Can I change builders after Building Approval?
Yes. You can change builders after Building Approval (BA) has been issued. ACT Planning’s building approval guideline expressly states that a BA is issued to the landowner, not to a particular builder, and that the owner may decide to change builders after approval is issued.
However, if a building commencement notice has already been issued for the existing builder, the change must be properly dealt with before the new builder carries out the work. The new licensed builder will generally need to be appointed and obtain the appropriate commencement notice for the work. The current approved form is AF2025-14 – Appointment of builder and application for commencement notice.
Reference: Building Act 2004—Form—Appointment of builder and application for commencement notice – https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/af/2025-14/
Short Answer
Yes. Building Approval is not issued to a particular builder, so you can change builders after BA. However, the replacement licensed builder must be properly appointed and the building commencement notice requirements must be addressed before the new builder undertakes the work.
Detailed Explanation
Yes. A Building Approval attaches to the approved building work and landowner, rather than to a particular builder. ACT Planning expressly recognises that an owner may change builders after BA has been issued.
Where the work requires a licensed builder, s 37 of the Building Act 2004 provides for the licensed builder engaged to undertake the work to apply for a building commencement notice. Accordingly, where builders are changed after commencement arrangements have been made, the existing commencement notice and appointment must be appropriately addressed and the replacement builder must have the required commencement authorisation before undertaking the work.
No minimum block size does not remove the need for planning assessment.
Would you like to know what these rules mean for your property?
Get a Planning Assessment prepared by our experienced planning team.