Nominee Requirements for Victorian Building Company Registrations

What it is

Victorian building company registrations under the Building Act 1993 (Vic) require a director who is personally registered as a domestic builder (manager) or in a comparable practitioner class. The registered practitioner director is the person accountable for the technical work and for compliance with the DBCA and the Building Act framework.

The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) took over from the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) on 1 July 2025 and administers the framework. Applications to register a company are made through the BPC portal.

The domestic builder (manager) class

A domestic builder (manager) is an individual registration class under the Building Regulations 2018 (Vic). It authorises the individual to manage domestic building work rather than to carry it out personally. Company registrations require at least one director registered in this class or an equivalent practitioner class covering the scope of work.

The manager class has qualification and experience requirements broadly aligned with the domestic builder (unlimited) class but focused on managerial competence rather than trade skills.

Company registration structure

A Victorian company builder registration operates on a two-tier structure:

• the company holds the builder registration
• one or more directors hold individual practitioner registration (typically domestic builder (manager))

The company cannot personally carry out building work; the registered practitioner director is the natural person responsible for it. Every major domestic building contract entered by the company must reference the practitioner director's registration.

Losing the practitioner director

Where the registered practitioner director leaves the company or ceases to hold the practitioner class, the company registration is at risk. BPC guidance requires the company to notify the change and either nominate a replacement director or apply to vary the registration.

If no replacement is nominated within the applicable period, BPC can suspend the company registration or impose conditions. In practice, the company must have a replacement director registered in the appropriate class before the outgoing director's departure or immediately after.

Sole trader registration

For a sole trader domestic builder, the individual is both the registered person and the manager. That simplifies the manager question but does not remove it: the sole trader must hold the appropriate class for the work being undertaken.

The Building Practitioners Board (BPB) transitional issue

The former Building Practitioners Board disciplinary framework transitioned to BPC on 1 July 2025. Historical BPB decisions on practitioner discipline continue to apply but new proceedings run through BPC.

The Amendment Act 2025

The Domestic Building Contracts Amendment Act 2025 (Vic) commences by 1 December 2026. It does not directly change the manager class registration framework but interacts with the DBCA registration provisions the manager class supports.

The Building and Plumbing Administration and Enforcement Bill 2026 will introduce a new principal Act operating by 1 December 2027. Registration content is expected to move to the new Act with revised class structures. TradeForm VIC templates should be reviewed when the Bill commences.

How Victoria compares

Victoria's practitioner director requirement aligns with NSW qualified supervisor (section 25 HBA), QLD Nominated Supervisor (Schedule 1A QBCC Act) and WA Nominated Supervisor (Building Services (Registration) Act 2011). The distinctive VIC feature is that the requirement runs to the director rather than to a separate supervisor role, tying the responsibility to corporate governance.

The 1 July 2025 BPC transition and the pending Building and Plumbing Administration and Enforcement Bill 2026 make the Victorian registration framework the most reform-active in Australia currently.