Your role in quality control
You, as the property owner, and your builder are responsible for ensuring the building work meets acceptable standards.
We encourage you to carry out regular on-site inspections with the builder. This ensures that work meets the approved plans and specifications set out in the contract and is of the expected standard.
If you are unsure about inspections, it may be worthwhile to use a private building consultant to monitor the job on your behalf and to raise any issues.
Commencement notice
The commencement notice must include the:
- exact date work commenced onsite
- date for practical completion (meaning when the contractor anticipates the work will be completed by – noting delays can occur for unforeseen reasons such as material shortages, sickness and weather events).
Here is an example commencement notice template we created for contractors, though your contractor may use their own template.
It’s important you save a copy of the commencement notice.
Home owners should refer to this notice (together with any extension of time claims they may have approved) when assessing if, and from what date, they may be entitled to liquidated damages. Liquidated damages are payments from the contractor to compensate a home owner in the event they fail to complete the contracted work by the date for practical completion.
For more information, refer to the ‘Liquidated Damages’ section of the Domestic Building Contracts—General Information for Owners and Contractors booklet.
Next: Top tips during construction
