PART 2: 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟯𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀.

𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 (𝗥𝗢𝘀) Starts 01 July 2026

This is a massive change for our industry. As of 1 July 2026, ROs cover incomplete, defective, and non-compliant building works, and can be issued to a wide range of people — registered domestic or commercial builders, builders without building practitioner registration, subcontractors, and others responsible for the works, as well as developers.

ROs can be issued before the occupancy certificate, or up to 10 years from formal handover. And guess what? This new regulatory power applies to all building work, not just new building work — so completed buildings are also under the RO radar.

The main points:

→ The BPC must consider an RO before a HWI claim.

→ If a developer, builder, contractor or the like is notified of building defects on their site, they'll have 28 days to respond. Fail to respond, and the RO process is triggered. And if you fail to comply with the RO, it's highly likely your licence will be suspended.

Put simply: get it right the first time and everything will be hunky-dory!

This change is welcome relief for consumers, who are now finally getting some strong backing from the BPC.