The land and its hazards
Flood exposure on the planning layer
Free route: council flood information and the section 10.7 certificate in NSW; the equivalent planning certificate interstate. In the report: yes, queried live per address.
Bushfire prone land
Free route: state rural fire service maps. In the report: yes.
Contamination and licensed industry nearby
Free route: the state EPA public registers. In the report: yes, notified sites and licences within range.
Easements and land reserved for acquisition
Free route: the title and the planning certificate; mapped layers give an early signal. In the report: partly: mapped easements and reservations, never the full title.
Landslide, mine subsidence, acid sulfate soils
Free route: state hazard maps where published. In the report: yes where a state publishes the layer.
The building itself
Serious defect orders on apartment buildings
Free route: the Building Commission NSW register. In the report: yes in NSW, by location and strata plan.
The building and pest inspection
Free route: there is no free route: a licensed inspector on site. In the report: no. No data report replaces a person in the roof cavity.
The strata report and minutes
Free route: ordered through the agent or a strata search firm. In the report: no, and we say so in the report.
Building approval history
Free route: council records and the NSW portal era records. In the report: yes in NSW for the portal era.
The street and the daily life
Aircraft, rail and main road noise
Free route: airport noise contour maps, then your own ears at peak hour. In the report: yes as mapped exposure and distance, plus the advice to visit and listen.
Winter sun and overshadowing
Free route: stand in the garden in the afternoon, or read the shadows from surrounding heights. In the report: yes as a geometric estimate with its assumptions printed.
School catchments
Free route: the education department school finder. In the report: yes.
Crime rates for the area
Free route: the state crime statistics bureau. In the report: yes, area level and labelled as such.
Internet and mobile reality
Free route: the nbn address checker and carrier maps. In the report: yes, technology type plus tower proximity.
Common questions
What is due diligence when buying a house?
Everything you check before you are legally committed: the hazards mapped on the land, the planning controls over it, the condition and history of the building, the realities of the street, and the paperwork in the contract. In an auction state the whole list has to happen before bidding, because there is no cooling off period.
Can a data report replace the building inspection?
No, and be suspicious of anything that implies it can. A report reads registers and maps; only a licensed inspector on site can find the cracked slab, the moisture in the wall or the termite damage. The report's job is the other half: the risks that are invisible on inspection day because they live in government records.
What does PropertyFlags actually automate?
The register and map half of the list: hazards, planning controls, contamination, defect orders, development activity, noise exposure, catchments, connectivity and area crime, each finding named with its official source, in about 60 seconds for one address. The checklist above marks exactly which lines it covers and which lines belong to your inspector, conveyancer, lender and your own visit.
When should the checks happen?
Earlier than feels natural. The certificates in the contract arrive after you have fallen for the home, and at auction everything must be done before the hammer. Run the register checks when you shortlist, book the inspection as soon as you are serious, and put the contract in front of a conveyancer before you sign or bid.