What is the best service to purchase a strata/property report from?
I previously used Before You Buy to obtain several reports during my property search. However, they are now charging me as if I were the successful buyer — billing me once for the report and a second time as a purchaser — for properties I never ended up buying
The reports provided were very low quality with missed important information etc
Looking for another service for reports. Any advice?
Been a while since I purchased property. What do these reports contain that a section 32 (Vic.), 1 hour on Google and common sense doesn't reveal?
A strata report gives a detailed overview of a strata scheme’s financial status, management, and any potential concerns. It typically includes important documents like meeting minutes, financial statements, insurance details, and records of any special levies or planned works.
The challenge is that this information isn't always easy to find, and many real estate agents tend to omit or downplay key issues—especially ongoing special levies. In my experience, around 90% of agents fail to mention these upfront.
Gotcha. I've always purchased freestanding properties. I ain't ever touching that strata shite.
BYB reports aren't worth it IME. Not thorough or detailed enough. I had them skip a couple of sections because access was too difficult. The same areas a 63 year old sparkie had accessed a month earlier.
As far as I understand, they are just a platform to place an order. All reports that I have issued under different companies
Possibly though there's no mention of it in the report. There were also several items that they mis identified. Bottom line is I'd never recommend them or use them again.
Agree, their service is not good at all
But what are alternatives available ?
@rwt: None that are cheaper or that I've used so can't recommend any. I am looking to buy a property though currently so it's something I'm going to have to do at some point.
If youve got time, you can inspect the records yourself at the strata management office. In NSW, theres a set fee of about $34 for the first hour and $17/hr after that. Some of the strata companies will send you the records electronically for around $55
OP should be prepared to spend quite a lot of time reviewing strata records. My relative sent me one to review (from the strata company) during their negotiations and it was 600 pages long.
Which companies would do that at $55?
He means to find the literal strata management company for that particular building, and ask to buy that report from them. Pricing or willingness to sell to you may be wildly different.
Thanks all good just purchased a normal report.
The entire point of the BYB service is that the owner commissions a building report but doesn't want to pay for it. So they get the prospective buyers to "share" in the cost, with the understanding that the final buyer will have liability for the full/outstanding balance of the report. No one is going to commission multiple reports to sell one property, so no, you will not find a different report for any particular property.
This service just sells you what the owner has commissioned. Any other service (which I don't believe exists) will only have that exact same report. You are getting crap reports because the owner is buying from crap inspection companies (sometimes on purpose - crap reports might hide flaws in the property).
Look through the stack of property reports you have and see if there were any you think were very detailed and thorough. Contact them directly. Commissioning a building report directly through your preferred inspection company will give you reliable reports but you will also be wholly liable for the normal price of the report, which would be in the ~$500 range.
Avoid buying reports from Jim's Building Inspections (e.g. that franchise network that does lawn mowing and pools). They are complete garbage.
As for being charged as the buyer of the property, try calling them to recify. If that doesn't work, chargeback is your friend.