Home Building Contract Lawyers

Did you know, your contract with your builder may be one of the largest value and highest risk contracts you ever sign? Even if the contract is an industry-recognised standard form, the way it’s completed, and any documents attached to it, can substantially affect your rights and obligations. You should never simply accept a contract from your builder without seeking legal advice.

At MV Law, our team of award-winning home building lawyers can ensure that your rights are protected every step of the way. We can provide tailored guidance for all stages of the building process, including future, on-going and finished builds, as well as any disputes that may already exist.

By working closely together with you and any other relevant parties, we make the process of building or renovating your home or investment property as seamless as possible. Whether you are building your forever home or building for profit, our home building lawyers can help you.

We can also help with:

The MV difference

Canberra’s expert residential building lawyers

Our team makes the process of building or renovating your home or investment property as seamless as possible. We can help by:

Advising you on the best form of contract for your project.
Reviewing a contract prepared by the builder to identify areas of risk and any items you need to clarify or negotiate with the builder.
Helping you understand the insurance and warranty regime.
Advising you about the documents you need to get from the builder before any works commence.
Doing a regulatory check to ensure licensing, approval and insurance requirements are in order.

Your partner during construction

Unless you have engaged a separate superintendent or project manager, or if your architect is doing it for you, you effectively become the contract administrator once you sign the building contract. This requires a whole new skill set, which many people simply don’t have the time to master. Our home building lawyers can help by:

Providing template checklists and spreadsheets to get you started as a residential building contract administrator.
Providing simple contract administration training.
Undertaking variation and delay claims assessments for you, or providing phone or email support to assist you in undertaking your own.
Storing your key documents and dates, and being ready to advise you quickly if an issue arises.

Helping you get the right outcome for your home renovation or build

A number of legal rights and obligations arise upon ‘practical completion’ of your build. The way you manage the completion process can have an impact on your relationship with the builder and the timely rectification of defects. Our home renovation lawyers can help by:

Advising you about any final adjustments to the contract sum, including your entitlement to delay damages.
Checking (or drafting for you) the appropriate notices to finalise the contract. These notices can be technical and failing to get them right can jeopardise your entitlement to delay damages.
Supporting you through the maintenance/defect rectification period, which can be a particularly stressful time if you are living in your new house and confronted by imperfections every day.

Assistance in the event of a dispute

A residential building dispute that spins out of control could potentially cost you more than the actual house. Getting early advice from our home renovation lawyers about issues with your builder can mean the difference between moving into your new home or being left with a half-completed house for months (or even years). With many years’ experience, we have a proven track record in resolving residential building disputes early and with minimal legal fees.