Consumer Protection 2015

The Government has agreed on new consumer rights and remedies in relation to residential building work. The measures, which came into force on January 1, 2015, include:

  • Mandatory written contracts for residential building work costing $30,000 or more (including GST)
  • A requirement for building contractors to provide checklists and disclose certain information for residential building work $30,000 or more (including GST) or when they are asked for this
  • Minimum content that must be included in all residential building contracts
  • Clauses that are taken to be included in a residential building contract that does not contain all of the minimum content, or in a contract for work $30,000 or more (including GST) that is not in writing
  • Information that a building contractor must provide to their client after the building work is completed
  • Infringement fees of $500 for breaching the contract, disclosure or checklist requirements.

See the information available on this Government website page (under the heading “New Consumer protection Measures”).