Contractors, Contracts and related information for Owner Builders
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- Dealing with Contractors and Sub-contractors
- Contracts - basis of your protection
- Dispute Resolution
- OB Construction & Public Liability Insurance Quote Request
Related pages for Owner Builders
- Important Information for Owner Builders
- Home Warranty Insurance for Owner Builders
- Owner Builder Courses
Dealing with Contractors and Sub-contractors
As an Owner Builder, you probably will be entering into business relationships with different tradespeople. Tradespeople, whether contracting directly with you as the home owner or who may have been sub-contracted to you through you builder, must hold a current licence issued by the NSW Office of Fair Trading specifically for the type of work they are being engaged to carry out. By engaging a builder or a tradesman who does not hold a licence issued by the NSW Office of Fair Trading, or not licensed to carry out the praticular work,you will put yourself at risk of the work being delayed, cost more than expected or being never completed.
Please note that anyone who carries out home building work valued over $1,000 (including labour and materials) and does not hold current appropriate licence is breaking the law and could be prosecuted!
After you've obtained quotes from several contractors and decided on the most appropriate one, the contractor should give you a written contract for both of you to sign. Before you sign any contracts, do not forget to:
- Check licence details to make sure it is current, valid and suitable
for the work you want to be done by:
- - Calling the NSW Office of Fair Trading on 13 32 20, or
- - Visiting the NSW Office of Fair Trading website and performing on-line Licence Check
- Make sure you understand all clauses of the contract
- Have clear knowledge about the duration of warranties
- Get legal advice if the standard contract was amended by the contractor
Contracts - basis of your protection. Vital to have and them in order
For maximum protection, whenever the individual work, valued over $1,000 dollars, need to be carried out by a tradesman or a licensed builder we recommend you to use home building contract developed by the NSW Office of Fair Trading , which you can by at the Post Office or at the specialised building bookstore.
There are two types of contracts designed by the NSW Office of Fair Trading, one covers building works over $25,000 and another one covers building works up to $25,000. Both are written in plain english and have step-by-step guide to the contracting process.
By law, all building tradepeople and contractors doing residential building or any specialist work valued over $1,000 must provide a contract in writing to the homeowner or Owner Builder.
Dispute Resolution
The NSW Office of Fair Trading offers a range of services that can help you avoid or help resolve disputes with your contractors. Contact your nearest Fair Trading Centre for more information on 13 32 20 or contact us , Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (AEST), for assistance with on-site help in Sydney on (02) 8303 0545, beyond Sydney call us on 1800 building (1800 28 45 34).
We can also arrange for Legal Advice services, within Greater Sydney area, which would be beneficial in resolving building disputes.
