The vetting checklist that applies to every Adelaide specialist

This is the same vetting method BuildPilot applies to every Adelaide builder we consider for our shortlist network. The first four checks below are specialist-specific; the rest are the core CBS SA + BII + ASIC checks that apply to every domestic builder working in South Australia.

• Ask how many KDR builds they have completed in Adelaide in the last 24 months - anything under 8 = generalist, not specialist
• Ask whether they handle the demolition contract themselves or leave it as your responsibility (large volume KDR specialists procure demo through preferred contractors)
• Ask how they scope service disconnections (water, electricity, gas, sewer, NBN) and who pays for reconnections - this can add $5k-$15k on suburban Adelaide blocks
• Ask for a KDR-specific completion timeline: demo permit → demo → geotech → design finalisation → building permit → construction. Total from contract typically 13-18 months.
• Verify current CBS SA Builders Licence (BLD number) on the public register at cbs.sa.gov.au/services/find-licensee
• Verify no active or recent disciplinary decisions on the CBS SA register
• Confirm Building Indemnity Insurance (BII) will be issued through QBE (SA sole insurer) for your contract price (all residential work over $12,000)
• Search the ABN on abr.business.gov.au - name, GST status, date of registration
• Confirm the entity is not under external administration on the ASIC register

The Adelaide KDR encumbrance checklist

Before signing any KDR contract, get your conveyancer to check the title for: (1) restrictive covenants (common in 1900-1970s Adelaide subdivisions), (2) heritage listings (Local Heritage Place or Regulated Trees Overlay), (3) sewer easements (SA Water pipes running through the yard can restrict where you build), (4) power-line easements from the old house. Any one of these can restrict what you build. A KDR specialist should be able to walk you through the encumbrance table before design starts.

The four red flags that end the conversation

These four signals correlate strongly with builders who have failed or entered administration in South Australia in the last three years. Any of them means walk away.

• Requested deposit exceeds 5% of contract value on contracts over $12,000 (SA statutory cap under the Building Work Contractors Act 1995)
• Vague or evasive answer on BII eligibility for your specific contract price (QBE is the sole SA insurer - either the builder qualifies or they do not)
• Refusal to name their independent building certifier or to let you speak to them separately
• Aggressive time-limited discount contingent on paying deposit before you have read the contract