In short: A dilapidation report is worth having only if it exists before the work next door starts. Afterwards it is a damage assessment, and it carries far less weight.
What it is
A dated, photographed record of the existing condition of your property before nearby excavation, demolition or construction begins. Every existing crack, uneven path, stained render and out-of-level fence, recorded in enough detail that anyone can later separate what was already there from what appeared afterwards.
Why it is our biggest single service
Dilapidation reports convert more enquiries than anything else we do, and the reason is urgency. People contact us when the machine is arriving, not months ahead. That is workable, but only just.
The Gledswood Hills situation
New estates alongside established homes is exactly the condition that generates these. With Gledswood Farm and adjoining Camden Council releases still developing, both sides of the fence have reason to want a record - the owner protecting against damage, the builder protecting against a claim.
If damage happens
You have a before and an after, which turns an argument about whether the crack is new into a discussion about who pays. In NSW that runs through NSW Fair Trading and then NCAT, where a dated photographic record is exactly the evidence these matters turn on.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Gledswood Hills. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
