Owner Builder Information
What is an Owner Builder?
When you intend to do any residential building work to your home that exceeds $12,000 in value, you generally have TWO OPTIONS:
- Engage a builder / contractors to carry out and manage all of the work for you; or
- Become an Owner Builder to do some work yourself, engage contractors to do some of the work, and manage the whole project yourself.
Becoming an Owner Builder involves taking on the responsibility of a builder and controlling your own project, and it carries with it a number of distinct advantages:
- As an Owner Builder, you will typically save 20-40% on all constructions costs, which could add up to tens of thousands of dollars (for larger projects, the savings could be more than $100,000!)
- You will save on the usual builder’s margin that is charged when you engage a builder
- You will have complete and absolute control over your own project
- You will have a sense of satisfaction knowing that you built your own home
How do I become an Owner Builder?
In order to become an Owner Builder in NSW, you first need to obtain an Owner Builder Permit from NSW Fair Trading. To obtain a Permit, you must:
- be over 18 years old
- own the land where the work is to be done (or have a ‘prescribed interest’ in that land)
- live or intend to live in the completed home, or one dwelling of a dual occupancy, as your principal place of residence
When applying for an Owner Builder Permit with NSW Fair Trading, you must provide them with:
- a description and address of the proposed work with a copy of the plans and council development application number or complying development certificate number (if this is available at the time)
- the owner builder permit application fee - currently $159.00
- where the value of the proposed work is over $12,000 in value, evidence that you have completed our approved Owner Builder Course
Upon completion of our Online Owner Builder Course, your Certificate will be INSTANTLY generated online and made available for you to download and print. You can then take your Certificate and attend a NSW Fair Trading Centre to obtain your Owner Builder Permit (this usually takes 20-30 minutes over the counter).
More importantly, once you complete our Owner Builder Course, your Certificate will be valid for life, which means that if you later wish to become an Owner Builder a second or subsequent time in the future, you will not have to re-do the Course again (subject to any future changes in the law).
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