in Middle Park, we tailor the inspection to what's actually within scope and tell you plainly what isn't, so you know exactly what else to check before you sign. Book a pre purchase building inspection with Littlefire Building Inspections at www.littlefire.com.au and get a report that's honest about what it covers, not just what looks thorough.