Owner-Builder Certificate of Consent in Victoria

What it is

Victoria runs an owner-builder certificate of consent scheme under section 25B of the Building Act 1993 (Vic). An owner who wants to build or renovate their own home can apply for a certificate rather than engaging a registered builder. The certificate exempts the owner from the section 29 DBCA registration requirement for that specific project.

The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) took over from the VBA on 1 July 2025 and administers the certificate framework. Applications are made through the BPC portal.

When a certificate is required

A certificate of consent is required for owner-builder work above the applicable value threshold on the owner's own property. The threshold aligns with the domestic building insurance framework:

• pre-1 July 2026 contracts: work over $16,000 (legacy DBI threshold)
• contracts on or after 1 July 2026: work over $20,000 (Home Warranty threshold)

Below the threshold no certificate is required. The owner can do the work directly or engage tradespeople without triggering the section 25B framework.

Application process

Applications are made to BPC. The applicant must:

• own the land or be the beneficial owner
• be an individual (not a company)
• have completed the mandatory owner-builder online course through the BPC provider
• pay the application fee
• provide proof of ownership and identity

BPC processes the application, verifies the education course completion and issues the certificate. Section 25B(4) sets grounds for refusal including previous certificate within the 5-year limit, previous builder registration cancellation, or outstanding orders.

The 5-year limit

An applicant is generally limited to one owner-builder certificate in a 5-year period, matching the NSW section 30 restriction. That prevents serial owner-builders from using the certificate framework as a way around registration.

Section 137B DBCA sale restriction

Section 137B of the DBCA imposes a 6 year 6 month sale restriction on owner-builder work. An owner-builder cannot sell the property within 6 years and 6 months of the certificate issue without giving the purchaser:

• notice of the fact that the work was done under an owner-builder certificate
• notice of the section 137C mandatory defects inspection report

Section 137C requires a mandatory defects inspection report by an independent qualified inspector before any sale during the 6 year 6 month period. The report identifies defects in the owner-builder work and forms part of the sale contract disclosure.

That defects inspection report is unique in Australia. Most other states rely on disclosure obligations without requiring an independent inspection. Victoria's approach gives subsequent purchasers a professional assessment of the owner-builder work before purchase.

No Home Warranty or DBI cover

Owner-builder work is not covered by the Home Warranty insurance scheme (from 1 July 2026) or the legacy DBI framework (pre-1 July 2026). The owner-builder cannot obtain cover as a substitute for a registered builder policy.

That means:

• no non-completion cover if the owner-builder abandons the project
• no defects cover for a subsequent purchaser
• no deposit-loss cover

The owner-builder carries the full financial risk. TradeForm VIC owner-builder templates emphasise this exposure and recommend structured risk management (staged spending, professional consultants for structural work, contingency budget).

Trade work by licensed practitioners

An owner-builder can and must engage licensed tradespeople for specialist trades (electrical, plumbing, drainage, gasfitting). The certificate of consent covers the owner acting as the head builder role but does not extend to specialist trade work.

Non-compliance with specialist trade licensing is separate from any section 25B analysis. An owner-builder who does their own electrical wiring commits an electrical licensing offence regardless of the owner-builder certificate.

Consequences of unpermitted work

Doing owner-builder work above the applicable threshold without a certificate is an offence under section 25B, carrying penalty units. More practically, unpermitted work can affect insurance, mortgage arrangements and future sale disclosures under section 137B and section 137C.

The Amendment Act 2025

The Domestic Building Contracts Amendment Act 2025 (Vic) commences by 1 December 2026 and restructures parts of the DBCA. It does not significantly change the owner-builder certificate framework under section 25B of the Building Act 1993 (Vic) or the section 137B and 137C sale restrictions.

How Victoria compares

Victoria's section 137C mandatory defects inspection report on sale is unique in Australia. Most other jurisdictions rely on disclosure alone. The 6 year 6 month sale restriction is broadly similar to other states (NSW 7 years 6 months, WA 7 years, QLD 6 years).

TradeForm VIC owner-builder templates walk owners through the section 25B application process and the section 137B sale restriction. The 1 July 2026 Home Warranty insurance flip does not extend cover to owner-builder work but does change the threshold from $16,000 to $20,000 for new certificates.