Buying Property in Dorset

You might be interested in a copy of a Certificate of Liabilities or 132 Certificate if you are looking to buy a property and want to find out:

• the current rates for the property
• whether there are any rates outstanding and
• any other outstanding charge on the land that is recoverable by Council

Please note that pursuant to Section 132 of the Local Government Act 1993, only the following people can apply for a 132 Certificate:

• the owner of a registered estate or interest in the land;
• an occupier of the land"
• a person who has entered or proposes to enter into a contract to purchase the land;
• a mortgagee or prospective mortgagee of the land; OR
• a person authorised to act on behalf of any person listed above

Our officers generally require at least 5 working days' notice prior to your listed settlement date to process a 132 certificate. If you have requested a certificate and there is a change to your listed settlement date, please make sure to notify our officers at the earliest opportunity.

Section 132 and/or 337 Certificate Request Form

A 337 Certificate provides all sorts of useful information about a property, including:

• What the zoning of the land is under Council's planning scheme;
• Planning, building and plumbing approvals granted for the property;
• Occupancy permits and completion certificates granted for building and plumbing works;
• Any outstanding compliance or enforcement proceedings that apply to the property.

To help us help you, please ensure that you request a 337 Certificate well in advance of the listed settlement date for the property. The earlier you request a certificate from us, the earlier you will be in receipt of the requested certificate. Please note the following:

• We generally process 337 Certificate requests in order of receipt. Please do not expect to jump the queue: your request is equally important as that of anyone else.
• Depending on our volume of requests, there may be delays in processing your individual request.
• Applicant/purchasers should be aware that Council can only answer to matters which they are aware of.
• Provided the prescribed fee is paid, anyone can request a Council Land Information Certificate (Section 337 Certificate)
• Again, the earlier you can submit your request, the better off you will be.

Our officers generally require at least 10 working days' notice prior to your listed settlement date to process a certificate. If you do not provide us with enough time to process your request, we may be unable to process your certificate prior to your settlement date. Further, if you have requested a certificate and there is a change to your listed settlement date, please make sure to notify our officers at the earliest opportunity.

For more information about a 337 Certificate you can speak to a solicitor, a property conveyancer, call Council on 6352 6500 or email dorset@dorset.tas.gov.au.

Section 132 337 Certificate Request Form

We have access to many recent and historic building and plumbing records for properties within the municipality. If you have written approval from the current property owner, we can provide copies of relevant property information to you that we have on record. Sometimes these records ' particularly the older ones ' are held in external storage facilities and may take additional time to locate and be provided. Costs to locate and supply these records may apply, but your patience and understanding while awaiting available records is appreciated.

Applications to view and obtain copies of these documents can be made using our form below

Application for Archived Building Plans Form

We don't conduct pre-purchase building inspections to assess the condition of a building or the quality of building work which has been performed, but you can obtain these services by contacting a private building inspector or building surveyor to take a look.