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Home Building Advocacy Service

The Home Building Advocacy Service (HoBAS) is a service for consumers who have building disputes. This service is available State wide to residents of NSW for clients that have already attempted to resolve their dispute through the NSW Office Fair Trading.

Our service is primarily a telephone legal advice service.  However, we also provide:

  • legal advice appointments,

  • mediation between consumers and builders and
  • representation in some cases
Accessing our service

To be eligible to use our service clients must have attempted to resolve their dispute through NSW Fair Trading resolution process. NSW Fair Trading provides up-front intervention at Fair Trading Centres to enable parties in dispute to acheive solutions.

 

Consumers can access the HoBAS at the following stages:

  • prior to signing a contract (for brief information only),
  • during the contract phase (regarding: variations, delay, etc.),
  • once a dispute arises,
  • prior to lodging an application with the Consumer Trade and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT),
  • prior to obtaining experts reports,
  • while running a CTTT hearing and
  • when transferring the matter from the local court to the CTTT.

The HoBAS team can be contacted on (02) 8833 0911 and selecting option 4

Tips when engaging a contractor
  • Always check that the contractor is properly licensed to do the work that you require. Do a license check at NSW Fair Trading website or call them on 13 32 20.
  • If the work is over $1,000.00 you should sign a contract. A quotation is not a contract. You can check your contractor’s licence through the NSW Fair Trading website. Check with NSW Fair Trading for the requirements of a contract.
  • You can also click here for a contract checklist.
  • If the work is over $12,000 you must ensure that the contractor provides you with a copy of the Builders Warranty Insurance (formerly known as Home Warranty Insurance) Certificate.  For more information about BWI check the NSW Fair Trading Website.
Downloads and Useful Links
  • HoBAS brochure
  • NSW Fair Trading

    NSW Fair Trading plays a major role in protecting consumers within the NSW residential building industry. They are also responsible for setting and maintaining the standard of competence for builders and tradespeople working in the industry.

  • Consumer Trade and Tenancy Tribunal

    Amongst other things, the role of the CTTT is to resolve disputes between traders and consumers in a timely and effective manner.