Nitpik — Building defects & warranty
Building defects inspection Melbourne.
Designer defect inspections, professionally picky.
Warranty and post-handover defect inspections for Melbourne homes. An independent building defects report, every item photographed and cited to the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026 — cosmetic finish only.
Warranty inspection before the window closes
Paint cracks, popped plaster joints, failed silicone, shifting tiles and joinery that has dropped often show up in the first months after handover.
A builder warranty inspection near the end of your defects liability or maintenance period documents them while the builder is still clearly on the hook.
A building defects report your builder can act on
Each defect is photographed, located by room and matched to the clause and tolerance in the 2026 Guide. No vague "looks average" comments — just evidence.
Learn how the clauses work in our Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026 explainer. Not handed over yet? Book a handover inspection instead.
Independent, and clear about scope
We're an independent building inspector for cosmetic finish only. We don't assess structure or compliance, and we aren't a building surveyor or pest inspector.
Pricing: $450 single-storey · $750 double-storey.
Areas we inspect
Handover and building defects inspections across metro Melbourne, led by the city's high-end finish suburbs — plus the northern growth corridor and the rest of Victoria.
- Toorak
- Brighton
- Brighton East
- Kew
- Camberwell
- Malvern
- Hawthorn
- South Yarra
- Armadale
- Canterbury
- Glen Iris
- Balwyn
- Ivanhoe
- Beaumaris
- Sandringham
- Albert Park
- Middle Park
Common questions
How long does a builder have to fix defects in Victoria?
It depends on your contract. Many contracts set a defects liability or maintenance period, often several months after handover, and the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 gives statutory warranties that can be enforced for longer — up to 10 years for some building work. Document defects early, ideally before handover, and get legal advice if the builder won't respond.
What can I do if my builder isn't fixing defects in Victoria?
Put the defects to the builder in writing with clear evidence — photos, locations and the Guide clause for each item. An independent defects report makes that evidence hard to dispute. If the builder still won't act, Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria (DBDRV) and legal advice are the usual next steps.
When should I book a warranty inspection?
Before your defects liability or maintenance period ends, so anything that has appeared since handover is documented while the builder is still clearly responsible.
What's the difference between a pre-handover and a warranty inspection?
A pre-handover inspection happens before you accept the home, when you have the most leverage. A warranty inspection happens after you've moved in — usually near the end of the builder's defects liability or maintenance period — to document defects that have appeared or were never fixed.
Do you do building and pest inspections?
No. Nitpik inspects cosmetic finish only. We're not structural engineers, building surveyors or pest and termite inspectors, and we don't do pre-purchase building and pest reports on existing homes.
What's included in the defects report?
Every defect is photographed, located by room, described in plain English and cited to the relevant clause and tolerance in the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026. You get the PDF the same day. Re-check visits after rectification are available and quoted individually.
Book your building defects inspection
$450 single-storey · $750 double-storey. Every defect photographed and cited to the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2026, with your PDF report the same day. Servicing Melbourne and Victoria.
Nitpik inspects cosmetic finish only. We are not structural engineers, building surveyors (RBS), or pest and termite inspectors, and we don't do pre-purchase building and pest reports on existing homes. This page is general information, not legal advice. Your contract and the law take precedence over the Guide.