Adelaide Apartment & Strata Inspection Guide
Buying an Adelaide apartment, unit, or townhouse needs two documents: an AS 4349.1 building inspection covering your specific unit, plus a separate strata report covering the body corporate finances, sinking fund, special levies, and ongoing disputes. The building inspection tells you about the physical unit; the strata report tells you about the building you're buying into financially.
What the building inspection covers in a strata property
An AS 4349.1 inspection of an apartment or unit covers the interior of your specific lot - all rooms, wet areas, finishes, visible plumbing and electrical, balcony or courtyard if it's part of your lot. The inspector also walks accessible common areas where they have visual access (lobby, lifts, external walls, roof from ground level).
What it doesn't cover: common property structural elements you can't see (slab between floors, party walls, the roof structure), body corporate documents, financial position of the strata.
What the strata report covers (separate document)
Body corporate finances: current balance, sinking fund, special levies passed or pending, regular levies and trend.
Disputes: ongoing builder disputes (defects in newer complexes), insurance claims, water ingress investigations, problems with shared infrastructure.
Insurance: building insurance currency, sum insured adequacy, any exclusions or recent claims.
Major works pending: roof replacement, lift upgrades, facade repairs, plumbing upgrades.
Common apartment defects to watch
Waterproofing failure in wet areas - particularly common in 2010s mid-rise apartments. Visible water staining on adjacent walls or ceilings is a strong signal.
Balcony waterproofing - balconies are notorious. Look for staining at the underside of the balcony (visible from below) or where the balcony meets the wall.
Sound transmission - thin walls and ceilings between units. Brick walls are quieter than plasterboard. Visible cracks at the wall-to-ceiling junction can indicate inadequate party wall construction.
Combustible cladding concerns - some 2010s Adelaide builds used cladding now considered unsafe. The strata report should disclose any rectification orders.
Window seals failing on aluminium-framed buildings, particularly coastal apartments.
Building inspection considerations specific to strata
Inspectors with strata experience know what to look for at the interface between your lot and common property. Brief the matching service that it's a strata purchase and we route accordingly.
Some inspectors include accessible common-area observations in the report (visible structural issues, common-area waterproofing, lift condition). These are observations, not formal common-property inspection.
If the building is large or complex, an engineer's structural assessment of the building (separate from your unit inspection) is sometimes warranted.
Questions to ask before buying
What's the current sinking fund balance and how has it trended?
Are any special levies pending or recently passed?
Is the building involved in any builder dispute or insurance claim?
What major maintenance is scheduled in the next 5 years?
Is there current rectification order on the building?