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When do I book the building and pest, and can I offer less money if we find problems?
Bayley Clarke · Mortgage broker on the road · Last checked 1 November 2026 · 4 min read
The short answer
You book your building and pest once you know you've got the property, during your cooling off or your finance and building and pest period, however long that is on your contract. If you're buying at auction, you really want it done in advance, because once the hammer falls it's yours, problems and all.
And yes, if the report turns something up, you can generally go back through your solicitor or conveyancer and ask for money off the price. They'll say yes, say no, or meet you somewhere in the middle, and then you decide what you want to do.
The 90 second version, filmed from the driver's seat. The rest of this page is the detail underneath it.
Private sale: book it once you've got the place
On a private sale, you make your offer, it gets accepted, and then you've got a window to do your checks. Depending on your state and your contract, that's a cooling off period, a finance and building and pest clause, or both, and it runs for however many days the contract says. That's when you book the inspector.
Don't leave it to the last couple of days. Inspectors get booked out, reports take time to come back, and if something shows up you want room to get a quote and go back to the seller before the window closes. Get your conveyancer to confirm the exact date your period ends the day you sign.
Auction: do it before the day
Auctions are different. There's generally no cooling off and no building and pest condition at auction. If you win on the day, it's yours, regardless of what problems might be uncovered in the building afterwards. So you want the report done before auction day, not after.
That does mean paying for reports on places you might not end up winning. That's the cost of buying at auction, and it's a lot cheaper than finding out about a problem once you've signed an unconditional contract. Ask the agent if there's a report the seller has already commissioned, but read it knowing who paid for it.
Using the report to negotiate
If your contract is subject to a satisfactory building and pest report and the report finds something that affects the value, compared to what your original offer was based on, you can go back. Say there's termite damage and it's going to cost $20k to fix. Your solicitor or conveyancer can go in to bat for you: we didn't know about this, it's $20k to fix, we want $20k off the price.
The seller will say yes, say no, or meet you somewhere in the middle. From there it's your call whether you go ahead, push back, or walk away if the contract lets you. Get a written quote for the fix where you can, because a real number from a tradie is a lot harder to argue with than a line in a report.
The honest bit: thorough reports annoy people, do one anyway
Some inspectors are incredibly thorough and will highlight absolutely everything, even things that are pretty standard maintenance for a place that age. That can annoy agents and owners, and not every item on the list is a reason to ask for money off. The ones that matter are structural problems, pests, water and anything that's genuinely expensive to fix.
But do the report. You don't want to buy a dud and regret it later, and if it does find something real, you can use it as leverage to negotiate if you want to.
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What is the 0.25% deposit during the cooling-off period when I'm buying a property in NSW?It's your commitment to the purchase: 0.25% of the price, paid to the agent.
Related answers
The full guide: How to buy your first home Do I need a conveyancer before I make an offer? What's the difference between buying at auction and buying on market? Can I bid at auction with just a pre-approval? How long does it all take, and who does what before settlement?Not your question? Book a call and ask it, or call 0437 189 939.