Restumping builder registration in Victoria: what the pages say
A builder's registration is checked on the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) register, and three pages we found speak to it in different ways. These notes were checked 6 November 2026. Contract, deposit and payment rules for house restumping are due to change by 1 December 2026, so read this page with the current regulator pages open.
| Statement | Page | Date or status |
|---|---|---|
| A builder "engaged in the business of re-blocking, restumping or the demolition or removal of a home" "is still required to be registered, regardless of the cost of the work". | Victorian Building Authority notice, the regulator before the BPC (2017 notice) | 2017. We found no BPC page that repeats it. |
| "Domestic building work worth more than $10,000 requires a registered builder." Work above that by an unregistered builder may have "no protection" and no domestic building insurance. | BPC, engaging a builder (BPC page) | Current when checked 6 November 2026. |
| Builders must "be registered in the right class and category for the work". | Consumer Affairs Victoria consumer guide (consumer guide) | No value attached to that sentence. |
| There are "30 registration classes of domestic building work". | BPC, builder classes (classes page) | The scope of any restumping-specific class was not verified. |
The 2017 notice and the BPC page are not reconciled here, and we do not pick between them. Ask the BPC which applies to your house restumping job, and check the builder on the BPC register. The BPC says to "make sure you always use a registered building practitioner", that practitioners other than companies carry a photo ID card showing their registration category, and that you can search the disciplinary register. Ask which registration class the builder holds and check it on the register. Never rely on our page for that.
Which registration class? Ask, then check the register
The BPC page on builder classes says builders hold different classes and that some can do only certain types of work, for example carpentry or glazing. The page we read does not mention restumping, and we could not verify the scope of any restumping-specific class. So ask the builder which class they hold, and check it on the register. The quote checklist puts that question in the order a quote is read.
Written contracts and deposits: the rules change by 1 December 2026
A major domestic building contract is needed above $10,000 and must be in writing, and Consumer Affairs Victoria also says "it is essential that you have a written contract for all building works, regardless of size and price" (Consumer Affairs Victoria contracts page). Consumer Affairs Victoria says only registered builders can enter a major domestic building contract. The contract must carry plain English, full terms, a detailed description of the work, names and addresses, the builder's registration number, the price, the deposit and progress payment amounts, an effective date, clear cooling-off advice, definitions, implied warranties and an approved checklist (Consumer Affairs Victoria contract page). The client must be given the Domestic Building Consumer Guide before signing (laws about contracts).
Deposit limits apply, and they change by 1 December 2026, so check the current deposits page for the limit in force when you sign. Cooling-off exists, requires written withdrawal and has exceptions: there is no right where you previously signed a contract with the same builder on the same terms for the same home, or had a lawyer check it (cooling-off page). That page warns the rules may change.
The Domestic Building Contracts Amendment Act 2025 takes effect by 1 December 2026 (new contract laws page). Deposit limits, progress payment stages and payment limits will be set in regulations. Basic document requirements will apply to all domestic building contracts, there will be a single variation process, homeowners get stronger rights to end a major contract, and powers move from Consumer Affairs Victoria to the regulator. We have not seen the regulations, so we state no figure.
Home Warranty insurance
Home Warranty is the Building and Plumbing Commission's insurance scheme, and it starts on 1 July 2026 for eligible contracts signed from that date. Eligible projects are valued at more than $20,000, and Consumer Affairs Victoria adds that the home has up to 3 storeys. The scheme offers up to $400,000 assistance per home, and the registered builder pays the premium (BPC Home Warranty page). It covers incomplete, defective or non-compliant work and some related costs, with major defects up to six years and other defects up to 2 years under the Home Warranty. Existing Domestic Building Insurance policies stay under the old scheme, and before 1 July 2026 the figure was $16,000.
The Home Warranty page does not mention restumping. We found no sourced cost for a typical job, so we cannot say whether a house restumping contract is over the threshold. Say "if the contract is over the threshold" and ask the builder. Do not pay a deposit until the builder gives you the policy and the certificate of insurance. If there is no notice of cover, Consumer Affairs Victoria says to call the BPC on 1300 067 088 (insurance page).
Owner-builders and disputes
An owner-builder needs a certificate of consent from the BPC for domestic building work valued over $16,000, and must engage a building surveyor (BPC owner-builder page). We do not encourage doing house restumping yourself. For a dispute, Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria is now part of the BPC. The steps are to discuss the problem with the builder, put your concerns in writing and apply online if it is unresolved (dispute resolution page). We found no fee or deadline.
For permits, see the permit page. For the cost angle, see the cost guide, and for how this site works, see the about page. To start, send your town and the type of house.
What this page cannot do
This page cannot tell you which registration a house restumping builder must hold, what your contract must say or whether Home Warranty applies to your job. It quotes the regulator pages we found, dated, and says where they disagree or stop. We cannot check any builder's registration or insurance, and we make no claim that any builder is registered, insured, endorsed or approved. We are a referral service: we pass your enquiry to a local builder, who holds any registration or insurance that applies. Check the BPC register yourself, and read the current rules.
Check the current rules before you rely on this
This page describes what the regulator pages we found say about builder registration, written contracts and Home Warranty insurance, and where they stop. It describes the rules in general terms as they stood in November 2026, checked 6 November 2026. Standards, forms, thresholds and fees change.
The authoritative sources are Victorian Building Authority notice, 2017: clarification of changes to registration requirements for domestic builders (predecessor of the BPC; dated), Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC), engaging a builder, CAV, preparing a major domestic building contract (major contract threshold), CAV, new domestic building contract laws passed in Victoria (Domestic Building Contracts Amendment Act 2025; effect by 1 December 2026) and BPC, Home Warranty insurance (from 1 July 2026). Where anything here differs from those sources, they are right and we are not.
We are not builders, building surveyors, regulators or lawyers. For what applies to your job, ask the builder which registration they hold and check it on the Building and Plumbing Commission register, then ask a registered building surveyor and your council what is needed. Contract, deposit and payment rules change by 1 December 2026.
Accurate at the time of writing, November 2026. Always check the source before relying on it.