Your builder has gone into liquidation
This is not a sales page. It is the order we would do things in, where to get help that is not us, and what changes depending on where you are.
Do these things now, in this order
- 01Stop paying
Make no further progress payment until you know who the administrator is and what stage your build is at. Money paid after an insolvency event is very hard to recover.
- 02Secure the site
Photograph everything, in detail, dated. Your insurer, the administrator and any future builder will all need to know exactly what existed and when. If the site is unsecured, tell your insurer.
- 03Find the administrator
The company's administrator or liquidator is listed on the ASIC published notices register. They are the correct point of contact — not the builder's old mobile number.
- 04Work out the gap
What stage you are contractually at, what you have paid, and what has actually been built. The difference between those three is the number everything else turns on.
- 05Contact your state regulator
They can tell you what cover applies to your contract and how a claim starts. The state pages below say who that is, and what is different where you are.
- 06Don't sign with a new builder yet
Not until you know your claim position. A rushed completion contract can prejudice a claim under the statutory scheme.
About completion builders
A completion builder takes over a partly-built house someone else started. Most builders will not do it, and the ones who will price it higher than a fresh build of the same size — they are inheriting someone else's work, someone else's set-out, and the liability that comes with both.
Expect them to want a full inspection before quoting, expect the quote to take longer, and expect hard questions about what is behind the plasterboard. A builder who quotes a takeover quickly and cheaply, sight unseen, is the wrong builder.
Help that isn't us
You will probably need at least one of these before you need a builder.
- ASIC published notices
Find the appointed administrator or liquidator, and the dates that matter.
- Free financial counselling
The National Debt Helpline is free, independent and confidential. If you are carrying rent and a mortgage on a house that has stopped, start here.
- Legal advice
Community legal centres give free advice and can point you to a building-specialist solicitor if you need one.
What's different in your state
The statutory insurance position is the part that genuinely varies — who runs the scheme, who you claim against, and in Victoria's case which of two schemes applies to your contract.
When you're ready for a builder
Tell us it is a takeover when you start the form. We match those jobs specifically to builders who have finished someone else's work before, and we check their licence, insurance and solvency before you speak to them — which, given what you have just been through, is probably the part that matters most.