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.