The QBCC has written a document called the Standards and Tolerance Guide. This document is used to identify the standard of workmanship and what is a defect related to new home construction.

Two time periods are relevant when identifying applicable standards and tolerances to identify defective work: 

• 12 months from date of completion of the work; 

• 6 years and 6 months from date of completion of the work.

Generally the 12 month time frame applies to non-structural building work and the 6 years and 6 month time frame to structural building work, including water leaks.

Your builder will likely organise an inspection by their maintenance team close to 12 months after completion. 

If they do not or you would like an Independent Warranty Inspection IHBI can do that for you.

IHBI will produce a report with photos to present to the builder items for rectification. You then have a written record based on the QBCC standards and Tolerance Guide.  IHBI can also carry out an inspection at a time that is around 6 years after completion. This inspection is used to identify any problems that need to be rectified before the warranty period ends.