Builder in liquidation: the ACT
This page covers what is specific to the ACT. The steps to take first, and where to get help, are on the main page and apply wherever you are.
Building work in the ACT is regulated by Access Canberra, which licenses builders and is the starting point for anything to do with a collapsed builder.
The clock starts when you find out
The ACT rule that matters most is about when the clock starts. It does not run from completion, or from the administrator's appointment. It runs from the day you became aware that the builder had become insolvent, died or disappeared — so the date you found out is a fact worth writing down and keeping evidence of.
A small jurisdiction has one advantage
The ACT building industry is small enough that Access Canberra will usually know the builder and the situation. Call them early rather than working through it alone.
The scheme
Residential building work in the ACT is covered by residential building work insurance, provided either by an authorised insurer or by an approved fidelity fund scheme.
Cover is not automatic and it is not unlimited. There are thresholds, time limits and exclusions, and a claim is made against the policy for your contract — not against us, and not against the administrator. Access Canberra is the authority on how it applies in your case.
the ACT: the numbers
- Scheme
- residential building work insurance, from an authorised insurer or an approved fidelity fund scheme
- Who provides it
- QBE Insurance is currently the only authorised insurer; the Master Builders Fidelity Fund is currently the only approved fidelity fund scheme
- Applies to
- houses and apartment buildings of three storeys and below, not counting a car park
- When the builder must get it
- before applying to the certifier for a building commencement notice — and the certifier must check it is in place before issuing one
- When the claim clock starts
- when you become aware that the builder has become insolvent, died or disappeared
- Time to lodge a claim
- increased from 90 days to 180 days from 1 January 2025
- Minimum insurance amount
- increased from $85,000 to $200,000 from 1 January 2025
- On sale
- the insurance covers the current owner and future owners if the building is sold
Read from ACT Planning on 2026-09-14. Schemes change — Victoria's changed this year and the ACT's limits changed in January 2025 — so check the source before you rely on any of it. We publish the date we read it so you can see how old this is.
Questions about the ACT cover
How long do I have to make a claim in the ACT?
The clock starts when you become aware that the builder has become insolvent, died or disappeared — not at completion. From 1 January 2025 the time limit to lodge a claim increased from 90 days to 180 days. Either way it is short, and it runs from your knowledge, so record the date you found out.
Who insures residential building work in the ACT?
Either an authorised insurer or an approved fidelity fund scheme. QBE Insurance is currently the only authorised insurer providing it in the ACT, and the Master Builders Fidelity Fund — a private not-for-profit, not a government business — is currently the only approved fidelity fund scheme.
How much cover does the ACT require?
The minimum insurance amount increased from $85,000 to $200,000 from 1 January 2025, following a 2024 review of the Territory’s residential building work insurance settings.
Does ACT building insurance apply to my project?
It applies to building work on houses and apartment buildings of three storeys and below, not counting a car park. The builder had to obtain it before applying for a building commencement notice, and the certifier had to check it was in place before issuing one.