Review of domestic building contracts acts for construction of low-rise residential buildings

Erstwhile studies related to defects associated with newly constructed low-rise domestic buildings in the state of Victoria, Australia indicates that defects per house in detached residential houses have increased. Over the last three decades, in an attempt to improve quality in residential houses built in Victoria, there has been significant legislative changes to the domestic building contracts; however, current guidelines fall short to achieve the desired qualitative outcome. The purpose of this research is to review and evaluate the Domestic Building Contracts Acts across states in Australia, where the highest volume of residential building construction is undertaken, and subsequently proffer recommendations which could assist to reduce defects in domestic buildings in Victoria. In this phase of the research, a systematic review of the literature has been conducted and the research gaps identified. Research articles which investigated defects in buildings were analysed with respect to the country of origin, authors and their affiliations. The Victorian Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 and the New South Wales (NSW) Home Building Act 1989 which are the current acts in both states were reviewed. Findings from an extensive review indicate that some of the Sections incorporated in the NSW Home Act, that helps to reduce defects in low-rise residential buildings are not included in the Victorian Domestic Building Contracts Act. It is suggested that lessons can be learnt from NSW Home Building Act, and Sections which could assist to minimise defects in residential buildings should be included in the revised version of Victorian Domestic Building Contracts Act.