New Owner-builder laws – January 15 , 2015

• Owner-builders will be required to name all other owners of the land on an application for an owner-builder permit. This will be recorded on the permit to prevent people using this system to carry out commercial unlicensed building work. Any owners named cannot apply for another owner-builder permit for a different property for 5 years.
• Owner-builders will be prohibited from getting a permit for a dual occupancy except in special circumstances.
• Owner-builders will not be able to get statutory insurance although contractors working for the owner-builder will still need to provide certificates for work over $20,000. If the property is sold within the warranty period, the contract for sale must clearly state that there is no statutory insurance on the property.
• The threshold for requiring an owner-builder permit has increased to work valued over $10,000. All owner-builders must provide evidence of having done basic work health and safety training, and for work over $20,000 they will need to do an owner-builder course.

Tom