Guide
What Is a Private Building Surveyor in Victoria?
Who appoints the relevant building surveyor in Victoria, and what that surveyor does from application to final certificate.
A private building surveyor is a registered building practitioner you appoint as the relevant building surveyor (RBS) to issue building permits and carry out mandatory inspections under the Building Act 1993 and Building Regulations 2018. You can appoint a private surveyor or the municipal building surveyor for building work in Victoria.
Who appoints the RBS
The owner appoints the relevant building surveyor. A builder or other party can make the appointment on the owner's behalf only where they are properly authorised by the owner to do so. Get the appointment and any authorisation right before lodgement so the permit pathway is valid from day one.
What a private building surveyor does
- Assess plans and supporting documents against the Act, Regulations and National Construction Code
- Check planning permits and report and consent where section 24 and the Regulations require them
- Issue the building permit when the design complies
- Specify and inspect mandatory notification stages (and any additional inspections set as permit conditions)
- Issue an occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection when works are complete
NEBA's registrations
NEBA's practitioners hold Victorian registrations as building surveyors and inspectors, including Building Surveyor (Unlimited) and Building Inspector (pool safety) for pool and spa barrier work. We are based in Euroa and work across North East Victoria. We also provide certification for NSW projects such as Albury: see building permits Albury.
Why owners choose a private surveyor
Direct contact with the practitioners assessing your file, clear timelines, and regional inspectors who already work Shepparton, Wangaratta, Benalla, Wodonga and surrounding shires. You are not limited to the municipal building surveyor for private projects.
How to start
Download Form 1, attach your drawings, and send them via our contact form, or browse Forms & Downloads. More context: building surveyor North East Victoria and about NEBA.
Related guides: planning vs building permits, mandatory inspections, shed permits.
What happens after you appoint us
Once you appoint NEBA as your relevant building surveyor, we become responsible for assessing your application, issuing the building permit when the documents are in order, and inspecting the mandatory stages listed on that permit. You deal with one practice from lodgement through to the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection. We confirm fees and any further information we need, then keep the permit conditions and inspection list aligned with your drawings. If a stage fails, we explain what must be fixed before work continues. That is the same pathway described across our permit and inspection guides: appoint, lodge, build with notified inspections, then close out with the final certificate.
What we need from you at lodgement
Bring a complete pack so assessment is not delayed. That usually means Form 1, owner and builder or owner-builder details, architectural and structural drawings, and any site reports your design triggers, such as a bushfire attack level assessment. If a planning permit or report and consent applies, include evidence of that approval where section 24 requires it. Insurance or owner-builder certificate of consent documents should match the project value and contract date rules that apply to your job. Our building permit checklist guide lists the common items. Send the pack through our contact form with the property address, and we will confirm what is missing before you formally lodge.