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NSW Home Building Act 1989

Australia: New South Wales
vAct No 147 of 1989, NSW consolidation current for 10 June 2026 to date (accessed 30 September 2026); last amended by Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 No 15
8 domains
65 controls

The New South Wales law on home building: who may contract for and do residential building work and specialist trades, what a home building contract must contain, the 5-day cooling-off right, the 10% deposit cap and authorised progress payments, kit home contracts, the statutory warranties and their 6 and 2 year periods, licence conditions, rectification and stop work orders, home building compensation insurance before work starts or money is taken, and the duties of the insurers.

Verified

NSW Home Building Act 1989 is a compliance framework from Australia: New South Wales with 8 domains and 65 controls that map to 1 other frameworks. The largest domains are Part 2: Contracting for and doing residential building work and specialist work – NSW Home Building Act 1989 (23 controls), Part 6: Home building compensation insurance – NSW Home Building Act 1989 (11 controls), Part 2A: Supply of kit homes – NSW Home Building Act 1989 (8 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.

Maintained by Gerard Blokdyk

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Framework Domains (8)

Part 2: Contracting for and doing residential building work and specialist work – NSW Home Building Act 1989

23 controls
Controls in the Part 2: Contracting for and doing residential building work and specialist work – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 23 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s11Bs 11B Give the approved information on the role of a registered certifier
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s11Cs 11C No undue influence over the owner's choice of registered certifier
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s11Ds 11D and Schedule 2 Part 1A Include the certifier selection terms
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s12s 12 Only licensed contractors, owner-builders and their employees do the work
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s13s 13 Residential building work done by qualified people or under their supervision
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s14s 14 Electrical wiring work only by qualified supervisors or supervised certificate holders
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s15s 15 Refrigeration or air-conditioning work only by authorised holders or under immediate supervision
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s15As 15A Mechanical services and medical gas work only by qualified people
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s15Bs 15B Medical gasfitting work only by qualified people
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s15Cs 15C Medical gas technician work only by qualified people
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16s 16 Licence holder ensures work is done or supervised by qualified people
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s4s 4 Unlicensed contracting: contract only under an appropriate contractor licence and engage only licensed subcontractors
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s5s 5 No offering or advertising of work by or for an unlicensed person
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s7ss 7 and 7A Written contract with the required content for jobs above the prescribed amount
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s7AAs 7AA Give the approved consumer information before contracting
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s7AAAs 7AAA Written contract for small jobs
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s7Bs 7B Give the owner a signed copy of the contract within 5 clear business days
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s7BAss 7BA and 7BB Honour the 5-day cooling-off right and the rescission right where the warning was omitted
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s7C-7Dss 7C and 7D No arbitration clauses and no interests in or caveats over the owner's land
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s7Es 7E and Schedule 2 Part 1 Include the mandatory terms on plans, variations and quality of construction
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s8s 8 Deposit capped at 10% of the contract price
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s8As 8A Only authorised progress payments
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s9s 9 Display plans, specifications and the standard contract at exhibition homes

Part 2A: Supply of kit homes – NSW Home Building Act 1989

8 controls
Controls in the Part 2A: Supply of kit homes – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 8 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16Dss 16D and 16DA Written kit home contract with the required content
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16DAAs 16DAA Kit home consumer information before contracting
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16DBs 16DB Signed copy of the kit home contract within 5 clear business days
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16DBAss 16DBA and 16DBB Kit home cooling-off and rescission where the warning was omitted
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16DC-16DDss 16DC and 16DD No arbitration clauses and no land interests in kit home contracts
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16DEs 16DE and Schedule 2 Part 2 Include the mandatory kit home terms
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16Es 16E Kit home deposit capped at 10%
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s16Fs 16F Display plans and contract at kit home exhibition homes

Part 3: Licences, certificates and owner-builder permits – NSW Home Building Act 1989

5 controls
Controls in the Part 3: Licences, certificates and owner-builder permits – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 5 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s32AAs 32AA Owner-builders engage only licensed contractors
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s34s 34 Update pending applications within 7 days
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s36s 36 and Schedule 3 Comply with authority conditions and notify changes within 7 days
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s42A-44ss 42A(7) and 44 Lodge a suspended, cancelled or varied authority with the Secretary
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s46A-47ss 46A and 47 No lending of an authority; produce it on demand

Part 6: Home building compensation insurance – NSW Home Building Act 1989

11 controls
Controls in the Part 6: Home building compensation insurance – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 11 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s101s 101 Policies deem a s 42A licence suspension to be insolvency
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s102ss 102 and 103B Insurance of an approved kind, minimum cover and minimum periods
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s103EAs 103EA No false or misleading insurance applications
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s103EBs 103EB Insurers and intermediaries must not misrepresent cover as compliant
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s92s 92 Insure contract work and give the certificate before starting work or taking money
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s92As 92A Give the insurer the prescribed contract particulars
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s95s 95 Owner-builder sale warning in the contract of sale
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s96s 96 Insure work not done under contract and attach the certificate on sale
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s96As 96A Developers attach the builder's insurance certificate and give the brochure on sale
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s96Bs 96B Warning when selling a house or unit excluded as commercial accommodation
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s99ss 99 and 100 Insurance contracts must cover the prescribed risks

Parts 2B and 2C: Licence representations and statutory warranties – NSW Home Building Act 1989

3 controls
Controls in the Parts 2B and 2C: Licence representations and statutory warranties – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 3 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s17-18ss 17 and 18 No misrepresentation about contractor licences or certificates
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s18Bs 18B Perform the work to the statutory warranties
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s18BAs 18BA Duties of the person with the benefit of the warranty: mitigate, notify within 6 months, allow access

Parts 3A and 3B: Building disputes and rectification orders – NSW Home Building Act 1989

4 controls
Controls in the Parts 3A and 3B: Building disputes and rectification orders – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 4 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s48Es 48E(5) Comply with an inspector's rectification order (licence condition)
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s48Ts 48T No false notice that a Tribunal order was complied with
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s48Vs 48V Notify the Secretary of a court order to pay a building claim within 7 days
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s49Ess 49B(6) and 49E Comply with the Secretary's rectification order

Parts 6A, 6B and 6C: Insolvent insurers, alternative indemnity products and insurer licensing – NSW Home Building Act 1989

7 controls
Controls in the Parts 6A, 6B and 6C: Insolvent insurers, alternative indemnity products and insurer licensing – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 7 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s105As 105A Only licensed insurers and providers issue home building cover
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s105Hs 105H Licensed insurers and providers comply with licence conditions
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s105Ss 105S Prepare, follow and revise a business plan for the home building insurance business
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s105T-105Uss 105T and 105U Disclose re-insurance arrangements and investment of funds
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s105V-105Wss 105V and 105W Keep records, lodge quarterly returns and assist audits
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s105Xss 105X and 121C Supply information, claim details and scheme data to the Authority
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s105ZAs 105ZA Notify the Authority of defaults and capital events within 21 days

Parts 7 and 8: Secretary functions, loose-fill asbestos and general provisions – NSW Home Building Act 1989

4 controls
Controls in the Parts 7 and 8: Secretary functions, loose-fill asbestos and general provisions – NSW Home Building Act 1989 domain of NSW Home Building Act 1989 — 4 controls
CodeTitle
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s119Cs 119C Display loose-fill asbestos warning signs and do not remove them
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s127ss 127 and 127A Answer information notices and name the people doing the work
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s128s 128 Do not obstruct inspectors; give reasonable facilities and assistance
nsw-home-building-act-1989::s129s 129(9) Comply with a stop work order

Maps to 1 other framework

65 total controls
Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991
26 source controls mapped|26 target controls covered
40%

Coverage is not the same as your position

This page shows what NSW Home Building Act 1989 overlaps with in general. Where your organisation actually stands, against the standard you are going for and the certifications you already hold, is a different question. Same graph and the same recorded refutations, scoped to you rather than to a pair.

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What is NSW Home Building Act 1989 and who does it apply to?

NSW Home Building Act 1989 is a compliance framework from Australia: New South Wales with 8 domains and 65 controls. The New South Wales law on home building: who may contract for and do residential building work and specialist trades, what a home building contract must contain, the 5-day cooling-off right, the 10% deposit cap and authorised progress payments, kit home contracts, the statutory warranties and their 6 and 2 year periods, licence conditions, rectification and stop work orders, home building compensation insurance before work starts or money is taken, and the duties of the insurers. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

What does NSW Home Building Act 1989 actually require?

NSW Home Building Act 1989 has 65 controls organised across 8 domains. The largest domains are Part 2: Contracting for and doing residential building work and specialist work – NSW Home Building Act 1989 (23 controls), Part 6: Home building compensation insurance – NSW Home Building Act 1989 (11 controls), Part 2A: Supply of kit homes – NSW Home Building Act 1989 (8 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.

If I already comply with another framework, how much of NSW Home Building Act 1989 do I already cover?

NSW Home Building Act 1989 maps to 1 other compliance frameworks. The top mapping partners are Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (40% coverage). Use our comparison tool to explore control-level mappings between frameworks.

How do I implement NSW Home Building Act 1989?

Start your NSW Home Building Act 1989 compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about NSW Home Building Act 1989 requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 65 controls and track your progress.

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