Any owner-builders or ‘do-it-yourself’ builders (DIY) can apply for an owner-builder exemption.

This allows you to

  • carry out restricted building work on their own homes, or
  • use a friend or family member to either assist, or undertake the work on their behalf.

The owner-builder exemption only allows you to carry out restricted building work if you have not carried out restricted building work on a different house or dwelling within the previous three years. This condition helps ensure that unlicensed builders do not use the exemption as a loophole to get around the Licensed Building Practitioner scheme.

You will still need to obtain any necessary building consent and meet the requirements of the building code before starting work. Undertaking the work yourself will need a certain level of building knowledge. You can check and compare your skills to the following documents

All owner builder work must be declared on a statutory declaration form to show you meet the owner-builder criteria. Your declaration is legally binding and must be witnessed by a Justice of the Peace or a solicitor.

Your declaration will be publicly available on the property file and will be attached to any Land Information Memorandum for the property. This allows future owners to be aware that the design or construction of the dwelling has been undertaken by an owner builder.

As an owner builder you can do all or part of the design work and/or construction work. Or you can have friends and family undertake the building work on your behalf – so long as they aren’t paid. If you are paying someone to do the work, they must be

  • suitably licensed, and
  • submit the relevant paperwork to Council on completion of the work.

See your obligations as an owner-builder.