What is a Section 32? A plain-English guide for Victorian buyers

If you've started looking at property in Victoria, you've probably heard the phrase "Section 32" without anyone explaining what it actually is. It sounds bureaucratic, and it is, but the document hiding behind that name is one of the most important things you'll read before signing a contract.

This is a plain-English guide to what a Section 32 is, what's inside it, and what to actually look for. It's part of our complete Section 32 (Vendor's Statement) guide, which pulls every document explainer into one place.

What is a Section 32?

A Section 32 is the Vendor's Statement, a legal document the seller is required to give every buyer before contracts are signed. It's named after Section 32 of Victoria's Sale of Land Act 1962, the legislation that sets out exactly what a vendor must disclose.

The vendor (seller) prepares it, usually through their conveyancer or solicitor. Its purpose is simple: to disclose everything material about the property that could affect your decision to buy.

If something is missing or misleading in a Section 32, you may have grounds to withdraw from the contract.

What's inside it?

A typical Section 32 includes:

• Title and ownership details, a copy of the certificate of title, who owns the property, and what registered interests sit over it (mortgages, caveats)
• Easements, covenants, and restrictions, anyone else's right to cross, use, or limit the land
• Planning information, the zoning, planning overlays (heritage, bushfire, flood, vegetation), and any planning permits
• Outgoings, council rates, water rates, owners corporation fees, land tax
• Building approvals and permits, recent building permits, occupancy permits, and any insurance for work under seven years old
• Notices and orders, anything the council, water authority, or government body has issued about the property
• Services, what's connected (water, sewer, gas, electricity, telephone) and what isn't
• Owners corporation details (for units and apartments), the body corporate fees, rules, and meeting minutes
• Disclosure of any contracts affecting the land, leases, rights of way

What should you actually look for?

The dense legal language can hide details that genuinely matter. Here are the most common things conveyancers flag:

Easements

These are someone else's right to use part of your land, usually for drains, sewer, or access. They often restrict where you can build. A drainage easement under your backyard may mean you can't put in a pool or extension without dealing with the authority that owns the easement.

Covenants

Covenants are private restrictions registered on title. Common ones limit the number of dwellings, building materials, or fence heights. Buying a block planning to subdivide? A covenant could stop you.

Planning overlays

Overlays are layers of additional planning rules. A bushfire overlay may require expensive construction standards. A heritage overlay can restrict renovations. A vegetation protection overlay may stop you removing trees.

Unpaid rates or land tax

If outstanding amounts aren't adjusted at settlement, you can inherit them. Our land tax calculator shows how the annual charge is worked out where it applies.

Owners corporation issues

For units, check the body corporate minutes. A pending special levy, structural issue, or insurance claim can mean unexpected costs after you move in.

What it doesn't tell you

A Section 32 discloses what's on record. It doesn't tell you:

• Whether the building is sound
• Whether the floors are level or the roof leaks
• Whether the previous owner did unpermitted renovations
• Whether the neighbours are difficult

For those, you need a building and pest inspection, a separate report.

What to do next

When you receive a Section 32:

1. Read every page, even the boring parts. Important details often sit in attached plans and certificates.
2. Note anything you don't understand. The Section 32 is full of references to council certificates, title plans, and planning rules.
3. Send it to your conveyancer before you sign. Their job is to translate it into actionable advice.
4. Ask questions, what does this easement mean for my plans? Is this overlay going to make renovations harder?

Consumer Affairs Victoria publishes a due diligence checklist that's worth reading alongside the Section 32, it covers the wider questions a vendor statement won't answer.

A good rule of thumb: if the Section 32 doesn't make sense to you, it's not because you're missing something. It's because legal disclosure documents are written for legal review, not for human reading.

That's the gap Unstated fills, we read it for you and summarise it in plain English, so you can go through it with your conveyancer before you sign.

Sources

• Sale of Land Act 1962 (Vic), section 32: the law requiring the Vendor's Statement and setting out what it must disclose.
• Consumer Affairs Victoria: Due diligence checklist: the regulator's checklist of what to investigate before buying.

Sources verified 25 July 2026.

Unstated provides plain-English summaries of property documents. We don't replace your conveyancer, we make sure you walk into that conversation knowing what to ask.