As of January 1^st 2015 there will be new consumer protection measures in place. 

Cabinet have put these new measures in place as a result of the Building Amendment Act 2013. These measures are to encourage a professional transparent relationship between contractors and clients

The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment have created a few resources that will help implement these measures. Resources include:

• Disclosure statement template
• Checklist
• Guidance booklets for contractors & homeowners

In summary, these measures include:

• Mandatory written contracts for residential building work costing $30,000 or more (including GST)

• A requirement for building contractors to provide checklists and disclose certain information for residential building work $30,000 or, more (including GST) or when they are asked for this

• Minimum content that must be included in all residential building contracts

• Clauses that are taken to be included in a residential building contract that does not contain all the minimum content, or in contract for work $30,000 or more (including GST) that is not in writing

• Information that a building contractor must provide to their client after the building work is completed

• Infringement fees of $500 for breaching the contract, disclosure or checklist requirements  

To view the new consumer protection measures and to download the available resources click here