Builder in liquidation: Victoria
This page covers what is specific to Victoria. The steps to take first, and where to get help, are on the main page and apply wherever you are.
Victoria changed its scheme in the middle of 2026, and which one covers you depends on when your contract was signed. That is the first thing to establish.
Two schemes, one cut-off
The Building and Plumbing Commission states that Home Warranty is a mandatory insurance scheme for eligible domestic building work in Victoria, starting 1 July 2026, and that it applies to new eligible work under contracts signed on or after that date. Home Warranty replaces Domestic Building Insurance for new eligible work, and existing Domestic Building Insurance policies continue under the DBI scheme.
So: a contract signed before 1 July 2026 sits under DBI. One signed after sits under Home Warranty. Find the date on your contract before you make any other call, because the scheme, the claim process and the contact point all follow from it.
The regulator also changed its name
The Victorian Building Authority is now the Building and Plumbing Commission. Older paperwork, older advice and a lot of what you will find online still says VBA. It is the same body.
The scheme
Residential building work in Victoria is covered by Home Warranty, which replaced Domestic Building Insurance on 1 July 2026.
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. the Building and Plumbing Commission is the authority on how it applies in your case.
Victoria: the numbers
- Which scheme
- contracts signed before 1 July 2026 stay on Domestic Building Insurance; eligible contracts signed on or after that date fall under Home Warranty
- Required on (Home Warranty)
- eligible domestic building work valued at more than $20,000
- Required on (DBI)
- domestic building work valued over $16,000
- Maximum (Home Warranty)
- $400,000 in total per home
- Maximum (DBI)
- generally up to $300,000 for homes up to three storeys
- What triggers cover
- DBI responds where the builder died, disappeared or became insolvent. Home Warranty is not limited to those — it may also apply where the builder fails or refuses to complete or fix the work
- Incomplete work sub-limit
- 30% of the total contract price including agreed variations
- Deadline — major defects
- up to six years after the work is completed
- Deadline — other defects and non-compliant work
- up to two years after the work is completed
- Accommodation, removal and storage
- capped at $12,000
- Securing an incomplete site
- capped at $5,000
Read from Building and Plumbing Commission 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 Victoria cover
Which Victorian scheme covers my build?
It depends on when the contract was signed. Before 1 July 2026 and you hold a DBI Certificate of Insurance, your cover continues under DBI. An eligible contract signed on or after 1 July 2026 falls under Home Warranty. DBI cover does not transfer to Home Warranty.
How much does Victorian Home Warranty pay?
Up to $400,000 in total per home, including incomplete, defective or non-compliant work, accommodation, removal and storage, and the cost of securing an incomplete site. Incomplete work is separately capped at 30% of the total contract price including agreed variations.
Does my builder have to be insolvent for me to claim in Victoria?
Under DBI, broadly yes — it responds where the builder died, disappeared or became insolvent. Home Warranty is wider: it may apply where eligible work is incomplete, defective or non-compliant and the builder fails or refuses to complete or fix it.
How long do I have to claim in Victoria?
Major defects — which include structural, waterproofing and weatherproofing defects — may be covered for up to six years after completion. Other defects and non-compliant work, up to two years.