Termite management for new homes: physical, chemical and slab systems, and how they fail
Termites cause some of the most expensive damage in Australian homes, and most attacks exploit gaps in the barrier or the inspection zone. How the systems work, what the NCC expects, and how builders and owners keep them effective.
8 min read
Blog
Regulation and Compliance
The rules builders work under, and how they are changing: the National Construction Code, licensing, certification, standards and enforcement, with NSW first.
Termite management for new homes: physical, chemical and slab systems, and how they fail
Termites cause some of the most expensive damage in Australian homes, and most attacks exploit gaps in the barrier or the inspection zone. How the systems work, what the NCC expects, and how builders and owners keep them effective.
8 min read
Building Commission NSW blitz: 150 site inspections, 25 fines on the Mid North Coast and New England
The regulator’s latest regional blitz found generally good compliance, but fines were issued for unlicensed work, missing site signs, unsupervised contractors and unauthorised plumbing. The same checks could come to any site.
6 min read
NSW home building contracts: the $5,000 and $20,000 thresholds, deposits and must-have clauses
NSW sets out exactly what a residential building contract must contain, and the rules change at $5,000 and $20,000. Here is what builders must include, the payment rules, and the mistakes that make contracts unenforceable.
8 min read
Critical stage inspections in NSW: what gets inspected on a house, when, and how not to fail
Footings, slab, frame, wet areas, stormwater and final: the inspections a NSW house must pass before it can be occupied. What the certifier looks at, and the preparation that gets you through first time.
8 min read
Lodging DBP declarations without holding up handover
A declaration is only as good as the documents behind it. Build the lodgement pipeline early, reconcile it against the regulated design, and handover stops being a race against the portal.
11 min read
How to write a building variation that gets signed and paid (NSW rules included)
Variations are where good jobs go bad. A clear, signed, priced variation before the work starts is the single best protection a builder has. Here is how to write one, and what NSW requires.
9 min read
NSW lays final groundwork for 10-year defects insurance on apartments
The Fair Trading and Building Legislation Amendment Bill has passed, giving insurers the certainty to bring 10-year defects cover for apartment buildings to market. It also toughens licensing and certifier discipline.
6 min read
NSW passes building approvals overhaul and Australia’s first laws for prefabricated homes
NSW Parliament has passed reforms that bring building approvals under one piece of legislation, recognise prefabricated buildings in law for the first time in Australia, and hit certifier conflicts of interest with fines up to $1.1 million.
6 min read
Do you need DBP registration? A builder’s decision guide
Registration under the Design and Building Practitioners Act turns on what you actually do on a job, not on your licence category. This guide works through eligibility, class selection and the commercial cost of getting it wrong.
11 min read
NCC 2025 for builders: what has changed, and when it applies in your state
The National Construction Code 2025 was released on 1 May 2026. Most of the big changes are commercial, but condensation, water management and governing requirements affect residential builders too. Here is the plain-English version.
9 min read
Victoria’s new Guide to Standards and Tolerances is in force: what builders need to know
The Building and Plumbing Commission’s 2026 edition replaces the 2015 guide for new contracts from 1 August. Two editions now run side by side, and the wording has shifted from “defective” to “not within tolerance”.
6 min read
7-star homes in NSW: how BASIX thermal and energy targets actually work
NSW does 7-star homes its own way. What BASIX asks of a new house, what changed in October 2023, and the site-level substitutions that quietly break a certificate.
9 min read