BPC Mail (formerly VBA mail) is a quarterly newsletter that provides industry and consumers with an overview of our latest compliance and enforcement, audit and inspections, licensing and registration, industry education and research activity.
BPC Mail is sent to all Victorian building and plumbing practitioners, engineers, industry bodies and subscribers.
Introducing the Building and Plumbing Commission
On Tuesday 1 July, the Victorian Government established the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC), the beginning of a new era of stronger building regulation in Victoria.
The BPC is a game changer for consumer protection and the most significant reform to building industry regulation in decades.
It brings together regulation, insurance and dispute resolution into a single organisation, giving consumers and industry a single entry point into Victoria's building system.
The BPC will soon be given new powers that will significantly improve consumer protection. I look forward to sharing more details with you as we get closer to their introduction, which is expected to be later this year.
Anna Cronin
Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer
Victorian Building Authority
What is domestic building insurance?
The BPC manages and audits Domestic Building Insurance (DBI) , which provides some protection to homeowners in the event that their building project cannot be completed or has defective works which cannot be rectified.
Builders in Victoria are required by law to take out DBI, also known as builder's warranty insurance, for work valued at more than $16,000.
Expected later this year, DBI will be expanded so claims can be made against all builders when non-compliant, defective work is identified and the builder refuses to fix it. Currently, claims can only be made when the builder become insolvent, dies or disappears.
