Building defects: Western Australia
In Western Australia it is 6 years — but the date it runs from depends on how the work was done. Why the insurance does not help while the builder is still trading is on the main page.
Western Australia's six-year limit is ordinary enough. What is unusual is that the date it counts from is not a single thing.
Three definitions of "completion"
For work carried out under a building permit, completion is when the notice of cessation or the notice of completion was given. For work not under a permit, it is the date practical completion was achieved. Those can be months apart on the same project, and near the six-year mark the difference decides whether a complaint is in time.
So the first document to find is not the contract — it is whichever notice was lodged, and the date on it. That is a document most homeowners have never seen, held by the builder or the permit authority rather than by you, and it is worth requesting early rather than at the point you need it.
A different clock for contract disputes
Defective work is a building service complaint and runs on the six-year limit. A dispute about the contract — variations, a termination payment, a price rise — is a different complaint type with a limit generally of three years from the contract or from when the dispute arose. The same disagreement can contain both, and the shorter clock governs the contract half of it.
If a decision goes against you, a review by the State Administrative Tribunal must generally be sought within 28 days. That is a short window at the end of a long process, and it is the one most likely to be lost while waiting for advice.
Western Australia: the periods
- Building service complaint
- Generally not considered more than 6 years after completion of the work
- Completion — work under a permit
- When the notice of cessation or notice of completion is given
- Completion — work not under a permit
- The date practical completion is achieved
- Home building contract disputes
- Generally 3 years from the contract or from when the dispute arose
- Review by the State Administrative Tribunal
- Within 28 days of the decision, though SAT may allow an extension
Read from Building and Energy, Building dispute resolution on 13 October 2026. We publish the date we read it so you can judge how current it is. Building and Energy is the authority on what applies to your contract, and a period close to expiry is a reason to get advice rather than to keep reading.
Questions about Western Australia defects
How long do I have in WA?
A building service complaint generally cannot be considered more than six years after completion of the work.
Six years from what, exactly?
It depends how the work was done. Under a permit, from when the notice of cessation or notice of completion was given; not under a permit, from the date practical completion was achieved. Those can be months apart.
My dispute is about the contract, not the work.
That is a different complaint type with a limit generally of three years from the contract or from when the dispute arose. One disagreement can contain both, and the shorter clock governs the contract half.
What if I disagree with the outcome?
A review by the State Administrative Tribunal must generally be sought within 28 days of the decision, though SAT may allow an extension. It is a short window at the end of a long process.