What is a dilapidation report and do I need one before demolition?

What a dilapidation report records

A dilapidation report sets down the existing condition of a building so it can be compared with its condition after the work. The City of Sydney's standard consent condition for major excavation or demolition shows what a council can ask for. It requires a report with a photographic survey of the named neighbouring properties and any others the engineer identifies, prepared by an appropriately qualified structural engineer before work starts.

Under that condition, copies go to the neighbouring owners, the certifier and the council before the construction certificate is issued. A second report follows at least one month after demolition or excavation is finished and is lodged before the occupation certificate. The condition gives its purpose as identifying damage to nearby properties caused by the building work, so the report is a record to compare against rather than protection from damage.

When demolition needs one in NSW

The answer sits in your approval. For demolition under a complying development certificate, NSW Planning's demolition guidance lists an adjoining wall dilapidation report among the conditions. It applies where you demolish a wall within 900 mm of a boundary and a wall on the adjoining lot is also within 900 mm. A professional engineer's report on how support will be maintained is required in that situation too.

For demolition approved through a development application, read the conditions of consent, since councils set them for each site. Our guide to council approval to demolish a house explains the approval routes. Where work sits near Sydney Water's pipes, its technical guidelines describe monitoring plans that may include dilapidation surveys.

Dilapidation reports for renovations near a neighbour

A renovation does not need a report by default, yet the same conditions can apply when the work involves demolition or excavation close to a boundary. Semi detached and terrace houses need particular care, because a shared wall is part of both homes. NSW Planning's demolition code does not allow demolition of the front 6 metres of an attached or semi detached dwelling under complying development. Any part of a common wall left exposed must be weatherproofed.

SafeWork NSW's code of practice for demolition work says no part of a demolition should adversely affect the structural integrity of any other building. It also asks that temporary supports be in place before lateral support for an adjoining structure is disturbed. When a renovation or extension reaches that close to a neighbour, a condition survey before work starts gives both owners a shared starting point. Our luxury home renovations page explains how we plan the work around the parts of a house being kept.

What to agree before the survey

The engineer needs the neighbour's permission to enter, so it helps to raise the survey early and explain what it involves. The City of Sydney condition asks owners to tell neighbours in writing what the survey will cover and how to make a claim for damage. Before the engineer starts, agree which properties and which parts of each building are included, how the photographs will be dated and when the second report will be prepared. A report is different from a site survey, which maps your own block's levels and boundaries, as our guide to why a site survey comes before design explains.

How we plan demolition at SHORE

On a knockdown rebuild we resolve the program, procurement, site logistics and demolition planning before work starts on site. Demolition and protection works are planned around the street and the neighbours, so you know the timeline and the number before the first truck arrives. To see how a rebuild moves from the block you know to a new home, explore our knockdown rebuild in Sydney page.