Who this article is for
Buyers and buyer’s agents who want a deeper understanding of a specific strata building
Anyone considering purchasing a Cohabit Expert Report on a building
What is a Building Insight Report?
A Cohabit Expert Report (also referred to as a Building Insight Report) is a paid report prepared by a Cohabit-vetted strata expert.
It helps you understand:
The strata records your Cohabit Expert is authorised to review for that building
The insights they write that identify key risks, issues and patterns across areas like Financials, Meetings, Works & Maintenance, and Defects & Issues
What those findings mean for you as a buyer, explained in clear, practical terms
Each Building Insight Report costs $49 including GST.
When you purchase an Expert Report, you also:
Get a direct message thread with the assigned expert in your Messages section
Receive notifications on your Cohabit page and on mobile whenever the expert messages you
(Screenshot: report summary card on the Building profile: report name, date, “Prepared by [Expert name]”)
Before you start
You’ll need:
A Cohabit account as a Buyer or Buyer’s agent
The building address or strata plan (SP) number
Basic sale details (which lot/unit you’re interested in)
A payment method (e.g. card, PayID)
The main way to purchase an Expert Report (from the building profile)
This is the easiest and most common way to buy a report.
Step 1 – Open the building
Log in to Cohabit.
Click My Buildings or use Search.
Find the building by address or strata plan (SP) number.
Click the building to open its Building Profile.
(Screenshot: My Buildings with a building selected)
(Screenshot: Building Profile / Overview tab)
Step 2 – Open the Expert Report tab and choose “Purchase full report”
From the Building Profile, click the Expert Report tab.
A window will appear titled “Do you want to purchase a full expert report?” showing:
A summary of what the Expert Report includes
The key benefits of ordering one
The expert who will prepare your report
(Screenshot: Expert Report modal with expert details and bullet points)
At the bottom of this window, click “Purchase full report” to continue to the checkout and confirm your order.
Step 3 – Review or choose your expert
On this screen you’ll see an expert card showing who will write your report. By default, this will be the previous expert who has already reported on this building (if there is one).
You have two options:
Use previous expert – keep the expert shown on screen.
This is usually fastest, as they already know the building.
Choose your own expert – if you prefer to work with someone else.
You can select a different expert from the available options (where supported).
If you don’t change anything, the previous expert will be selected automatically when you continue.
(Screenshot: screen showing default expert card and “Choose your own expert” option)
Step 4 – Confirm your details and lot information
Next, you’ll be asked to confirm:
The building
The lot/unit you’re interested in (where applicable)
Your buyer details (and/or your representative’s details, e.g. buyer’s agent or conveyancer)
Make sure these details are correct. They help the expert:
Focus on the right lot
Obtain the right authority and records from the strata manager
Step 5 – Review the price and pay
Confirm the price – $49 including GST.
Enter your payment details.
Submit your order.
Once payment is successful:
Your Expert Report request is created
A strata expert is assigned (based on your selection)
A new message thread with that expert is created in your Messages section
You’ll see an on-screen confirmation and receive a confirmation email.
(Screenshot: confirmation screen showing report ordered successfully)
Optional: Add an Expert Report while requesting a Health Score
You can also choose to purchase an Expert Report while you’re requesting a Building Health Score.
During the Health Score request flow you may see an option like:
“Also order an Expert Report for this building”
If you select this:
Your Health Score request and Expert Report request are created together
An expert is assigned, and you’ll get the same Messages thread and notifications described above
This is useful if you already know you’ll want both.
Where to see updates and when your report is ready
After you’ve ordered an Expert Report:
You’ll receive email updates as the report moves through each stage (e.g. expert assigned, waiting on strata records, report being prepared, report ready).
You can open the Expert Report tab on the building to see the current status, such as:
“Expert Report in progress”
“Waiting on strata records”
Or a button/link to view your Expert Report once it’s ready.
Messaging your expert after you purchase
As soon as you’ve purchased an Expert Report:
A conversation with your assigned expert appears in the Messages section.
You can open Messages to ask questions about the building or the contents of your report.
When the expert replies:
You’ll see new messages in Messages
You’ll get notifications in Cohabit (on your main page)
You’ll also get notifications on your mobile when using Cohabit there
For more detail on this, see How to chat with your expert.
Troubleshooting
I can’t see “Purchase full report”
You may be using shared access, not logged in, or the building isn’t eligible yet. Refresh or contact Support.No expert appears
The building may not have had an expert before, or the assigned expert is unavailable. Try again or contact Support.“Choose your own expert” shows no options
Custom selection isn’t available for this building.Purchase button is disabled
Make sure you’ve entered the lot/apartment number and completed all required steps.Contract front page won’t upload
Use PDF/JPG/PNG and ensure it’s the actual front page.Selected the wrong expert
Go back to Step 3 or contact Support immediately if already purchased.