Statutory warranties for home building work in NSW

What are statutory warranties?

These promises or "statutory warranties" are:

• the work will be done with due care and skill and in accordance with the plans and specifications set out in the contract
• all materials supplied will be good and suitable for the purpose for which they are used and that, unless otherwise stated in the contract, those materials will be new
• the work will be done in accordance with, and will comply with, the law
• the work will be done with due diligence and within the time stipulated in the contract or, if no time is stipulated, within a reasonable time
• if the work consists of the construction of a dwelling, alterations or additions to a dwelling or the repairing, renovation, decoration or protective treatment of a dwelling, the work will result, to the extent of the work conducted, in a dwelling that is reasonably fit for occupation as a dwelling
• the work and materials used in doing the work will be reasonably fit for the specified purpose or result, if the owner tells the contractor why they require the work or what result they are after. This shows that the owner relied on the contractor’s skill and judgement.

How long do the warranties apply?

The owner, or a subsequent owner of the property, may make a claim that you are in breach of one or more of these warranties within six years for major defects and within two years for other defects from the date of completion. 

What to do if the owner claims under a warranty

If an owner claims you have breached a statutory warranty you must reply. You should go and inspect the work. If you want to challenge the owner’s claim you may need to consider getting expert advice. If you are found to be in breach of a statutory warranty you may be told to rectify the work or pay damages.

Defence in the case of a defect

You can defend a statutory warranty claim if you can prove that the defect has arisen from:

• the owner’s instructions, which were contrary to your written advice (it is a good idea that you request that the owner acknowledges in writing your advice, and instructs you to proceed per their instruction anyway) or
• your reasonable reliance on written instructions given by a person who is a relevant professional acting for the owner and who is independent of you. A relevant professional could be an architect, engineer, surveyor or someone else with specialist or expert knowledge relevant to the residential building work.

Warranties may not be excluded

You cannot exclude or restrict the operation of these statutory warranties and any term in a contract that seeks to do this is void.