Engineering Certifications & Reports
A condition record that settles the argument
A dilapidation report is a formal record of the existing condition of a property or public asset before construction begins — and, where required, a second survey after the works are complete. It documents every existing crack, movement, settlement, and surface defect with photographs, written descriptions, and location references, so that if a neighbour or council later claims your works caused damage, there is an independent record of what was already there.
Most NSW councils impose dilapidation reports as a condition of Development Consent or the Construction Certificate — typically for adjoining properties where excavation, piling, underpinning, demolition, or vibration-generating works are proposed, and for council assets such as kerbs, footpaths, driveway crossings, road pavement, and stormwater pits fronting the site. IA Engineering prepares both, to the standard your certifier and council will accept.
Our reports are prepared and signed by a Registered Professional Engineer, which matters when a claim is disputed: an engineer's assessment of whether an existing crack is pre-existing shrinkage or new structural movement carries evidentiary weight that a photo log alone does not.
Pre and post construction condition surveys
- Adjoining property condition surveys
- Council asset & footpath surveys
- Photographic record with defect schedule
- Post-construction comparison reports
Pre-construction condition survey of an adjoining property in Sydney — existing cracking recorded, measured, and photographed before excavation begins next door.
What we survey and record
The scope of a dilapidation report is set by your consent conditions — which properties, which assets, and whether a post-construction survey is required. Below are the surveys we most commonly carry out for residential, commercial, and civil projects across NSW.
Adjoining & Neighbouring Properties
The most common requirement. We survey the properties immediately adjoining your site — and, where excavation is deep or vibration-generating works are proposed, properties beyond the immediate boundary. Internally we record wall and ceiling cracking, cornice separation, floor level and slope, door and window operation, and tiling condition. Externally we record brickwork and render cracking, boundary and retaining walls, fences, paving, driveways, pool shells and surrounds, and roof and gutter condition. Every defect is photographed, described, and referenced to a location so it can be found again in twelve months' time.
Council Assets & Public Infrastructure
Almost every consent that permits heavy vehicle access, a new driveway crossing, or works within the road reserve requires a survey of the council assets fronting the site. We record the condition of kerb and gutter, footpath paving, the road pavement and seal, driveway crossings and layback, stormwater pits and lintels, street trees and tree pits, signage, and any street furniture. Councils compare this record against the site at completion before releasing the road-opening or damage bond — a clear pre-works record is what gets that bond back.
Excavation, Shoring & Vibration Risk Sites
Where the works involve deep excavation, rock breaking, piling, underpinning, or demolition close to a boundary, the dilapidation report carries real risk-management value beyond compliance. On these sites we survey in greater detail, pay particular attention to the elevations facing the works, record existing crack widths against a measurable reference, and note any pre-existing signs of movement or settlement. Where a geotechnical or structural monitoring regime is in place, the dilapidation survey establishes the baseline that later movement readings are measured against.
Post-Construction Comparison Surveys
Where a post-construction survey is required — or where a claim has been made — we return to the same properties and assets, repeat the survey using the original report as the reference, and prepare a comparison report identifying what has changed and what has not. Each item is assessed by an engineer: unchanged, changed but unrelated to the works, or attributable to the works. That assessment is what resolves a claim, and it is the part a photo-only report cannot provide.
“The cheapest dilapidation report is the one you commission before you start. The expensive one is the argument you have without it.”
— IA Engineering Design Team
48 Hours
Typical report turnaround
RPE Signed
All reports
Pre & Post
Full survey cycle
When you need one, and what it contains
When is a dilapidation report required?
Check your Development Consent and Construction Certificate conditions — dilapidation reports are usually named explicitly, along with the properties to be surveyed and the timing. Common triggers are excavation below the level of an adjoining footing, basement construction, piling or underpinning, demolition adjacent to a shared or boundary wall, rock breaking, and any works requiring heavy vehicle access over council infrastructure.
The report is almost always required before works commence, and the certifier may withhold the Construction Certificate or a commencement approval until it has been submitted and, where required, served on the adjoining owners. Leaving it until the excavator is booked is a common and avoidable source of delay.
Access to neighbouring properties
You cannot survey inside a neighbour's home without their consent, and neighbours are not obliged to grant it. We handle the written request and coordinate access directly with the adjoining owner where you would prefer we did — an independent engineer asking is often received better than a builder asking. Where access is refused, we document the request and the refusal, and survey everything visible from your site and the public domain, so the record is still defensible and your consent condition is still satisfied.
What the report includes
Each dilapidation report includes: the project and consent details; the properties and assets surveyed with a locality plan; the date, weather, and access conditions of the inspection; a room-by-room and elevation-by-elevation defect schedule with unique reference numbers; date-stamped photographs cross-referenced to each schedule item; crack width measurements where movement is significant; a statement of any areas not inspected and why; and the engineer's summary of the overall condition.
Reports are issued in PDF with the full photographic record, in a form councils, certifiers, insurers, and — if it ever comes to it — a tribunal will accept.
Why independence matters
A dilapidation report only does its job if both sides accept it. Because IA Engineering is a Registered Professional Engineer acting independently of the builder, our reports carry standing with adjoining owners, councils, insurers, and in dispute proceedings. We are also frequently engaged from the other side — by owners whose property adjoins a construction site — and that experience shapes how thoroughly we record a property in the first place.
Standards and requirements our reports address
How we work with you
Send us your consent conditions and the site address and we will confirm exactly which properties and assets need to be surveyed, what it will cost, and how quickly we can attend. Most surveys are completed in a single site visit, with the report issued within 48 hours.
We can provide dilapidation reports as a standalone service, or alongside our structural engineering, excavation and shoring design, and hold point inspection services — where we are already engaged on the structure, the surveying engineer arrives already knowing what the works will do to the ground next door.
We prepare dilapidation reports for residential new builds, dual occupancies, basement and secondary dwelling excavations, demolition sites, commercial and industrial developments, and civil works across Greater Sydney and the NSW regions within reach of our team.
Record It Before. Prove It After.