Section 32 (Vendor's Statement) explained: the complete guide for Victorian buyers

If you're buying property in Victoria, the Section 32 is the single most important document you'll read before you sign. It's also the one almost nobody explains properly. It's dense, it's full of legal references, and it arrives at exactly the moment you're trying to decide whether to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This is the complete guide. It pulls together everything we cover across our document explainers into one place, so you can understand what a Section 32 is, what's inside it, what to actually look for, and what to do when something looks off. Think of it as the table of contents for the whole document side of buying a home.

When you've got the document in front of you, our interactive Section 32 checklist walks you through each thing to check and saves your progress as you go.

In this guide

This guide links out to deeper explainers for each part. If you want the full picture, read it top to bottom. If you're chasing one thing, jump straight to it:

• What is a Section 32? the short version
• How the Section 32 differs from the contract of sale
• Reading the title, easements and covenants
• Planning zones and overlays
• Owners corporation details
• Building and occupancy permits
• Section 27 (early deposit release)
• The equivalents in other states
• Contract red flags worth catching
• Section 32 checklist: what to check before you sign
• How to read a contract of sale

What a Section 32 actually is

A Section 32 is the Vendor's Statement. It's a legal document the seller has to give every buyer before contracts are signed. The name comes from section 32 of Victoria's Sale of Land Act 1962, which sets out exactly what the seller must disclose.

The point of it is disclosure. The seller is required to tell you the material facts about the property up front, so you're not signing blind. The vendor's conveyancer or solicitor usually prepares it, and you (or your conveyancer) read it before you commit.

If you want the quick version on its own, we wrote a plain-English introduction to the Section 32. This guide goes wider and deeper.

What's inside a Section 32

A typical Vendor's Statement covers all of the following. Each one has a deeper explainer linked.

• Title and ownership. A copy of the certificate of title, who owns the land, and what's registered against it (mortgages, caveats, easements, covenants). This is where most surprises hide, so it's worth learning how to read a title search.
• Easements, covenants and restrictions. Other people's rights over the land, or limits on what you can build or do. A covenant might stop you subdividing or dictate building materials. An easement might give a neighbour or authority the right to cross or use part of the land.
• Planning information. The zoning and any planning overlays (heritage, bushfire, flood, vegetation), plus any planning permits. Overlays can quietly change what you're allowed to do with the property.
• Outgoings. Council rates, water rates, owners corporation fees, and land tax. These tell you the real running cost of holding the place.
• Building approvals and permits. Recent building permits and occupancy permits, and any owner-builder insurance for work less than seven years old. Missing permits for visible work is a flag worth chasing.
• Notices and orders. Anything an authority has issued about the property, such as a council order or a notice from a water authority.
• Services. What's connected (water, sewerage, gas, electricity) and what isn't.
• Owners corporation details. For apartments and units, the body corporate fees, rules, insurance, and recent meeting minutes.

What to actually look for

Reading every page is good. Knowing what matters is better. These are the things that most often turn out to be significant:

1. Easements and covenants you didn't expect. A covenant that limits building, or an easement running through where you wanted to extend, can change your whole plan for the place.
2. Overlays. A heritage or bushfire overlay can add cost and restrict changes. We cover this in planning zones and overlays and, for older homes, heritage-listed properties.
3. Owners corporation health. High fees, a thin maintenance fund, or minutes that mention a major upcoming special levy all matter. Start with owners corporation explained.
4. Permit gaps. If there's an obvious extension or renovation but no building or occupancy permit for it, ask why.
5. Outgoings that don't add up. Rates and fees give you the true cost of ownership, not just the purchase price.

The dense legal language is exactly where these details hide. That's the gap Unstated was built to close: we read the document and tell you, in plain English, what's worth a conversation with your conveyancer.

What the Section 32 does not tell you

A Section 32 is a disclosure document, not a condition report. It will not tell you whether the roof leaks, whether there's termite damage, or whether the wiring is safe. For that you need your own due diligence: a building inspection, a pest inspection, and, for older homes, awareness of asbestos.

So treat the Section 32 as one half of the picture. It tells you the legal and financial facts about the property. Your inspections tell you the physical condition.

How it differs from the contract of sale

People often blur the two, but they do different jobs. The Section 32 discloses facts. The contract of sale sets the terms of the deal: price, deposit, settlement date, and any special conditions. We break the distinction down fully in Section 32 versus the contract of sale, walk through how to read the contract in reading a contract of sale in Victoria, and cover the terms most worth watching in contract red flags.

One related term you'll meet is the Section 27, or early deposit release, which lets the vendor access your deposit before settlement under certain conditions.

When a Section 32 is defective

If the Vendor's Statement is missing required information, or what's in it is false or misleading, you may have grounds to withdraw from the contract. This is genuinely powerful, but it's also legally technical, and timing matters. It's exactly the kind of thing to raise with a conveyancer or solicitor rather than acting on alone.

Does every state have a Section 32?

Not by that name. The Section 32 is specific to Victoria, but most states and territories have an equivalent vendor disclosure document with its own rules and quirks. We compare them in Section 32 equivalents in other states, which is useful if you've bought interstate before and are assuming the same rules apply.

How long should you spend on a Section 32?

Give it real time, not a glance in the car park before an auction. A careful read of a straightforward Section 32 takes most people the better part of an hour, and longer if it's an apartment with a thick owners corporation section. If that feels like a lot to do under pressure, that's the point: you want to understand it before you're emotionally committed, not after.

What to do next

A sensible order looks like this:

1. Get the Section 32 early, before auction or before you make an offer.
2. Read it with this guide open, and flag anything you don't understand.
3. Run your physical due diligence: building and pest inspections.
4. Have a conveyancer review the document and your flagged questions.
5. Only then sign.

Unstated fits into step two and three: upload your Section 32 and contract, and we'll send back a plain-English summary in about 10 minutes, with the points worth raising with your conveyancer clearly marked. It doesn't replace your conveyancer. It makes you a far better-prepared client.

Sources

• Sale of Land Act 1962 (Vic), section 32: the legislation that requires the Vendor's Statement and sets out what the seller must disclose, including the grounds on which a buyer may withdraw when it is defective.
• Consumer Affairs Victoria: Buying and selling property: the Victorian regulator's guidance on due diligence, disclosure, and the buying process.
• Consumer Affairs Victoria: Owners corporations: how owners corporation fees, records, and certificates work, as disclosed in the Section 32 for apartments and units.

Sources verified 25 July 2026. Always confirm current requirements with the primary source above or a licensed conveyancer.