Before demolition day:
the checklist

The checklist

This is the order in which a Sydney house demolition is usually prepared, from the day the approval is granted to the morning the excavator starts. Each item is explained in the sections that follow. Some steps run in parallel, and your approval conditions may add items, but nothing here can safely be skipped.

1. Read the approval conditions and list every pre-start requirement.
2. Confirm the written demolition scope with your contractor, including what stays.
3. Arrange the asbestos inspection (included in our small-house band, or quoted separately) or commission an independent survey, and hand the report to the contractor.
4. Lodge the electricity abolishment with your retailer and the network operator.
5. Request the gas abolishment through your gas retailer.
6. Book a licensed plumber to disconnect water and seal the sewer.
7. Cancel telecommunications and request nbn equipment removal.
8. Lodge a Before You Dig Australia enquiry for the site.
9. Commission the dilapidation report on neighbouring properties.
10. Give neighbours written notice in the form the approval requires.
11. Arrange any council permits for road, footpath or tree work.
12. Agree fences, boundaries and salvage in writing.
13. Complete licensed asbestos removal and obtain the clearance certificate.
14. Clear the house of belongings, hazardous household items and pets.
15. Collect written confirmation of every disconnection.
16. Confirm the start date, hours and site contact with the contractor and your builder.
17. Walk the site the day before and check meters, capping, fencing and access.
18. On the morning: keys handed over, site secured, water available, first truck booked.

Approval stage (items 1 and 2)

Read the conditions. A DA consent or CDC is not just permission; it is a list of things that must happen before, during and after the work. Typical pre-start conditions include neighbour notification, a dilapidation report, erosion and sediment controls, tree protection, a waste management plan, site fencing and signage, and evidence of asbestos handling. Write them out as a list with a date and an owner against each. If a condition is unclear, ask the council or certifier before work is booked. Our approvals guide explains the pathways and what to check.

Confirm the scope. The written quote should name the structures being removed, the slab, footings, paths and driveways, whether trees or fences are included, what is being retained and how the block is to be left. It should also say who is doing each of the items on this checklist. A knockdown-rebuild handover has its own requirements, set out in our builder handover guide.

Asbestos and services (items 3 to 8)

Asbestos inspection. Gabrael can arrange it as part of the quote (it is included in the small-house band), or you can commission your own independent survey. Either way, a licensed asbestos assessor or competent person inspects the house, samples suspect material and reports what is present and where. This drives the removal scope, the licence class needed and the timeline. Age is a reason to investigate, not a finding. See the fibro and asbestos guide.

Electricity. A demolition needs a permanent disconnection, sometimes called an abolishment, not a temporary one. The retailer closes the account and arranges meter removal; a permanent disconnection application goes to Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy with the owner’s written authority; a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider physically removes the service line. Lodge this first because it usually has the longest lead time.

Gas. Contact your gas retailer and ask for an abolishment. Jemena or its authorised contractor isolates the supply at the main and removes the meter. Jemena states that abolishment is required before demolition.

Water and sewer. A licensed plumber disconnects the water service and seals the sewer connection, applying through Sydney Water Tap in. Tell the plumber if the water service is to be kept for the builder.

Telecommunications. Cancel internet and phone services with your provider, then request removal of nbn-supplied equipment from NBN Co, which is done by its authorised technician for a fee. The lead-in cable and connection box are NBN Co property.

Before You Dig. A free BYDA enquiry returns plans of underground assets around the block. It is required before any excavation, including footing and slab removal. The full sequence, lead times and a service-by-service table are in our utility disconnections guide.

Site and neighbours (items 9 to 12)

Dilapidation report. Commissioned by the owner through an independent consultant, it records the condition of neighbouring buildings, fences, driveways and the public footpath before work starts. Many consents require it; it is worth doing regardless where a neighbour’s structure is close to the boundary.

Neighbour notice. Under a CDC in a metropolitan area, the Planning Portal requires at least seven days’ notice to neighbours within 20 metres; under a DA, the consent sets the form and timing. Include the start date, duration, working hours and a site contact. Keep a copy.

Council permits. Standing a truck or bin on the road, closing the footpath, using a crane or removing a street tree each need separate council approval, and some councils require a bond for public property. Trees on the block that are protected under the council’s controls need permission before they are touched, even if the house approval is in place.

Fences, boundaries and salvage. Agree in writing which fences come down for access and how they are reinstated; confirm the boundary if a survey is needed; and list anything you want salvaged so it is removed by hand before the machine starts. Our neighbours guide covers notice, hours, dilapidation reports and boundary protection.

The week before (items 13 to 16)

Asbestos removal and clearance. Licensed removal happens before demolition, after SafeWork NSW has been notified. Gabrael’s Class B licence AD211249 covers non-friable material; friable asbestos is removed by our Class A licensed partner. The clearance certificate from an independent assessor or competent person is the document that lets demolition proceed.

Clear the house. Remove furniture, personal belongings and anything you want to keep. Dispose of paint, pool chemicals, gas bottles, fuel and other household hazardous items through the council’s collection rather than leaving them for the excavator. Our waste guide explains what happens to the rest. Make sure pets and any tenants are gone and that the property is vacant.

Written confirmation of disconnections. A lodged application is not a completed disconnection. The crew needs the retailer’s confirmation of meter removal, the ASP’s confirmation that the service is off the network, the gas abolishment record and the plumber’s confirmation that the sewer is sealed. Send these to the contractor as they arrive.

Confirm the start date. Once the pre-start items are complete, confirm the start date, hours, site contact and the expected number of working days with the contractor and, for a knockdown-rebuild, with your builder. On-site periods for a house are indicative only: roughly 2 to 3 working days for a small home, 3 to 5 for a medium home and 5 to 7 for a large one, with access and site conditions able to change that.

The day before and the morning of demolition (items 17 and 18)

Walk the site. Check that the electricity meter and service line are gone, the gas meter is removed and the pipe capped, the sewer is sealed, the nbn box and lead-in are removed, the fencing and signage are up, tree protection is in place and the access route is clear. Note the state of any fence or driveway you expect to be reinstated. Photograph what you see.

The morning. Hand over keys or confirm the site is unlocked, confirm the water supply for dust suppression, and make sure the street is clear for the first truck. From here the site is under the contractor’s control until handover. If a neighbour or a council officer has a question during the work, the site supervisor named on the notice is the first call.

Where Gabrael fits

We coordinate the demolition application, the asbestos assessment and any non-friable removal, the disconnection program and the site set-up within the agreed scope, and we tell you which of the items above need your signature or your own consultant. The house demolition service page sets out what is included by house category, and the FAQs answer the questions most owners ask before booking. Bring the approval, the plans and any existing reports to the site assessment and we will turn this checklist into a dated program for your property.