NSW Owner Builder Course Information – FAQ

Yes. SAFE RITE has been an accredited RTO since 2016 (RTO Code 45002)

The units of competency needed to complete the NSW owner builder course are:

CPCCOM1013 Plan and organise work

CPCCOM1014 Conduct workplace communication

CPCCWHS2001 Apply OHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industry

CPCCCM1011 Undertake basic estimation and costing

CPCCOM2001 Read and interpret plans and specifications

This course is delivered online.

You can attempt the assessments at any time. You can also re-attempt the assesments multiple times, if required, at no extra cost.

There are 3 Options to complete this course:

Option 1: Assessment Only Pathway: This is for students who believe they have the knowledge and skills to attempt the assessments directly without the need to study the course materials. This pathway takes approximately 10 – 15 hours, including the required knowledge assessments, learning activities, and online meeting.

OR

Option 2: Self-paced Learning: This is for students who have little or no knowledge ,experience or skill sets related to this course. This option allows students to download the course materials and study, learn, and absorb the course content at their own pace before attempting the assessment. This pathway takes approximately 80-115 hours and includes study time, knowledge assessments, learning activities, and online meeting.

OR

Option 3: Combination of both pathways. This is for students who have some knowledge ,experience or skill sets related to this course. This allows particpants to refer to the learning materials at any time to fill in any knowledge and/or skills gaps. The nominal duration for this pathway will vary and depend on the individual students circumstances such as existing experience, knowledge and skills.

From our survey results, over 99.1 % of all owner builders in NSW are over the age of 25 years. It is expected that many particpants may already possess the maturity, basic knowledge, experience and skill sets  that can be applied to some or all of the units of competency, and thus reducing the nominal duration of the course.

IMPORTANT NOTE – Please be warned:  there are serious industry concerns related to some poor quality NSW owner builder course providers advertising completion of this course in “less than 3 hours” and offer “100% PASS.” – This is false and misleading and breaches ASQA regulations and Australian Standards that govern RTO’s.  PLEASE SEE CONSUMER WARNING SECTION BELOW.

The SAFE RITE NSW Owner Builder course / SAFE RITE Owner Builder Project Solutions Platform fee is $189. (Note – this does not include estimating services or BOSS estimating software)

No. There are no extra or hidden fees?

Key information

• In NSW, you need an owner-builder permit to supervise or do work valued at over $10,000 on your own home, and you’re not contracting a licensed builder to supervise the work.
• As an owner-builder, you are responsible for the building work just as a fully licensed builder would be.
• You must have all necessary council and authority approvals before work can begin.
• You must use an appropriately licensed tradesperson for each category of work being carried out.
• If the work to done is over $20,000 – you must complete the presrcibed NSW owner builder course education requirements.
• You must also complete a “white card” if the work to be done is over $10,000 (This is mandatory for all owner builder permit applications.)

Owner builder work relates to the supervision & coordination of works such as: 

• • • Decks
    • Pergolas
    • Retaining walls
    • Swimming pools
    • Sheds
    • Renovations, repairs, alterations, additions
    • Secondary dwellings such as ‘Granny flats’
    • New home builds
    • Note: Dual occupancy (e.g. duplex) – An owner-builder permit will only be issued regarding a dual occupancy, such as a duplex,  in cases of special circumstances.

To be eligible to apply for an owner-builder permit you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be the owner or joint owner of the land, or
  • be a shareholder in the company that owns the land, or
  • have a lease, registered with NSW Land Registry Services, for more than 3 years on the land
• not have started the building work
• show that the property is not part of a multi-dwelling strata complex
• intend to live in the property after the building work is complete or, in the case of a secondary dwelling being constructed, one of the dwellings
• have completed the owner-builder approved education requirements or equivalent accreditation if the cost of building work is $20,000 or more, and can attach a copy of your completed accreditation

An owner-builder permit does not allow you:

• • • to do work other than the project covered by the DA or CDC.
    • to do specialist trade work such as electrical, plumbing, gasfitting, air conditioning and refrigeration work (unless you hold a licence for such work). You must engage a licenced contractor for this work. 

.

As an owner-builder, you are responsible for the building work just as a fully licensed builder would be. This includes:

• overseeing and supervising all tradespeople
• ordering materials and managing the building site
• obtaining all necessary council and authority approvals
• ensuring that the financial, taxation and insurance requirements of the building work are met and fully comply with all laws
• being aware of your obligations under the Workers Compensation Act 1987 and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 to provide a safe work environment that complies with SafeWork NSW requirements. Significant penalties may apply if you don’t meet this obligation. Our dealing with hazardous materials page has more information on some possible risks, such as asbestos and lead.
• ensuring any contractor engaged is appropriately licensed and insured to do the work contracted for
• warranting that the materials and work will be fit for the purpose and result in a dwelling that can be occupied.

Yes. You must complete a white card prior to applying for your owner builder permit. Contact SAFE RITE if you require a ‘white card’ or have any questions related to ‘white cards’.  

Yes. The NSW Building Commissioner is conducting a skills audit on worksites

• NSW Building Commission is conducting a skills audit on worksites to crack down on dodgy trade qualifications and certificates after discovering companies selling certifications without providing adequate training.

“You can buy the qualification as opposed to doing training,” David Chandler, NSW Building Commissioner said.

You can contact ASQA 0n : 1300 644 844

or visit: https://www.asqa.gov.au/about-us/fraud-and-other-threats-integrity-vet-sector

Poor quality courses / training providers are easily identified because they will typically breach any number of Standards that govern RTO’s. 

Examples may include:

• No information relating to the duration of a course.
• Advertise (on “Google” or other search engines) false or misleading information related to completing a course in unrealistic timeframes (i.e. complete 5 units of competency in “less than 3 hours”)
• ‘100% Pass Rates’ – ‘Guarantee Pass’ (This can be viewed by regulators as provider/student fraud).
• Students being enticed to pay upfront before being given access to all required information regarding a course.
• Paying upfront then being told of a “No Refund Policy” when a student questions the quality of the course when they start.
• No course assessment requirements.
• No policies or procedures available.
• No Student Guide Handbook (PDF) download available.
• No Course Information Handbook (PDF) available.

You can contact ASQA 0n : 1300 644 844

or visit: https://www.asqa.gov.au/about-us/fraud-and-other-threats-integrity-vet-sector

The simple answer is NO. Unless you have already have extensive experience in building and construction, your CANNOT complete 5 units in less than 3 hours. 

To put this into perspective:

• A ‘white card‘ course takes 6 hours to complete (1 unit of competency).
• A person with little or no experience in building or construction CANNOT learn how to properly plan and organise a project, communicate onsite, understand and apply safety, learn to read plans and learn to do basic estimating in less than 3 hours.

This is unrealistic, false, misleading, dangerous and breaches RTO Standards and regulations.

You can contact ASQA 0n : 1300 644 844

or visit: https://www.asqa.gov.au/about-us/fraud-and-other-threats-integrity-vet-sector

The effects of poor-quality training can impact students, their families, the community, industry, and the economy.

Owner builders will typically be affected in one or more of the following ways: 

1. Increased costs – Poor quality training has the potential to cost individual owner-builders tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

2. Defects – Studies have shown that defects cost the economy over $4 BILLION per year and affect between 60% and 70% of new residential builds – this rises to almost 100% as a result of poor quality training.

3. Unfinished projects / bankruptcy – Poor quality training can lead to cost blow outs, unfinished projects, financial hardships and family bankruptcies

4. Mental health – Poor quality training is also linked to mental health issues such as depression, stress and anxiety that are directly related to cost blow outs, defects and injuries or deaths that can affect individuals and families for years. 

5. Safety – Poor quality training, supervision, and/or work practices related to safety cost the Australian economy almost $3 billion, with over 12,600 injuries and almost 30 deaths per year in the building & construction industry alone.

You can contact ASQA 0n : 1300 644 844

or visit: https://www.asqa.gov.au/about-us/fraud-and-other-threats-integrity-vet-sector