Builder in liquidation: Tasmania
This page covers what is specific to Tasmania. The steps to take first, and where to get help, are on the main page and apply wherever you are.
Tasmania has no mandatory home warranty insurance. That is the single most important thing on this page, and it is why the rest of it is different from every other state page here: there is no policy, no insurer and no certificate to find.
What stands in its place
The Tasmanian Government has established a Financial Assistance Package for consumers affected by construction company failures, intended to provide similar coverage to the home warranty insurance model still being developed. It is a one-off payment rather than a policy, it is capped, and it is only open where the builder died, disappeared or entered voluntary administration since 1 July 2021. The figures are below.
What to do regardless
The action list above holds in every state: stop paying, secure and photograph the site, find the administrator through ASIC, and establish exactly what you have paid against what has been built. Those steps are worth doing today whatever the insurance position turns out to be, and free financial counselling is available to you now.
The scheme
Residential building work in Tasmania is covered by the Tasmanian Government’s Financial Assistance Package, which is a one-off payment rather than an insurance policy.
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. CBOS Tasmania is the authority on how it applies in your case.
Tasmania: the numbers
- Scheme
- there is no mandatory home warranty insurance in Tasmania. The Financial Assistance Package stands in its place while a home warranty insurance scheme is developed
- What it is
- a one-off payment covering goods and services you have paid for but not received — not an insurance policy, and not a claim against an insurer
- Who is eligible
- you entered a residential building contract, and the builder or building company died, disappeared or entered voluntary administration since 1 July 2021
- Deposit paid, work not started
- capped at 5% of the contract value
- Work started, not complete
- capped at 20% of the contract value
- Maximum
- $200,000
- If the failure was before 1 July 2021
- the package does not apply
- How to apply
- an online application form, with the signed contract, bank statements, the builder’s invoices, receipts and a statutory declaration
Read from Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) 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 Tasmania cover
Does Tasmania have home warranty insurance?
Not at present. Tasmania is the exception among Australian jurisdictions: there is no mandatory home warranty insurance, and the Tasmanian Government has established a Financial Assistance Package intended to provide similar coverage while a home warranty insurance scheme is developed.
How much can I get from the Tasmanian Financial Assistance Package?
It covers goods and services paid for but not received. If you paid a deposit and construction had not started, the payment is limited to 5% of the contract value. If work had started but was not complete, it is limited to 20%. The maximum payment is $200,000.
Who qualifies for the Tasmanian Financial Assistance Package?
You must have entered a residential building contract, and the builder or building company must have died, disappeared or entered voluntary administration since 1 July 2021 — and you must have paid money for goods and services you did not receive. Failures before 1 July 2021 are not covered.
What do I need before I apply in Tasmania?
The signed residential building contract, bank statements showing the payments made, the invoices the builder issued (they are matched against the statements), receipts, any start-work authorisation or building approval, a statutory declaration, and certified identification for every applicant.