Our Domestic Building Legal Service provides assistance to eligible Victorian homeowners involved in domestic building disputes with their builders.
To access the Service, homeowners must meet our eligibility criteria and have first been through the Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria (DBDRV) process.
DBDRV is an independent Victorian government agency that provides free services to help resolve domestic building disputes between homeowners and builders.
Before a homeowner (or builder) can access the DBDRV’s dispute resolution services, they first have to try to resolve the dispute directly with the other party. The DBDRV website contains some tips on how to resolve a dispute.
If you can’t resolve your dispute directly with the builder, you can approach the DBDRV.
Applications to DBDRV can be made by:
To be eligible to access the DBDRV process, the dispute must:
Builders are required to take out a domestic building insurance (DBI) insurance policy on behalf of homeowners for all domestic building projects over $16,000.
DBI Policies are issued on behalf of the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA).
DBI policies cover loss and damage resulting from building works which have not been completed, or are defective, where the builder has:
Learn more information about DBI, including how to make a claim.
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) administers and enforces the Building Act 1993 (Vic). The conduct of registered or licensed building and plumbing practitioners is a primary focus of the VBA.
The VBA:
There are several matters outside the jurisdiction of the VBA.
The VBA cannot:
Sometimes, none of the above organisations will have the power to help you with your dispute. In these situations, you may have to contact other organisations for assistance to resolve your dispute.
For example: