New South Wales Consolidated Acts

HOME BUILDING ACT 1989 - SECT 3B

3B Date of completion of residential building work

(1) The completion of residential building work occurs on the date that the work is complete within the meaning of the contract under which the work was done.

(2) If the contract does not provide for when work is complete (or there is no contract), the completion of residential building work occurs on "practical completion" of the work, which is when the work is completed except for any omissions or defects that do not prevent the work from being reasonably capable of being used for its intended purpose.

(3) It is to be presumed (unless an earlier date for practical completion can be established) that practical completion of residential building work occurred on the earliest of whichever of the following dates can be established for the work:

(a) the date on which the contractor handed over possession of the work to the owner,

(b) the date on which the contractor last attended the site to carry out work (other than work to remedy any defect that does not affect practical completion),

(c) the date of issue of an occupation certificate under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 that authorises commencement of the use or occupation of the work,

(d) (in the case of owner-builder work) the date that is 18 months after the issue of the owner-builder permit for the work.

(4) If residential building work comprises the construction of 2 or more buildings each of which is reasonably capable of being used and occupied separately, practical completion of the individual buildings can occur at different times (so that practical completion of any one building does not require practical completion of all the buildings).

(5) This section applies for the purposes of determining when completion of residential building work occurs for the purposes of any provision of this Act, the regulations or a contract of home warranty insurance.