Pub­li­ca­tions

17 Dec 2025

One Devel­op­ment, Two Tow­ers and Two Occu­pa­tion Cer­tifi­cates (one Inter­im and one Final). When Does the Home Build­ing Act Statu­to­ry War­ran­ty Peri­od Commence?

The NSW Supreme Court has clar­i­fied when statu­to­ry war­ran­ty peri­ods start for staged devel­op­ments under the Home Build­ing Act 1989 (NSW). In The Own­ers – Stra­ta Plan No 93543 v Zhang (No 3) [2025] NSWSC 571, the Court exam­ined com­ple­tion dates for sep­a­rate build­ings, impact­ing lim­i­ta­tion peri­ods for defect claims.Most pro­ceed­ings brought…

17 Dec 2025

Stra­ta Schemes Leg­is­la­tion Amend­ment (Mis­cel­la­neous) Bill 2025 — Round 4 Pro­posed Changes

The pro­posed NSW stra­ta reform Bill intro­duced into Par­lia­ment on 19 Novem­ber 2025 aims to clar­i­fy exist­ing pro­vi­sions, boost con­sumer pro­tec­tions, and reduce reg­u­la­to­ry bur­dens. Key changes include exemp­tions for two-lot schemes, stricter rules on stra­ta man­ag­er terms and com­mis­sions, manda­to­ry com­mit­tee train­ing, and tight­ened rules on bonds, fees, and…

3 Dec 2025

How to Choose the Right Con­struc­tion Con­tract: AS4122 Con­di­tions vs Com­mer­cial Terms of Business

Select­ing the right con­tract is crit­i­cal for con­sul­tants and con­trac­tors in the con­struc­tion indus­try. The choice between AS4122 Gen­er­al Con­di­tions of Con­tract for Con­sul­tants and Com­mer­cial Terms of Busi­ness can sig­nif­i­cant­ly impact project risk, time­lines, and out­comes. In this arti­cle, we break down the key dif­fer­ences, explain when each option…

5 Nov 2025

Stra­ta Law Changes — Effec­tive 27 Octo­ber 2025

What do the lat­est NSW stra­ta law changes mean for own­ers and com­mit­tees? On 27 Octo­ber 2025, the next stage of reforms under the Stra­ta Schemes Leg­is­la­tion Amend­ment Act 2025 came into effect, intro­duc­ing stronger com­pli­ance pow­ers for NSW Fair Trad­ing, fair­er finan­cial hard­ship arrange­ments for levy pay­ments, and new…

5 Nov 2025

How does statu­to­ry inter­pre­ta­tion impact build­ing dis­putes in NSW?

How does statu­to­ry inter­pre­ta­tion impact build­ing dis­putes in NSW? Writ­ten laws like the Home Build­ing Act, build­ing codes, and indus­try stan­dards often leave room for mul­ti­ple inter­pre­ta­tions. This arti­cle explains how courts apply statu­to­ry inter­pre­ta­tion rules, such as the extrin­sic mate­ri­als rule under sec­tion 34 of the NSW Inter­pre­ta­tion Act…

5 Nov 2025

Prov­ing Major Build­ing Defects Under the Home Build­ing Act

What qual­i­fies as a major defect in res­i­den­tial build­ings under NSW law? Defects can range from minor issues to seri­ous struc­tur­al prob­lems, but under­stand­ing the legal def­i­n­i­tion of a ​‘major defect’ under sec­tion 18E(4) of the Home Build­ing Act 1989 (NSW) is crit­i­cal before mak­ing a claim. This arti­cle explains the key…

13 Oct 2025

The risk of builder insol­ven­cy mid way through a con­struc­tion project is real (and will prob­a­bly be expensive)

What hap­pens if your builder becomes insol­vent mid-project and why is the risk so high? Builder insol­ven­cy dur­ing con­struc­tion can lead to severe delays, sky­rock­et­ing costs, and com­plex legal dis­putes. This arti­cle explores why insol­ven­cy risk is increas­ing, what it means for home­own­ers and devel­op­ers, and the prac­ti­cal steps you…

1 Sept 2025

AS4000:2025 – What is all the fuss about?

What’s new in AS4000:2025 and why does it mat­ter for con­struc­tion con­tracts? After near­ly three decades, the AS4000 Gen­er­al Con­di­tions of Con­tract has been updat­ed to reflect mod­ern leg­is­la­tion, indus­try prac­tices, and clear­er draft­ing stan­dards. The 2025 edi­tion intro­duces a For­mal Instru­ment of Agree­ment, flex­i­ble dis­pute res­o­lu­tion options, and pro­vi­sions aligned…

7 July 2025

Con­struc­tion con­tract time­frames and their inter­ac­tion with the NSW Secu­ri­ty of Pay­ment legislation.

Mark Glynn, Con­struc­tion Part­ner at Swaab con­sid­ers the recent deci­sion of Shar­vain Facades Pty Ltd (Admin­is­tra­tors Appoint­ed) v Roberts Co (NSW) Pty Ltd [2025] NSWSC 606TimeTime is an impor­tant aspect of the deliv­ery of a build­ing and con­struc­tion project.A suc­cess­ful project con­tract not only spec­i­fies the time with­in which the works must be car­ried…

4 July 2025

10 Tips For Stra­ta Reme­di­al Con­struc­tion Contracts

Are you won­der­ing why your stra­ta work to repair or main­tain your stra­ta build­ing is over bud­get, rid­dled with delays, plagued with costs over­runs and vari­a­tions at every turn?It is impor­tant to con­sid­er and fol­low these steps:Before ten­der­ing for the work to be done, have your build­ing con­tract, con­sul­tan­cy agree­ment and/​or sep­a­rate…