Permits, council and building disputes in Craigieburn VIC

Craigieburn sits in the City of Hume, which handles planning permits and report and consent. Your building permit and its mandatory stage inspections come from a registered building surveyor, and it is worth being clear that those inspections exist to satisfy the permit rather than to protect you. They produce no defect list you can act on. On established homes the recurring permit question is different: decks, pergolas, carports and garage conversions added over the years that may never have had approval. Where a dispute cannot be resolved directly, the Victorian pathway runs through the Building and Plumbing Commission's dispute resolution service, formerly DBDRV, and then VCAT.

The City of Hume handles planning permits and report and consent for Craigieburn.

Mandatory stage inspections serve the permit, not the owner, and produce no defect list.

Unapproved decks, pergolas and garage conversions are common on established homes.

The Building and Plumbing Commission, formerly the VBA, regulates practitioners.

VCAT requires an expert witness report drawn to its practice note, which is a separate document.

More about Craigieburn

Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Craigieburn. Licensed building practitioners.

Guides for Craigieburn owners and buyers

2 March 2026 · 7 min read

The brace that was cut to fit a duct

A structural element, removed by somebody who needed the space.

19 March 2026 · 6 min read

Finding the vapour barrier gap far too late

Recorded at frame stage, weeks after the pour.

1 April 2026 · 5 min read

Uncapped pipes and the blockage nobody expects

Two minutes of work, deferred until it becomes a plumber's callout.

Permits, council and building disputes in Craigieburn VIC: common questions

Do you check whether an addition was approved?

We flag structures that appear to be owner built or added later and recommend a property information request to the council. Confirming what was permitted is a council records question rather than something visible on site.

Is the surveyor's inspection enough?

No. Its purpose is to satisfy the permit at fixed milestones, nothing more. It will not tell you a brace has been cut or a duct is disconnected, and it is not carried out in your interest.

Where does a dispute start?

In writing with the builder. If that fails, the Building and Plumbing Commission's dispute resolution service comes next, and VCAT after that.