Owner builders are determined to the fact that they take on many of the responsibilities for managing and carrying domestic building works on their own site and accept any financial risks.

Owner Builder may:
• Undertake all or a portion of the building works themselves, except if it is an area where a licensed tradesperson is required or
• Manage a supervisor to oversee the work
• Contract all or part of the building and site works to the appropriate licensed tradesperson

To keep your costs down by not employing a registered builder, building or renovating your own home can allow more control over the project. You need to make sure that you have done extensive research and you have great knowledge of all that is involved in creating your ultimate home.

Owner builders must:
• Obtain relevant planning permits from the local council/shire
• Always use licensed electricians and plumbers
• The name of yourself must be listed as the owner builder on all planning permits
• Engage a building surveyor to obtain building permits; this includes occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection on completion of building work
• Receive from the Building Practitioners Board a certificate of consent before carrying out domestic building works over $12,000
• An owner builder permit is only valid to work on that property once every 3 years
• All laws, building regulations and standards must be met
• Arrange for all building inspections
• Enter into major domestic building contract with builders for works over $5,000
• Only use registered builders for building works over $5,000 , find one here
• Make sure any builder for jobs over $12,000 has the necessary warranty insurance

Certificate of Consent

A Certificate of Consent is an individual’s written approval to act as an owner-builder on their own land in the State of Victoria.

Owners who intend to apply for a building permit for domestic building work as an owner-builder must provide to the relevant building surveyor a Certificate of Consent issued by the Building Practitioners Board.

To apply for a Certificate of Consent you will need to Request an Owner-builder Application Kit.

Insurance for owner builders

If a property owner sells their house within six years of completing works as an owner-builder, they must provide warranty insurance cover to the purchaser of the property. They are also required to provide a technical inspection report that identifies defects.

It is important that owner-builders understand that the insurance policy is for the benefit of the purchaser and that the owner-builder will be responsible for ensuring that the work has been done according to law.

Useful Resources:

Building Practitioners Board (VIC)
Consumer Affairs website on owner-builders
Owner-builder Application Kit – March 2011
Owner-builder Checklist – August 2011