Established in 1977, the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme acts as a ‘safety net’ for consumers undertaking new builds and renovations. It covers loss where a licensed building contractor fails to complete a contract for residential construction work or fix work that is defective.
About the Scheme
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) administers the Scheme, which generally covers residential construction work valued over $3,300 on:
detached houses
unit buildings of not more than three storeys
duplexes.
This includes swimming pools and related buildings such as sheds and carports.
The Scheme is one of the avenues available to consumers in the event of a building dispute. Consumers will often use the QBCC’s dispute resolution processes first, which may include the QBCC issuing a direction to the contractor to rectify the work. If the dispute cannot be resolved, the Scheme may offer assistance to the consumer.
In 2016, the Queensland Government made amendments to expand the Scheme to:
include additional types of work over $3,300 on, around or in the home (e.g. painting and swimming pools)
introduce ‘optional additional cover’ to allow consumers to pay an additional premium to increase their maximum cover limit from $200,000 to $300,000
transfer the Scheme’s terms and conditions from a Queensland Building and Construction Board policy to a regulation, to provide greater clarity and consistency.
The next phase of review is being led by the Department of Energy and Public Works. A subcommittee of the Ministerial Construction Council (MCC), the government’s peak building and construction industry advisory body, is also supporting the review.
Consultation stages
The review is being conducted in 4 stages:
Public survey to gauge current community and industry views - August 2021 - Completed
Established in 1977, the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme acts as a ‘safety net’ for consumers undertaking new builds and renovations. It covers loss where a licensed building contractor fails to complete a contract for residential construction work or fix work that is defective.
About the Scheme
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) administers the Scheme, which generally covers residential construction work valued over $3,300 on:
detached houses
unit buildings of not more than three storeys
duplexes.
This includes swimming pools and related buildings such as sheds and carports.
The Scheme is one of the avenues available to consumers in the event of a building dispute. Consumers will often use the QBCC’s dispute resolution processes first, which may include the QBCC issuing a direction to the contractor to rectify the work. If the dispute cannot be resolved, the Scheme may offer assistance to the consumer.
In 2016, the Queensland Government made amendments to expand the Scheme to:
include additional types of work over $3,300 on, around or in the home (e.g. painting and swimming pools)
introduce ‘optional additional cover’ to allow consumers to pay an additional premium to increase their maximum cover limit from $200,000 to $300,000
transfer the Scheme’s terms and conditions from a Queensland Building and Construction Board policy to a regulation, to provide greater clarity and consistency.
The next phase of review is being led by the Department of Energy and Public Works. A subcommittee of the Ministerial Construction Council (MCC), the government’s peak building and construction industry advisory body, is also supporting the review.
Consultation stages
The review is being conducted in 4 stages:
Public survey to gauge current community and industry views - August 2021 - Completed