How to read a Section 32 vendor's statement in Victoria
The seller must give you the Section 32 before you sign the contract. Check that it describes the right land and seller, then work through easements, covenants, planning controls, outgoings, owners-corporation records, notices, permits and services. It tells you about the legal side of the property; a separate inspection tells you what is happening in the building itself.
- 01TitleWho owns it, and what the title lets or forbids
- 02PlanningWhat the zone and overlays will let you do
- 03Outside the statementThe roof, the damp, the pests: none of it is in here
The statement covers the land. Someone still has to look at the house.
What the statement covers
Section 32 of Victoria's Sale of Land Act 1962 requires prescribed information to be disclosed before the buyer signs. Consumer Affairs Victoria recommends that a legal practitioner or conveyancer prepare and review it. The statement records the legal and administrative position of the land; the contract sets the terms of the deal; and the building’s actual condition belongs to a separate, physical inspection. Three documents, three different jobs.
The Act groups the required material across sections 32A to 32I. Section 32N also makes a contractual term void to the extent that it tries to exclude, modify or restrict the operation of this disclosure division.
The sections 32A to 32I contents map
| Act section | What it covers | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| 32A | Financial matters, including rates, taxes, charges and other prescribed liabilities | Are the amounts current, and how will each item be adjusted at settlement? |
| 32B | Insurance details required for applicable owner-builder work | Which work is covered, under which scheme, and is the evidence current? |
| 32C | Land-use matters, including easements, covenants and planning information | Where does each restriction apply, and what does it mean for the intended use or works? |
| 32D | Notices, orders, declarations, reports and proposals affecting the land | What action is outstanding, by when, and who bears it under the contract? |
| 32E | Particulars of building permits issued in the preceding seven years | Do the permits and completion records match the visible work? |
| 32F | Owners-corporation certificate and prescribed information where applicable | What do the plan, minutes, funds, insurance and future works say together? |
| 32G | Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution information where applicable | Does a current or deferred liability affect this land or settlement? |
| 32H | Whether the prescribed services are connected | Do the service statements match what the property appears to use? |
| 32I | Evidence of the vendor’s title to the land | Do the seller, title reference, lot and plan match everything offered for sale? |
Map the title material against the home
Map each easement and covenant against the house, garage, deck, drains and any proposed extension. If the plan is hard to reconcile with what stands on the land, ask the conveyancer whether a survey or further title work is warranted.
See what the overlays mean for this address
A zone sets the broad planning framework. Overlays add controls for matters such as heritage, flooding, vegetation or bushfire. Follow the schedule, maps and local provisions to establish the permit pathway. For the Victorian heritage pathway, see living in a Heritage Overlay.
Make visible work prove itself
Compare permit and owner-builder material with visible additions and renovations. Section 32E covers building permits issued in the preceding seven years. Ask for completion evidence and have your legal representative, council or a building professional resolve gaps between the records and the property.
Owner-builder work needs its own document check
Consumer Affairs Victoria says an owner-builder selling within six years and six months of completing the work must provide a defects inspection report that is no more than six months old, together with the applicable insurance information. The requirement can cover extensions, renovations, garages and verandas.
Victoria moved from Domestic Building Insurance to Home Warranty for new eligible work on 1 July 2026. The Building and Plumbing Commission says the scheme depends on when the building contract was signed and the cover issued. Ask the conveyancer to identify the work, completion date, builder status, policy or notice of cover and any transitional issue for this sale.
For apartments, read the scheme as a second property
Use the owners-corporation certificate as the entry point. Reconcile the registered plan, lot liability and entitlement, fees, insurance, maintenance plan, fund position, minutes, defects, disputes and proposed works. Compare the money with the building's planned obligations. Continue with how to read owners-corporation records.
Inspect the building separately
The Section 32 may disclose notices or permits connected with work. Use a building and pest inspection for accessible evidence about the roof, subfloor, drainage, wiring, plumbing, termites, cracking and moisture. Use specialist advice for flagged issues.
A fast review before you send it to your conveyancer
- Confirm the identifiers: address, title, lot, plan and seller.
- Mark every encumbrance: easement, covenant, mortgage and restriction.
- Write down the planning controls: zone, overlays and any use or design question they create.
- Reconcile money and shared-building material: outgoings, owners-corporation certificate, funds and planned works.
- Compare records with the building: visible extensions, decks, wet areas, sheds and service connections.
- Send the PDF with your questions: your intended use and concerns help the conveyancer target the review.
What a Section 32 looks like
A Section 32 usually arrives as a document bundle. It may include a title search, plan, certificates, planning material, service information, notices, permit particulars and owners-corporation documents. File names and page order vary. Start with the title and plan, then mark off each statutory category in the contents map above. Send the whole bundle to your conveyancer with your questions attached; a bundle that arrives with questions gets a sharper hour of review than one that arrives cold.
When a disclosure problem may support rescission
Section 32K of the Sale of Land Act 1962 may allow a purchaser to rescind in specified circumstances where the statement was not provided or contained false or incomplete information. The section also contains a vendor protection where the court is satisfied that the vendor acted honestly and reasonably and the purchaser is substantially in the same position as if the requirements had been met. Timing, materiality, knowledge and the contract matter. Get legal advice immediately if a problem appears.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Section 32 look like?
It is usually a bundle containing the title search, plan, certificates, planning and service information, notices, permit particulars and owners-corporation material where applicable. The page order varies, so use sections 32A to 32I as the contents map.
When must a Section 32 be given to a buyer?
Before the buyer signs the contract. Auction buyers should obtain and review it well before bidding because an auction purchase generally has no cooling-off period.
How far back does the building-permit disclosure go?
Section 32E requires particulars of building permits issued in the preceding seven years. Compare those particulars with visible additions and renovation records.
Can a buyer rescind if the Section 32 is wrong?
Section 32K may provide a right in specified circumstances, with statutory qualifications and a vendor defence. Obtain immediate advice from a Victorian conveyancer or solicitor.
Does a Section 32 show building defects?
It provides legal and administrative disclosure. Investigate roof, damp, pest, service and structural condition separately.
What should I look at first?
Confirm you are looking at the right land and the right seller. Then map the easements and covenants against the block, read the planning controls, reconcile the money and any owners-corporation material, and compare the permits with the work visible at the property.
Is an owners-corporation certificate enough for an apartment?
It is the starting document. Read it with the plan, minutes, budgets, funds, insurance, maintenance plan, defects, disputes and future works.
Can I read a Section 32 without a conveyancer?
Use the statement to form questions. A Victorian conveyancer or solicitor should assess its legal effect, omissions, interaction with the contract and any remedy before you commit.
How this guide was researched
Written against the current Sale of Land Act and Victoria’s own consumer guidance, and updated for the July 2026 Home Warranty changeover.
Limits: This provides Victorian legal orientation. A Victorian conveyancer or solicitor should read the statement and contract before you sign anything.
Sources
- Conveyancing and contracts for sellersConsumer Affairs Victoria · accessed 2026-07-19
- Sale of Land Act 1962, version 173Victorian Legislation · accessed 2026-07-19
- Owner builders checklistConsumer Affairs Victoria · accessed 2026-07-19
- Domestic Building Insurance and Home WarrantyBuilding and Plumbing Commission Victoria · accessed 2026-07-19
- Due diligence checklist for home buyersConsumer Affairs Victoria · accessed 2026-07-19
Want this read for a specific property?
Start a Homechecker report →