What Does a Strata Building Inspection Cover?

"Strata inspection" covers a few genuinely different scopes of work, and knowing which one applies matters for both the owners corporation commissioning it and anyone relying on the resulting report. Broadly, structural strata inspections fall into routine condition assessments, pre-purchase checks for a unit within a strata scheme, and statutory defect inspections tied to newer buildings.

Routine Common Property Condition Assessments

An owners corporation has an ongoing responsibility under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) to maintain and repair common property, and a periodic structural condition assessment supports that obligation, informing the building's capital works fund plan and flagging defects before they become significant. This typically covers structural elements of common property: facades, balconies, structural slabs, car park structures, and shared roof areas, assessed against the relevant Australian Standards for the construction type involved, AS 3600 for concrete structures, AS 2870 where footings are relevant, and others depending on the building.

Statutory Defect Bond Inspections for New Buildings

New strata buildings in NSW are subject to the Strata Building Bond and Inspections Scheme, which requires the developer of a new strata scheme to lodge a bond and have an independent building inspector assess the building for defects at set intervals after completion. This is a distinct, statutory process with its own reporting requirements, separate from a routine condition assessment an owners corporation might commission independently. See our piece on how the strata building bond claim process actually works for the mechanics of how that bond gets paid out.

Pre-Purchase Checks for Units in a Strata Scheme

Buying into a strata scheme carries a different structural risk profile to buying a standalone house, the unit itself is usually the least of the structural concerns, since common property condition, and whether it's been properly maintained, matters just as much. A pre-purchase assessment for a strata unit typically reviews the strata records (including any prior defect reports or building bond inspection outcomes) alongside a physical inspection, closely related to the general principles covered in our piece on do I need a structural engineer before buying a house.

Defect Disputes and Remediation Scoping

Where defects are identified, whether through a routine assessment, a statutory bond inspection, or an owner's complaint, an independent structural report is often needed to establish the defect's cause and scope, which then informs both remediation planning and, where relevant, any claim against the builder or developer's warranty insurance.