Learning
Education & training
Practical learning with VicWide for owners, buyers, investors, property managers and people entering the building and property industry. Register your interest in a program and we'll be in touch with format and timing details.
Illustration. Not an actual property or real inspection work.
- Home buyers who want to understand inspections before they buy.
- Owners who are building, renovating or managing a property.
- Investors and property managers.
- People entering the building and property industry.
- Understanding property inspections, and what they can and can't tell you.
- Reading an inspection report.
- New-build stages and the questions worth asking.
- Pool and spa barrier basics for owners.
- Getting property documents organised.
- Preparing for licensing or registration in building-related work.
- Practical, plain-language sessions focused on everyday property situations.
- Time to ask questions.
- Format and duration details confirmed for each program.
Choose a program and register your interest.
Tell us about your background and what you'd like to learn.
Note any questions you'd like covered.
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More detail
More about education & training
How it works
Browse the training programs, choose one that fits, and register your interest. We'll be in touch to talk through format, timing and cost once they're confirmed for that program. Training enquiries are handled separately from inspection bookings, with their own confirmation.
Who it's for
Sessions are designed for people who want to understand property more clearly: buyers working out which inspection they need, owners in the middle of a build or renovation, investors and property managers keeping records in order, and people starting out in building-related work.
Learn with VicWide
Alongside training programs, Learn with VicWide is a growing library of plain-language answers to common property questions. Each topic links to the related service.
Learn with VicWide
Showing 3 topics
Inspections
Which inspection do I actually need?
Pre-purchase, strata, new-build and specialist inspections each suit a different need: buying a house or an apartment, building, or looking into a concern such as cracking, damp or older materials. This topic explains what each type looks at, when people usually arrange it, and how to describe your situation so we can suggest the right scope.
Key points 7
- Buying a house: a pre-purchase inspection looks at its visible condition and for signs of timber pest activity. For a home you already own, choose building and pest.
- Buying an apartment, unit or townhouse: a strata report covers the lot and the common property you can access, with help reading the owners corporation papers.
- Building: independent stage and handover inspections are checks you choose, separate from the mandatory inspections for the building permit.
- A specific concern: structural, mould and asbestos inspections look at visible cracking or movement, visible mould and signs of moisture, or materials that may contain asbestos.
- Pools and land: pool barrier inspections focus on the barrier, gates and fences. Land inspections look at the block, its site features and its surrounds.
- Before nearby works: a dilapidation report is a dated, photo-supported record of visible condition.
- If you're unsure, describe the property and the decision you're facing, and we'll help you choose.
Related service: Pre-purchase inspections
Inspections
How do I read an inspection report?
An inspection report records what was observed at the time of the inspection, where it was observed, and what couldn't be inspected. This topic walks through a typical report structure and how to use it when you talk with builders, agents or other advisers.
Key points 5
- A report describes observations at the time of the inspection. Conditions can change afterwards.
- Read the scope and limitations first, so you know what was and wasn't inspected.
- Observations are grouped by area, so you can find what matters to your decision.
- A report is not a certificate of compliance, a warranty or an insurance policy.
- If something isn't clear, ask us to explain it in plain language.
Related service: Compliance & reporting
Building
What should I ask while my new home is being built?
Building a new home involves several construction stages, a building permit, and a builder who remains responsible for the work. This topic explains how independent stage inspections sit alongside the mandatory inspections for the building permit, and which questions are worth asking along the way.
Key points 5
- Mandatory inspections for the building permit are carried out by, or on behalf of, the relevant building surveyor.
- Independent stage inspections are ones you choose to commission. They don't replace the mandatory inspections.
- Commonly requested stages include slab or base, frame, lock-up, fixing, and completion or handover.
- Check your building contract for how each stage is defined and how you'll be told a stage is reached.
- Your builder remains responsible for the building work, whatever inspections you commission.
Related service: New-building inspections
Ready when you are
Register your interest in training
Training enquiries are separate from inspection bookings. Register your interest and we’ll come back to you.