Vendor guide
Do I need a 137B owner-builder report?
If you are selling a Victorian property after owner-builder domestic building work, Section 137B may require a defects inspection report before the contract of sale. For domestic work, the prescribed period is generally 6 years and 6 months after the statutory completion date.
Was building or renovation work carried out?
Examples include bathrooms, kitchens, decks, pergolas, garages, sheds, extensions, flooring, roofing or altered walls. Consumer Affairs Victoria says the report requirement can apply to owner-builder work regardless of value.
Was it owner-builder work?
Section 137B is concerned with a person who constructed, altered, enlarged or extended the building, including arranging for another person to do that work.
Is the sale within the prescribed period?
For domestic building work, the usual period is 6 years and 6 months after the completion date. Under the Act, the completion date is generally the occupancy-permit date, or if no occupancy permit is issued, the certificate-of-final-inspection date.
Special timing rules
What if there was no occupancy permit or final inspection certificate?
If neither an occupancy permit nor a certificate of final inspection was issued or required, the Act uses different rules: generally 7 years after the building-permit date; or, where a building permit was not issued or required, 6 years and 6 months after the certified commencement date.
Report age
The report cannot be old.
The Section 137B report must be obtained no more than 6 months before entering into the contract of sale, and a copy must be given to the intending purchaser.
Separate owner-builder insurance requirements may also apply. The inspection booking itself does not arrange that insurance.
Sources: Building Act 1993 (Vic), s 137B and Consumer Affairs Victoria — Owner builders. If your completion dates or permit history are unclear, confirm the sale-document requirements with your conveyancer.
Already know you need the inspection?
Skip the enquiry process and get the price online.
Get instant quoteNext step
Price the inspection online.
If your work fits the standard scope, you can see the fee and continue to secure payment without waiting for a callback.