12 month Extension for Existing HomeBuilder Applicants

The Federal Government has announced a 12 month extension to the construction commencement requirement for existing HomeBuilder applicants.

This means that existing applicants will have 18 months (as opposed to 6 months) to commence construction as required by HomeBuilder.

The Government media release states the extension “responds to unanticipated delays in the construction industry caused by COVID-19 related supply constraints including delays in global supply chains and recent natural disasters”.

For builders – if you are going to be delayed in commencing works now is the time to review your contracts and make sure you comply with the extension of time notification requirements.  If you don’t, you may be leaving yourself open to a claim for damages for late completion if you can’t achieve practical completion by the contracted due date.