What a Section 32 vendor statement is, what’s in it, the red flags to watch, and how to read it before you sign — in plain English.
In Victoria, before you sign a contract to buy a home the seller must give you a Section 32 vendor statement. It’s required by section 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962 and it exists to tell you what affects the land before you’re bound. Read well, it’s your best protection; skimmed, it’s where expensive surprises hide.
A vendor statement follows a set structure. Here’s what each part means for you.
Rates, taxes, owners-corporation and other outgoings you’ll inherit, plus any charge secured against the land.
Whether the property stays at the vendor’s risk until settlement, and any owner-builder works in the last 6 years.
Easements, covenants and restrictions, road access, whether it’s in a designated bushfire-prone area, and the planning scheme/zone — what you can and can’t do with the land.
Any notice, order or declaration from an authority affecting the land, including compulsory-acquisition proposals.
Permits issued in the last 7 years — a flag to check works were approved and completed properly.
If the property is in an owners corporation: fees, special levies, insurance, rules and financial health. Critical for apartments and townhouses.
A growth-areas infrastructure contribution, relevant only on the urban fringe.
Which essential services (water, sewerage, electricity, gas, phone) are not connected.
The register search statement and plan — proof of ownership and the land’s legal boundaries. Mandatory.
Subdivision details, an energy note, the buyer due-diligence checklist, and the annexed certificates and documents.
Easements and restrictive covenants that limit where and what you can build; owners-corporation special levies; building works done without permits; and planning overlays — heritage, flood and bushfire — that restrict use or add cost. And watch for what’s missing: a statement without the title and plan is deficient, and undisclosed matters can give you the right to withdraw.
Get the statement early, read every section (not just the price), cross-check the planning overlays against the property, and have a licensed conveyancer or solicitor review it. Delora does the first pass for free — including the public-record cross-check — so you know what to ask.
A Section 32, or vendor statement, is a document a seller must give a buyer before the buyer signs a contract to buy property in Victoria. Required by section 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962, it discloses things that affect the land — financial charges, easements and covenants, planning controls, notices, owners-corporation details and the title.
The agent must make it available before you sign. For auctions it’s available beforehand — always read it before auction day, because at a sale by auction there’s no cooling-off period.
For private-sale purchases in Victoria there’s generally a 3-business-day cooling-off period; it does not apply to auctions or to sales within three clear business days before or after a publicly advertised auction.
Restrictive covenants and easements that limit what you can build, owners-corporation special levies, recent building works without proper permits, and planning overlays (heritage, flood, bushfire) that restrict use or add cost. Missing mandatory documents (like the title) are a red flag too.