To carry out domestic building work in Victoria as an Owner Builder exceeding $16,000 (labour costs and materials), you must obtain a Certificate of Consent from the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).

To help you decide if you want to Owner Build, READ the VBA's Study Guide.

The Certificate of Consent will enable you to then apply for a Building Permit to carry out domestic building work as an Owner Builder, on land that is in your name, in any five (5) year period.

To apply for a Certificate of Consent and pay a non refundable $99.71 fee regardless of the outcome, you must first complete the VBA's eLearning Assessment CLICK HERE, and then complete VBA Application Process CLICK HERE.

To issue a Certificate of Consent, the VBA will consider, among other things, whether the Applicant.......

• - has previous building experience:, or
• - has has made the effort to obtain knowledge on their duties and responsibilities to owner build, by completeing a specialised course, such as the Online Owner Building Course SEE BELOW;
• - intends to live on the property upon completion of the proposed building works;
• - has owned or co-owned the land for at least 5 years in respect of the proposed owner builder project for which the application of a Building Permit is being made;
• - can submit evidence, a copy of BOTH side, of a current Construction Induction Card known as a WorkSafe Victoria WHITE Card. Victoria RED Cards are NOT accepted.
  

Unlike other States in Australia, it is not compulsory in Victoria to do an owner builder course, BUT you will need to satisfy the VBA that you have the prescribed knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of an Owner Builder.

If you have little to no building knowledge nor experience, you are well advised to FIRST complete the independent Learning About Owner Building Course SEE BELOW. By enroling, you will also be entitled to unlimited access by telephone to the approved trainer to both help you with the course and to answer any owner buildiing questions. On completeing the course, you will receive a 'Certificate of Acknowledgment', which when attached to your VBA Owner Builder Application Form, will help and demonstrate that you have knowledge. It may also assist in obtaining finance.

IMPORTANTLY, the invaluable knowledge you will gain and practical benefits will help you minimise costly mistakes and save money. The more you know about 'building', the better your project will run and be completed by you with less mistakes.

ONLINE 'LEARNING ABOUT OWNER BUILDING' COURSE, TO QUICKLY GIVE YOU IMPORTANT KNOWLEDGE:

The Learning About Owner Building Course we offer enables you to learn and understand your owner builder duties, responsibilities, how to owner build and successfully manage your project. On completing the course, you will receive a 'Certificate of Acknowledgment'.

ONLINE COURSE: ($185) :

Course VicOB01 - this on-line course is gain knowledge and receive telephone support. It will help you learn and understand Owner Building at your own pace. Register and pay to commence the course. You then complete the 'Assessment Questions' online. It may take 1 - 2 hours. The Attaimment Certificate may help you obtain finance.

You will need to pay a permit fee to the VIC Building Authority.

You will need to completes the VBA e-learning tool and attend a class room taught White Card, before a VIC Building Authority Pernit can be issued.

ENROL NOW in this Course: CLICK HERE

If you experience difficulty enrolling, do call 0403 066 603. If unattended, please leave a message.

IMPORTANT: Work Health and Safety (WHS) Obligations.
Under Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, anyone carrying out work, or employing other people on a construction site (including owner builder projects), MUST hold a current White Card from a Victorian RTO. To see the requirements CLICK HERE.

NOTE: Your Insurance Underwriter may require you to hold a (WHS) White Card for Construction Induction to be on your site.

SOME KEY POINTS ABOUT OWNER BUILDING IN VICTORIA :

• 01 An owner-builder is someone who takes responsibility for domestic building work carried out on their own land;
• 02 An owner-builder is responsible for obtaining building permits, supervising or undertaking the building works and ensuring that the works carried out meet building regulations and standards;
• 03 An owner-builder can only build or renovate every five (5) years and must intend to live in the house once it is completed;
• 04 If the value of the building works is to exceed $16,000, you must obtain a Certificate of Consent from VBA to be an owner-builder;
• 05 An owner-builder who erects any structure (including building a new home, carrying out renovations, alterations or additions, or building a swimming pool, spa or garage) may have additional obligations under Victorian Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) laws if their domestic premises, where the construction is to take place, becomes a 'workplace'.
• 06 If your premises are treated as a 'workplace', you will need to undertake Construction Induction Training commonly known as White Card Training. This is only offered by a Victoria Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in Victoria who offers the WorkSafe Victoria White Card;
• 07 You will need to hold or obtain a Victorian approved White Card (OHS);
• 08 You must pay the non-refundable $99.71 fee and attach to your application for a Certificate of Consent the following:
  • eLearning Certificate
  • Evidence of your experience or knowledge (such as a Certificate of Acknowledgement on completing one of our courses);
  • A copy of your White Card from a Victoria Registered Training Organisation (RTO);
• 09 Some of the obligations of an owner -ilder last for six and a half (6.5) years after practical completion;
• 10 Once you have a Certificate of Consent, you are in a position to obtain a Building Permit by applying through your choice of a municipal or private building certifier, to carry out domestic work as an owner builder on your land;
• 11 Some builders or tradespeople may ask you to sign an Application Form for a Building Permit as an owner-builder even though they will be doing all the work. If you do this may put you at risk, as the person may be unregistered or trying to avoid their legal obligations;
• 12 even if you have signed as an owner-builder on the Application Form for a Building Permit:
  • you will need to enter into a major domestic building contract when a registered builder, contractor or tradesperson will do domestic building works costing more than $5,000 (unless a single trade exemption applies);
  • a builder, contractor or tradesperson MUST give you domestic building insurance for work costing more than $16,000;
  • warranties still apply.

• 13 Some builders or tradespeople may ask you to sign an Application Form for a Building Permit as an owner-builder, even though they will be doing all the work. If you do this it may put you at risk. The person may be unregistered or trying to avoid their legal responsibilities. You are not an owner-builder if you intend to engage one builder to do all the building work.