Construction progress payments

Unless you are paying in one lump sum, chances are you will have a clause in your contract for regular progress payments to be made to your builder.

You can negotiate with your builder how these payments will be organised, including:

• The number of payments.
• The amount of each payment.
• The gap or stage of progress between payments.
• The date or stage when each one is due.

If you have a project manager, one of their tasks will be to monitor progress payments on your behalf. Make sure this is specified as a task and they are qualified to recommend payment.

However, if you don’t intend living in the house you are building - for example you are building it as a ‘spec’ home, or to rent - the Construction Contracts Act is more prescriptive in how progress payment are to be made.

You should also be aware that residential property developers (including spec builders) must obtain a code compliance certificate before sale can be completed or possession can take place.