The 12 regulatory checks before you sign anything

Every Victorian domestic builder appears on the VBA public register. Verification takes under three minutes. The following twelve checks should be run before you sign a contract - or a preliminary agreement, a deposit invoice, or even a Colour Selection appointment where a deposit changes hands.

• Verify VBA registration number on vba.vic.gov.au/practitioners/register
• Verify registration category is "Domestic Builder Unlimited" (or DBL with the right scope for your build value)
• Verify registration is current, not suspended, not cancelled
• Check the "Disciplinary decisions" register at vba.vic.gov.au for any decisions against the builder in the last five years
• Check the builder's ABN on ABN Lookup (abr.business.gov.au) for name, GST-registered status and date of registration
• Check the entity is not currently under external administration on the ASIC company register
• Ask for a written confirmation from the builder that Domestic Building Insurance (DBI) will be issued through VMIA for your contract price - do not accept "we will look into it"
• Check the builder's HIA or Master Builders Victoria membership (optional, but a positive signal)
• Verify the site supervisor named in the contract also appears on the VBA register
• If your build is over the $16,000 threshold, verify a Building Permit will be applied for by a Victorian Registered Building Surveyor - not an inspection service
• Ask for the current contract template (ABIC, HIA or Master Builders) and read the progress payment schedule before you meet again
• Ask what the builder's current "variance-to-quote" percentage is on the last 20 handovers - a well-run builder can answer this

The 8 questions to ask on the first meeting

A well-run Victorian builder will answer all eight of these in the first hour without checking with head office. If any answer is evasive, the honest signal is telling.

• 1. What is your VBA registration number and at what value can DBI be issued in your name today?
• 2. What is the current "variance-to-quote" percentage on your last 20 handovers, and what typically causes it?
• 3. Which Victorian Registered Building Surveyor do you typically work with, and can I speak to them independently?
• 4. What is your current work-in-progress book - how many concurrent slabs are you carrying, versus this time last year?
• 5. Can you share the last three signed and delivered variations to a client on a similar plan, redacted for name?
• 6. What is your policy on extension of time claims - when do you charge, when do you absorb?
• 7. Which trades on my build are directly employed vs subcontracted, and who is the site supervisor?
• 8. What is your practical completion inspection protocol, and who signs it off?

The four red flags that should end the conversation

These four signals correlate strongly with builders who have entered voluntary administration in Victoria in the last three years. If any appear, walk away. There are 40+ well-run domestic builders operating in Melbourne today - none of them exhibit these signals.

• 1. Requested deposit exceeds 10% of contract value. Victorian domestic building contracts under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 cap deposits at 5% (contracts under $20,000) or 5% for structural work (with limited exceptions). 20% deposits, or "colour selection deposits" of $10,000+, indicate cashflow stress.
• 2. Vague answer on DBI issuance. If the builder cannot confirm today that VMIA will issue DBI in their name for your contract price, they are likely under VMIA credit review. VMIA does not underwrite builders in financial distress.
• 3. Refusal to name the Registered Building Surveyor. RBS naming is compulsory under the Building Act 1993. A refusal signals the builder wants to control an "independent" surveyor - which is a governance failure.
• 4. Aggressive discount off-book. A "sign this weekend for $15,000 off" offer that is contingent on paying the deposit before you have seen the contract is a cashflow-crisis signal. Every legitimate Melbourne builder will hold pricing while you complete due diligence.

What Consumer Affairs Victoria actually requires in a domestic building contract

Under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (Vic), every home contract must contain: a fixed contract price (or a genuine cost-plus mechanism with a not-to-exceed cap), a written specification, a plan, a progress payment schedule that meets the Act's caps, a start date and a practical completion date, a five-business-day cooling-off period after signing, and evidence of DBI issuance under VMIA.

The Act also caps progress payments: deposit, base stage, frame stage, lock-up stage, fixing stage, completion. A contract that adds a "materials up-front" stage or a "colour selection payment" outside this schedule is not compliant. Get any non-standard schedule reviewed by a solicitor before signing.