Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria
Approved Domestic Building Contracts Checklist
Section 31(1)(r) of the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995
This checklist must be included in major domestic building contracts entered into from 1
September 2016 in substantially the same form or to the same effect as follows.
Before signing this legally binding contract, check this list:
If the cost of the building work is more than $16,000, has an
insurance policy or certificate of currency for domestic building
insurance covering your project been issued and provided to you?
(Note: If not, the contract is conditional upon you receiving either
an insurance policy or a certificate of currency for domestic
building insurance.)
Yes
No
If this contract is conditional upon you receiving written approval
for finance, have you obtained such approval?
Yes
No
Have you appointed a private building surveyor or has a municipal
building surveyor been engaged?
(Note: If not, you will need to choose and engage a building
surveyor before your building work starts so that a building permit
can be issued for your building work.)
Yes
No
If you answer ‘NO’ to any of the following questions that apply to your building project,
you are not ready to sign the contract:*
Have you had this contract long enough to read and understand
it?
Yes
No
Have you been provided with evidence that the builder named in
this contract is registered with the Victorian Building Authority?
Yes
No
Are the price and progress payments clearly stated?
Yes
No
Do you understand how the price is calculated and may be
varied?
Yes
No
Has the builder assessed the suitability of the site for the proposed
works? If tests are necessary, have they been carried out?
Yes
No
If a deposit is payable, is it within the legal limit?
The maximum under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 is:
10% if the price is less than $20,000, or
5% if the price is $20,000 or more.
Yes
No
Is the work shown and described clearly in the contract, plans and
specifications and any other relevant documents (such as
engineering computations or soil report)?
Yes
No
Are your special requirements or standards of finish included in
the plans and specifications?
Yes
No
Are the commencement date and completion date clearly stated
or capable of being worked out?
Yes
No
Do you understand the procedure for extensions of time?
Yes
No
Are any ‘provisional sums’ or ‘prime cost items’ clearly stated in the
schedules and understood by you?
Yes
No
Do you understand the procedure for variations of plans and
specifications?
Yes
No
Do you understand the circumstances in which you can end the
contract?
Yes
No
Did your builder give you a copy of the Domestic Building
Consumer Guide?
Yes
No
If yes, insert the date on which you were given a copy of this guide
dd/mm/yyyy
Have you read the Domestic Building Consumer Guide and the
related information at www.consumer.vic.gov.au/buildingguide ?
Yes
No
This checklist does not form part of the contract.
I/we have read and completed this checklist:
Signature/s
Date
dd/mm/yyyy
* Note: Not all of these questions will apply to a domestic building contract that covers a limited
scope of work, for example, a contract that is limited to the preparation of building plans and
specifications.
