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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationNew home building contract laws welcomed by HIA
New home building contract laws welcomed by HIA
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Today the government introduced a Bill into the Victorian Parliament to reform the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995. The contents of the Bill should be available tomorrow.
“HIA has long called for reform to this Act. This legislation which regulates the contracts between homeowners (including developers) and builders is antiquated and not fit for purpose. This legislation managed to not only fail to protect consumers but also imposed unnecessary restrictions on home builders.
“For too long governments have been reluctant to review and update this legislation – save for the amendments to establish the now discredited Domestic Building Disputes Resolution Victoria (DBDRV) - so the Minister for Consumer Affairs is commended for his leadership in this matter.
“The Victorian government has consulted with many stakeholders, including HIA, and we believe that the new legislation generally should do a reasonable job in balancing the interests of consumers and home builders.
“There will however be reliance on the making of regulations to update the progress payment system and the payment of deposits. These regulations need to consider not only future home building methods but also existing home building methods which are already misaligned with the long entrenched standard progress stage definitions and percentages.
“HIA looks forward to continuing to engage with the government and others about future improvements to the laws regulating home building contracts,” concluded Mr Ryan.
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