Home building laws in NSW - overview of changes

Following a lengthy period of public and industry consultation which started in July 2012 the Home Building Act 1989 ('HBA 1989') was the subject of an extensive update and in May 2014 the NSW Parliament passed the Home Building Amendment Act 2014 ('Amendment Act').

The Amendment Act contained in excess of 50 changes to the HBA 1989 and the changes came into effect in January and March 2015. The Amendment Act has subsequently been repealed however the changes made under that Act remain in force.

What types of amendments were made?

Changes were made across a range of areas including:

• Changes to licensing provisions;
• Clarifying what is defined as 'major defects';
• Introducing a requirement for payment schedules for all contracts with a value of over $20,000;