Home buyers · Investors
Pre-purchase structural inspection for Hobart home buyers
When a building inspection report says "refer to a structural engineer", you need a clear answer before your contract deadline. A licensed engineer inspects the structure, explains the cause and severity of any cracks or movement, and sets out what a repair would involve, so you can negotiate, proceed or walk away.
Independent
No stake in the sale and no repair to sell you.
Fixed quote in 1–2 business hours
Get a fixed quote before your deadline
Send the address, the building inspector's report if you have one, and your contract's inspection deadline.
From $590 + GST. No obligation. Or call 03 6146 4747
In short
A pre-purchase structural inspection is a licensed structural engineer's check of a house you plan to buy, usually after a building and pest inspection flags cracks, movement or alterations. In Hobart it starts from $590 + GST. Tasmania has no general statutory cooling-off period, so book it within your contract's inspection condition: check your contract and ask your conveyancer.
- Fee
- From $590 + GST, fixed before we start
- Timing
- Quote within 1–2 business hours, with the report date
- You receive
- Cause, severity and the likely repair scope
Building & pest vs structural
How is it different from a building and pest inspection?
A building and pest inspection surveys the whole property for defects and timber pests. A pre-purchase structural inspection is a licensed engineer's assessment of the structure only: why it has moved, whether it is still moving and what a fix would involve.
| Compare | Building & pest inspection | Pre-purchase structural inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Done by | A building inspector | A structural engineer licensed in Tasmania (Engineer – Civil) |
| Covers | The whole property: roof, walls, wet areas, defects and timber pests | The structure: footings, walls, floors, framing, retaining walls and the site |
| Cracks and movement | Recorded, often with "refer to a structural engineer" | Measured, rated against AS 2870 and traced to a cause |
| Answers | What defects does the property have? | Why is it moving, is it getting worse and what would a fix involve? |
| Book it | For most purchases | When the inspection flags structural concerns, or for an older home or a steep block |
The two inspections work together. Most buyers book a building inspection in Hobart first, and the engineer answers the structural questions it raises. More in our guide: building inspector or structural engineer before you buy?
Inspector flagged something?
What should you do when the inspector flags a structural issue?
Send the building inspection report to us with the address and your contract deadline. You'll have a fixed quote within 1–2 business hours, and the quote confirms whether we can report before your deadline.
Phrases in a building report that need an engineer
- "Evidence of movement" or "cracking to masonry": the footings may have moved, and the cause matters more than the crack.
- "Floors out of level" or "springy floors": often stumps or bearers under a raised timber floor.
- "Retaining wall leaning": common on Hobart's sloping blocks. Rebuilding a wall over 1.2 m, or over 0.5 m near a boundary, needs an engineer's design.
- "Wall removed" or "alterations noted": has a load path changed, and was the work approved?
- "Major defect" or "refer to a structural engineer": the inspector has reached the limit of what a building inspection can answer.
Send the report and your deadline
Upload the building inspection report, the listing photos if you have them, and the date your inspection condition ends.
Fixed quote within 1–2 business hours
Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm. The quote states the fee, the inspection date and the report date.
Inspection and signed report
The engineer inspects with the agent's access and reports on cause, severity and the likely repair scope.
Timing
How long do you have for an inspection in Tasmania?
As long as your contract allows. Tasmania has no general statutory cooling-off period for buying a home, so the time you have depends on the conditions in your contract, such as a building inspection condition with its own deadline.
Check your contract and ask your conveyancer
Your conveyancer or lawyer can tell you what your inspection condition allows and by when. We can't give legal advice, but we can tell you within 1–2 business hours whether we can report before that date.
Do
- Book the building inspection early, so there's time for an engineer
- Send us the deadline with your quote request
- Ask the agent about access to the subfloor and roof space
Don't
- Assume there's a cooling-off period after you sign
- Rely on a repair quote from someone selling the repair
- Bid at auction before the structure has been checked
What we check
What does the engineer check before you buy?
The engineer checks the structure of the house and the ground it sits on, with extra care for the things that make Hobart homes expensive to fix. We inspect for buyers across Greater Hobart, from Sandy Bay and New Town to Kingston and Howrah.
- Cracks in brick, sandstone and plaster, measured and rated against AS 2870
- Floor levels, doors and windows, and the stumps and bearers under raised timber floors
- Removed walls, new openings and extensions that may have changed how loads are carried
- Retaining walls, decks and verandahs on sloping blocks
- Drainage, leaks and trees close to the footings
- Whether the land is in a Landslip Hazard Code band on LISTmap, which changes what future repairs and extensions need
- Whether the house is on the Tasmanian Heritage Register, where structural works need Heritage Council approval
The report
What will the pre-purchase report tell you?
The report tells you what is wrong with the structure, why, and what kind of work would fix it, in plain English you can take to your conveyancer.
The likely cause
Reactive clay, a leak, failed stumps, a removed wall or a slope, based on what was seen on site.
How serious it is
Each crack rated against the AS 2870 damage categories, and whether the movement looks active.
The likely repair scope
Drainage work, restumping, underpinning or rebuilding a wall, described so builders can price it.
Approvals to expect
For example, underpinning and major structural repairs are notifiable work in Tasmania, with a building surveyor.
Further checks
Anything the visit couldn't confirm, such as a soil test or a plumbing test.
Independent
We don't price, sell or carry out repairs, so the scope is not inflated to win work.
Related services
Related engineering for buyers and owners
Structural inspection & report
A licensed structural engineer inspects your house and signs a report on what's moving, why, how serious it is and what to do next.
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Cracks & foundation movement report
Each crack measured and rated against AS 2870, the likely cause found and a clear repair priority, from an engineer with no repair to sell.
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Underpinning advice, design & certification
An independent second opinion on an underpinning quote, then design, stage inspections and certification. We never sell or install underpinning.
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