Selling a home you’ve built or renovated as an owner-builder? Elevate Building Inspections provides Section 137B Owner Builder Defects Reports across Melbourne, with independent inspections, clear photographic reporting and reports typically delivered within 24 hours.
If you’ve built or renovated your own property and plan to sell it within six years and six months, Victorian law requires you to provide a Section 137B Owner Builder Defects Report. At Elevate Building Inspections, we specialise in preparing accurate and compliant Section 137B Owner Builder reports in Melbourne, giving both you and potential buyers peace of mind.
Our licensed building inspectors provide clear, unbiased assessments of the condition of your property, ensuring you meet your legal obligations under the Building Act throughout Melbourne.
Without a valid 137B report, your contract of sale may become unenforceable. In short: the 137B report protects you, the seller, and them, the buyer — it ensures transparency, reduces risk, and gives both parties confidence to move forward.
A Section 137B Owner Builder Report is a legally mandated inspection report under the Building Act 1993 (Victoria). The report is specifically required when a property constructed or renovated by an owner-builder is sold within 6 years and 6 months of completion.
The primary purpose of the 137B report is to identify any defects in workmanship or materials, verify compliance with building regulations, and provide transparency to potential buyers. Without this report, your sales contract may be unenforceable, which can delay or even prevent the sale of your property.
In essence, the Section 137B report acts as a safeguard for both sellers and buyers, ensuring that:
Any defects in the building or renovation work are clearly documented.
Buyers are aware of potential issues before completing a purchase.
Sellers comply with Victorian building laws and avoid legal complications
A Section 137B report may be required when you are selling a property where building work was completed as an owner-builder within the previous 6 years and 6 months.
This generally applies where:
• You carried out or managed residential building work as an owner-builder.
• The property is being sold within the applicable 6-year-and-6-month period.
• The work is subject to Victoria’s owner-builder sale requirements.
The report provides an independent assessment of the owner-builder work and identifies defects observed during the inspection.
After the inspection, you’ll receive a detailed Owner Builder Defects Report that includes:
Clear identification of defects
Photographs of each issue
Practical recommendations for fixing the defects
Easy-to-read formatting suitable for legal and real estate purposes
This report gives you the transparency required to comply with Victorian building regulations and gives buyers confidence in the quality of your work.
Our section 137B inspections cover all major building elements, including:
Structural elements: Foundations, subfloor structures, framing, load-bearing walls, and roof structures, assessed for defects, safety issues, and non-compliant workmanship.
Internal areas: Ceilings, walls, flooring, skirting, doors, windows, and fixtures, with attention to cracking, poor finishes, and functional issues.
External areas: Brickwork or cladding, external walls, fencing, driveways, paths, and surrounding areas, checking for deterioration, water ingress, and installation issues.
Plumbing & drainage (visual): Fixtures, drainage points, visible leaks, water flow, and signs of moisture damage.
Electrical (visual only): Light fittings, switches, power points, and visible safety or compliance concerns.
General workmanship: Overall quality of finishes, correct installation of materials, and defects requiring rectification that may impact safety or resale value.
We follow a structured and methodical inspection process to assess and document the condition of a property for Section 137B Owner Builder reporting, helping vendors meet Victorian disclosure requirements with confidence.
Once your Section 137B inspection is booked, we confirm the property details, the owner-builder works completed and any known concerns, including renovations, structural alterations, visible defects or areas of deterioration.
This ensures the inspection is relevant, thorough and focused on the work that requires assessment for your Owner Builder Report.
Our licensed inspectors visually assess all safely accessible areas, including internal rooms, external walls, roof spaces, subfloors and surrounding structures.
We identify and document visible defects, workmanship issues and signs of deterioration or potentially non-compliant work. Any inaccessible or unsafe areas are clearly noted within the report.
The property's condition is documented in a clear and easy-to-read report supported by high-resolution photographs and detailed written observations.
Structural and cosmetic elements are recorded to provide an accurate snapshot of the property's condition at the time of inspection, supporting Section 137B reporting requirements.
Your Section 137B Owner Builder Report is typically delivered within 24 hours, providing an independent document suitable for inclusion within the Vendor Statement when selling an owner-built property.
Our reports are prepared to help vendors meet Victorian disclosure obligations while giving prospective buyers greater confidence in the property's documented condition.
When a property includes owner-builder work, a standard inspection may not provide the documentation required for sale. A Section 137B Owner Builder Defects Report requires a thorough assessment by inspectors who understand the building work, reporting requirements and responsibilities involved.
Elevate Building Inspections provides clear, independent Section 137B reports for homeowners, buyers and investors across Melbourne. We assess the visible condition of the owner-builder work and document defects in a practical report suitable for the property sale process.
Experienced inspectors with practical knowledge of owner-builder works, renovations, extensions and residential construction.
Reports prepared with an understanding of the requirements applying to the sale of properties containing owner-builder work.
Objective inspections completed solely for you—not the purchaser, real estate agent, builder or another interested party.
Visible defects, deterioration and workmanship concerns are explained using straightforward language and photographic evidence.
Timely digital reporting helps prevent unnecessary delays when preparing the property for sale and completing disclosure documents.
Experience across Doncaster, Templestowe, Doreen, Diamond Creek, Eltham, Greensborough, Bundoora, Heidelberg, Ivanhoe and surrounding suburbs.
Our focus is accuracy, transparency and practical reporting. You receive an independent Section 137B report that clearly documents the visible condition of the owner-builder work and helps support the property disclosure and sale process.
We use a non-destructive moisture meter to detect elevated moisture levels within walls, floors, ceilings and other building materials without causing damage. This professional-grade tool measures moisture at both surface and deeper levels, allowing us to identify hidden dampness, water ingress and moisture-related defects that may not be visible during a visual inspection. It is particularly effective for locating rising damp, roof leaks, subfloor moisture and areas at risk of timber decay — common issues in many Melbourne properties built on reactive clay soils.
Our inspections also utilise a thermal imaging camera to identify temperature variations that can indicate underlying building issues. Thermal imaging allows us to detect problems such as moisture intrusion, insulation gaps, overheating electrical components and areas of heat loss — all without invasive testing. By highlighting hot and cold spots within building elements, thermal imaging helps pinpoint concealed defects quickly and accurately, providing valuable insight into issues that may otherwise go unnoticed during a standard visual inspection.
Find answers to common questions about Section 137B Owner Builder Defects Reports, when they may be required, what the inspection covers and what to expect before selling an owner-built or owner-renovated property.
A Section 137B Owner Builder Defects Report is an inspection report prepared in connection with the sale of certain Victorian properties where domestic building work has been carried out by an owner-builder.
The report records visible defective or non-compliant work and documents the condition of the relevant building work at the time of inspection.
A Section 137B report may be required when a property containing owner-builder domestic building work is being sold within the period covered by Victoria's owner-builder sale requirements.
Whether the requirement applies can depend on factors including when the work was completed, the nature and value of the work and the circumstances of the sale. Your conveyancer or solicitor can confirm the legal requirements applying to your property.
Victorian owner-builder sale requirements can apply where relevant domestic building work was completed within approximately six and a half years of the proposed sale.
Because the exact obligations can vary depending on the work, completion date and insurance requirements, owners should confirm their position with their conveyancer, solicitor or the relevant Victorian building authority before listing the property.
A Section 137B defects inspection report generally must not be more than six months old when it is used as part of the relevant property sale process.
If your existing report is older than this, you may need a new inspection and updated report before proceeding with the sale.
They can. Section 137B requirements are not limited to completely new homes and may also apply where substantial domestic building work or renovations were carried out by an owner-builder.
This may include extensions, structural alterations, major renovations or other domestic building work, depending on the circumstances and applicable requirements.
The inspection focuses on the relevant owner-builder work and visible defects or non-compliant work that can be identified during a non-invasive inspection.
Depending on the property and accessibility, this may include internal areas, external walls, roof spaces, subfloors, structural elements, finishes, wet areas, visible plumbing and drainage, electrical items and general workmanship.
Yes. Elevate's Section 137B reports include photographic documentation of relevant defects and observations identified during the inspection.
This provides a clear record of the property's condition and helps explain the location and nature of identified issues.
No building inspection can identify every possible defect.
Section 137B inspections are generally non-invasive and limited to areas that are safely and reasonably accessible. Concealed defects, inaccessible areas and problems requiring destructive testing may not be identifiable during the inspection.
Defects and relevant observations identified during the inspection are documented in the report.
Depending on the issue, you may choose to obtain further advice, carry out rectification or discuss the findings with your conveyancer, solicitor or insurer before progressing with the sale.
Not every item identified in a Section 137B report will necessarily need to be repaired before sale.
The report documents defective or non-compliant work so it can be disclosed appropriately. Whether an item should be rectified before sale will depend on its significance and the advice you receive from your legal, building or insurance professionals.
Section 137B reports must be prepared by an appropriately prescribed practitioner under Victorian building legislation.
Before booking, it is important to confirm that the practitioner is eligible to prepare the report required for your particular owner-builder sale.
No. A standard building inspection is commonly arranged by a buyer as part of their due diligence before purchasing a property.
A Section 137B report is specifically connected with Victorian owner-builder sale requirements and documents relevant defects or non-compliant work associated with the owner-builder property.
Not necessarily. A Section 137B report is prepared for the owner-builder sale process and has a specific purpose.
A purchaser may still decide to arrange their own independent pre-purchase building inspection before proceeding with the property.
The defects inspection report forms part of the documentation relevant to the sale of affected owner-builder properties and may need to be provided to the purchaser as part of the vendor disclosure process.
Your conveyancer or solicitor should advise exactly how the report and any associated insurance documents should be incorporated into your sale documentation.
Depending on the work and circumstances of the sale, Victorian owner-builders may also have domestic building insurance or home warranty obligations before selling.
These requirements are separate from the defects inspection itself, so owners should confirm the insurance requirements applying to their property before entering into a contract of sale.
If Section 137B requirements apply to your property, the required defects report and other relevant documentation should be obtained before proceeding with the sale.
Because failure to satisfy owner-builder sale requirements can have significant legal consequences, obtain advice from your conveyancer or solicitor before signing a contract.
Where available, it can be helpful to provide information about the owner-builder work, including building permits, approved plans, engineering documents, occupancy permits or certificates of final inspection and details of renovations or alterations completed.
This helps the inspector understand the scope and history of the work being assessed.
Most Section 137B inspections take approximately 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the size, age, complexity and accessibility of the property.
Larger properties or homes with extensive owner-builder work may require additional time.
Elevate Building Inspections typically provides Section 137B Owner Builder Reports within 24 hours of the inspection.
If you are working to a sale or conveyancing deadline, let the team know when booking.
Yes. Arranging the inspection before the property is listed can give you time to understand the report findings and organise the other documentation required for the sale.
Remember that the report must remain within the applicable validity period when used for the sale.
Yes. Section 137B inspections can relate to owner-builder work such as extensions, alterations and substantial renovations as well as complete homes.
When booking, provide details of the work completed so the relevant scope can be confirmed.
Yes. Elevate Building Inspections provides Section 137B Owner Builder inspections across Melbourne and surrounding areas.
Contact the team with the property address, details of the owner-builder work and your expected sale timeframe to confirm availability.
Get an independent inspection and clear photographic report documenting visible defects and the condition of the relevant owner-builder work before progressing with your property sale.
If you’re preparing to sell a property containing owner-builder work, arrange your Section 137B inspection before progressing with the required sale documentation. Elevate provides independent Owner Builder Defects Reports across Melbourne, with clear reporting and prompt turnaround.
