HomeBuilder Grant guidelines

About the Australian HomeBuilder Grant

HomeBuilder provides eligible owner-occupiers (including first home buyers) with a grant to build a new home, substantially renovate an existing home or buy an off-the-plan home/new home. A new home is one that has not previously been sold or occupied as a place of residence (e.g. a spec build) and where construction commenced on or after 4 June 2020.

• A $25,000 grant is available for eligible contracts entered into between 4 June 2020 and 31 December 2020 (inclusive).
• A $15,000 grant is available for eligible contracts entered into between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021 (inclusive).

While the eligible contract must be entered into between 4 June 2020 and 31 March 2021 (inclusive), construction need not have commenced before 31 March 2021. However, it must commence within 18 months of the contract date. Construction cannot have commenced before 4 June 2020.

The HomeBuilder Grant complements the existing First Home Owner Grant that is available in Victoria when you buy or build your first new home.

The Australian Government’s HomeBuilder Grant is subject to the provisions of the National Partnership Agreement between the Victorian Government and the Australian Government.

There are different guidelines if you are:

• buying a home off the plan
• building a home
• renovating a home.

Eligibility criteria

The HomeBuilder Grant is available to individual applicants and couples who are, or will be, registered as the owner on the certificate of title.

If you are the only person who is listed, or will be listed, on the certificate of title as owner of the property, you must apply as an individual applicant. Where 2 people are listed on the certificate of title as registered proprietors, they must apply for HomeBuilder as a couple and both applicants must meet the eligibility criteria, including the citizenship requirement.

• You must not have previously received a HomeBuilder grant in any state or territory of Australia.
• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• Companies and trusts cannot apply.
• You must be an Australian citizen prior to 14 April 2021.
• Your 2018–19 or 2019–20 annual taxable income must be below:
  • $125,000 for an individual, or 
  • $200,000 for a couple.
• You will be the registered owner on the title.
• The home will be your principal place of residence after completion or settlement.

The home must be:

• located in Victoria
• fixed to your land
• suitable as a place of residence
• owned, or will be owned, by you (both dwelling and land).

A home is only eligible to receive the HomeBuilder Grant once.

The contract is signed between 4 June 2020 and 31 December 2020 to:

• buy an off-the plan or new home valued at $750,000 or less (including GST) where construction commences within 18 months of the date you sign the contract (but not before 4 June 2020), or 
• build a new home where the build amount and the value of the land (including any existing structures) is $750,000 or less (including GST) and the date construction commences is within 18 months after you sign the contract, or
• substantially renovate an existing home, where all the following apply
  • the date construction commences is within 18 months after the date you sign the contract
  • renovations cost between $150,000 and $750,000 (including GST)
  • the value of property (home and land before renovation) is less than $1.5 million.

The contract is signed between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021 to:

• buy an off-the plan or new home valued at $850,000 or less (including GST) where construction commences within 18 months of the date you sign the contract (but not before 4 June 2020), or 
• build a new home where the build amount and the value of the land (including any existing structures) is $850,000 or less (including GST) and the date construction commences is within 18 months after you sign the contract, or
• substantially renovate an existing home, where all the following apply: 
  • the date construction commences is within 18 months after the date you sign the contract
  • renovations cost between $150,000 and $750,000 (including GST)
  • the value of property (home and land before renovation) is less than $1.5 million.

In all cases, construction cannot have commenced before 4 June 2020. However, it must commence within 18 months of entering into the eligible HomeBuilder contract.

Construction must be undertaken by a registered or licensed building service contractor who is named as a builder on the building licence or permit.

• Where an eligible contract is entered into before 29 November 2020, the registered builder or developer must have a valid licence or registration before 4 June 2020.
• Where an eligible contract is entered into on or after 29 November 2020, the registered builder or developer must have a valid licence or registration before 29 November 2020.

In all cases, a valid copy of the builder’s licence or registration needs to be provided to the applicant showing that a valid licence or registration was held, as detailed above. A copy of the builder’s licence or registration needs to be provided as part of your supporting documents.

To satisfy the requirements of HomeBuilder, a builder would generally need to hold a domestic builder (unlimited) licence issued by the Victorian Building Authority, as this is usually required for a builder to enter into a comprehensive home building contract. However, a domestic builder (limited) licence may be acceptable for certain substantial renovations. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may depend on the renovation contract and type of limited licence held by the builder when they entered into the contract. The builder holding the limited licence would also need to be named as the builder on the building permit issued for the renovation.

Owner-builders are not eligible for HomeBuilder. An owner-builder means the person who is the registered or licensed builder and who takes legal responsibility for domestic building work carried out on their own land/property. Owner-builders therefore do not enter into an eligible contract under HomeBuilder.

For contracts to purchase an off-the-plan home/new home, construction can have commenced before the date of the sales contract, but not before 4 June 2020. You must also be registered on the certificate of title as the owner of the property.

In negotiating the contract, the parties must deal with each other at arm’s length. This means the contract must be made by 2 parties freely and independently of each other and without some special relationship, such as being a relative. The terms of the contract should be commercially reasonable, and the contract price should not be inflated or deflated compared to the fair market price.

If you have entered into a contract on or after 4 June 2020 that replaces a contract made before 4 June 2020 to build the same or a substantially similar home, you may not be eligible for the HomeBuilder Grant.

It is a requirement of the HomeBuilder Grant that construction must commence within 18 months of the contract date. 

When construction is considered to have commenced will depend on the type of contract:

• For new builds, commencement of construction means the commencement of excavation and site preparation works.
• For a substantial renovation, commencement of construction is when the works under the renovation contract commence.
• For an off-the-plan build, commencement of construction means the commencement of excavation and site preparation works.

Australian Defence Force

Where an applicant was a member of the permanent forces of the Australian Defence Force and the applicant was enrolled on the Victorian electoral roll at the date of the eligible HomeBuilder contract, the applicant is exempt from the residence requirement.

To receive the exemption, you must provide a document issued by the Australian Defence Force clearly showing your name and that you are a member of the permanent forces at the date of the eligible HomeBuilder contract.

Farming properties

Where the land or property subject of the HomeBuilder application is a farming property, the Commonwealth is supportive of the states and territories adopting a practical approach that only takes into account the value of the house/dwelling that is situated on the farming property. Accordingly, for owners of genuine farmland who reside on their land, where the valuation of their entire property (house and land) would likely exceed the relevant HomeBuilder property value cap, they can provide the following alternative documents as part of their application:

• an independent valuation of the house/dwelling only on the basis of its replacement cost/value and the rate notice for the land, or
• relevant insurance documents showing the insured replacement value of the dwelling and the rate notice for the land. 

If you want your property valued on the above basis, you should provide a brief covering letter as part of your supporting documents that confirms your property is a genuine farming property. Such matters will be considered on a case-by-case basis and we may request additional documents from an applicant in order to determine whether the farming property meets the relevant HomeBuilder property value cap. 

Bushfire-affected properties

If your home was destroyed in the 2019–20 Victorian bushfires, and you are rebuilding on your existing land, your application will be considered as a substantial renovation.

In addition to reading these guidelines, you can use our decision tool, which provides general guidance, to help you determine your eligibility for the HomeBuilder Grant.

Make sure you don’t lose the grant

To keep the grant, all applicants must meet the residency requirements:

• Retain ownership of the property and occupy it as your principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least 6 months.
• Commence the above period of occupation immediately upon completion of construction, renovation or settlement.

A principal place of residence is considered to be the home you primarily reside in.

You must notify the State Revenue Office Victoria and repay the HomeBuilder Grant within 14 days of the date you become aware you cannot meet the residency requirement.

The State Revenue Office may require that applicants provide information to verify that they have met the residency requirement.

Applicants should keep appropriate records to demonstrate that the grant address was used as the principal place of residence.

If you are having difficulties in meeting the residency requirement, please contact us to discuss your situation.

HomeBuilder compliance

The State Revenue Office Victoria audits all HomeBuilder applications for compliance with the eligibility and residency criteria. Should we contact you during an audit, it is a condition of receiving HomeBuilder that you must provide all information requested.

You must advise us within 14 days if you cease to use the property as your principal place of residence.

You may be required to repay HomeBuilder if:

• you do not provide all the information requested by us during an investigation
• you provide false or misleading information to us
• we find you should not have received the HomeBuilder or you did not meet the principal place of residence requirement.

What can I do if my application is not approved?

You can lodge an objection if your HomeBuilder Grant application is declined and you do not agree with the decision of the Commissioner.

Objections must be lodged within 60 days of the date of the letter advising you of the decision and include the reasons why you believe the decision is incorrect. 

Objections cannot be made on the grounds of perceived unfairness, but should focus on the facts as to why you consider the decision is wrong having regard to the HomeBuilder eligibility criteria.

Objections should be emailed to review@sro.vic.gov.au along with any additional documents to support your case.

We aim to make a decision within 90 days but this may vary, depending on the complexity of the issue, the need for more information and other factors which may impact this timeframe. 

If your objection is disallowed, there is no right of review by VCAT under the HomeBuilder program.

Completing your HomeBuilder grant application

You will not receive payment of the grant unless, by 30 June 2025:

• the status of your application is ‘Submitted for processing’ or ‘Lodged’
• you have provided the correct supporting documents
• you meet the eligibility criteria.

Any supporting documents received after that date will not be accepted.

Email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au if you have any queries.

How to complete your application

There are some important things you should do now to ensure you don’t miss out on the grant. Follow the steps below before 30 June 2025 to ensure your application is completed in time.

Contract type

Make sure you selected the correct contract type as part of your application. You can check this by reviewing the supporting documents page in the application.

It’s important that you selected the correct contract type because each one has different supporting document requirements.

• Buying a new home — for example, you signed a sales contract to buy an off-the-plan home (e.g. apartment or townhouse) or to buy a new home (recently built home that has never been sold or lived in).
• Building a new home — you entered into a comprehensive home building contract to build a new home on your land.
• Renovating a home — you entered into a contract to substantially renovate your home. This can be either to alter the existing dwelling or to demolish an existing home and build a new home on the land.

If you have selected the wrong contract type, you will need to upload the correct supporting documents for your contract type under Other.

Uploading supporting documents

It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct supporting documents are provided by 30 June 2025. If you do not provide the documents by this date, you will not be paid the grant.

If the status of your application is ‘Documents required’, it means we’re waiting on supporting documents.

To upload your documents, you will need to log in to the HomeBuilder portal and complete the authentication process. 

Once in the portal, select the ‘documents’ button. To upload a document, select ‘choose file’. Uploading a document is a 3-step process.

1. Select ‘browse’ to find the relevant document on your computer or device and select ‘open’. The file must be a PDF or JPG and cannot be larger than 40mb.
2. From the list of supporting documents required, select which document(s) are included in the file you are uploading. You can also upload documents under Other.
3. At the bottom of the page, select ‘upload’. The system will provide you with confirmation once the file has been uploaded successfully. 

You can upload documents using this 3-step process as many times as required. 

You can only upload documents one at a time — that is, you can’t upload several documents at the same time.

Find out about supporting document requirements for:

• buying a home off the plan
• building a home
• renovating a home.

If you have any queries or have trouble uploading documents to your application, email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au.

Log in to the HomeBuilder portal

Complete your application

Once you have provided the correct supporting documents, the status of your application must be ‘Submitted for processing’. You won’t be able to complete your application after 30 June 2025.

An application is completed once:

• you have provided all required supporting documents for your contract type
• you have checked the relevant tick boxes on the supporting documents page
• the status of your application is ‘Submitted for processing’.

If the status of your application is ‘Lodged’, you must email your documents, with your application reference, to homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au by 30 June 2025.

If you have queries about completing your application, or are unable to access it, email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au.

Log in to complete your application.

Log in to the HomeBuilder portal

We will email you to advise you of the outcome as soon as we have reviewed your application and supporting documents. The grant will be paid into your nominated account, generally within 5 days of notifying you that your application was successful.

Application statuses

• Incomplete — you have started your application but information is missing. We will not process incomplete applications. You need to complete your application by 30 June 2025.
• Documents required — you have not provided all the documents we need. All supporting documents must be provided by 30 June 2025 to complete your application. We will not process an application in this status.
• Submitted for processing — your application is ready to be processed. It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct supporting documents were provided. If you are unsure, email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au.
• Lodged — your application has progressed. If you have not heard anything within 15 business days of submitting your application for processing, please email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au and include your application code.

Buying a home off the plan

If you bought a new home or an off-the-plan home to live in, you may have been eligible for the HomeBuilder grant.

Requirements for buying a home off the plan applications

• You must meet the eligibility criteria.
• The licensed builder must have held a licence before:
  • 4 June 2020 for contracts signed before 29 November 2020
  • 29 November 2020 for contracts signed on or after that date.
• The contract was entered into at arm’s length or otherwise at a fair market price.
• The contract was signed between 4 June 2020 and 31 March 2021.
• The contract price was $750,000 (including GST) or less.
• Excavation and site preparation for your new home must have commenced on or after 4 June 2020.
• If excavation and site preparation had not commenced when the contract was entered into, it must commence within 18 months of signing the contract.

Supporting documents

You will need to provide these documents. They do not need to be certified.

• A copy of your Australian birth certificate, Australian passport or Australian citizenship certificate issued prior to 14 April 2021.
• A form of photo identification, such as an Australian driver licence (front and rear) or Victorian Proof of Age card (not needed if you have provided a copy of your Australian passport).
• Evidence of a change of name (e.g. change of name certificate, statutory declaration) is required if the name on any of the documents presented is different to the name of the applicant.
• Copy of either the 2018–19 or 2019–20 Notice of Assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for each applicant, or evidence of nil tax return or non-lodgement advice if not required to lodge a tax return. You should remove or block out your Tax File Number (TFN). Tax summaries, group certificates and tax returns will not be accepted. If you are applying as a couple, the notices of assessments must be for the same year.
• A copy of the certificate of title for the property showing the property is registered in the name of the applicant(s).
• A fully signed copy of the front, execution, and particular pages of the sales contract for the purchase of an off-the-plan home/new home signed between 4 June 2020 and 31 March 2021.
• Evidence of construction commencement (e.g. statement from your builder/developer confirming the date that excavation and site preparation work commenced).
• A copy of the builder’s licence or registration showing a licence or registration date before 4 June 2020 (for contracts entered into before 29 November 2020) or before 29 November 2020 (for contracts entered into on or after 29 November 2020).
• Evidence that the property will be your principal place of residence (e.g. evidence from your financial institution showing that the purpose of any loan relating to the property is for a principal residence — not for investment purposes — or duties settlement statement or notice of an acquisition of interest in land or statutory declaration outlining the same).

Check the status of your application

• Incomplete — you have started your application but information is missing. We will not process incomplete applications. You need to complete your application by 30 June 2025.
• Documents required — you have not provided all the documents we need. All supporting documents must be provided by 30 June 2025 to complete your application. We will not process an application in this status.
• Submitted for processing — your application is ready to be processed. It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct supporting documents were provided. If you are unsure, email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au.
• Lodged — your application has progressed. If you have not heard anything within 15 business days of submitting your application for processing, please email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au and include your application code.

Log in and check the status of your application.

Log in to the HomeBuilder portal

When the grant is paid

The grant is:

• $25,000 for contracts signed between 4 June and 31 December 2020
• $15,000 for contracts signed between 1 January and 31 March 2021.

The grant is paid into your nominated bank account after the State Revenue Office Victoria is satisfied that you meet all of the eligibility criteria and all supporting evidence is submitted. This includes evidence that the property has been registered in your name on the certificate of title. You must be registered on the certificate of title as the owner of the property.

This account must be an Australian account (e.g. a savings account, a loan account or cheque account). If you have borrowed from a financial institution, you can nominate the payment to go directly to your mortgage account.

The grant is paid per home, and only once to an individual or couple. It is not available to investors who do not intend to live in the property or to owner-builders.

Your obligations

You must move into your new home as your principal place of residence after the final certificate has been issued and live there continuously for 6 months.

You can rent out one or more rooms in the home during this 6-month period, as long as this arrangement doesn’t affect your use of the home. 

We may ask you to verify that you have met these requirements later, by providing us with documents that support the period of occupancy for all applicants.

Building a home

If you signed a comprehensive building contract with a licensed builder to build a new home to live in, you may have been eligible for the HomeBuilder grant.

You have a comprehensive building contract if a licensed builder agrees to build a home, from commencement to completion of construction so that it is ready for occupation.

Requirements for building a home

• You must meet the eligibility criteria.
• Your comprehensive building contract is with a licensed builder, whose licence began before:
  • 4 June 2020 for contracts signed before 29 November 2020
  • 29 November 2020 for contracts signed on or after that date.
• The contract was signed between 4 June 2020 and 31 March 2021.
• The contract was entered into at arm’s length or otherwise at a fair market price.
• The amount paid (including GST) to build your new home, plus the value of the land and any existing structures, was $750,000 or less if the contract was signed between 4 June 2020 and 31 December 2020) (or $850,000 or less if the contract was signed between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021).
• You are the registered owner on the title when the foundations are laid and the first progress payment is made. 
• Excavation and site preparation for your new home must have commenced within 18 months of signing the contract.
• The foundations must have been laid and the first progress payment made to your builder.

Supporting documents

You will need to provide these documents. They do not need to be certified.

• A copy of your Australian birth certificate, Australian passport or Australian citizenship certificate issued prior to 14 April 2021.
• A form of photo identification, such as an Australian driver licence (front and rear) or Victorian Proof of Age card (not needed if you have provided a copy of your Australian passport).
• Evidence of a change of name (e.g. change of name certificate, statutory declaration) is required if the name on any of the documents presented is different to the name of the applicant.
• Copy of either the 2018–19 or 2019–20 Notice of Assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for each applicant, or evidence of nil tax return or non-lodgement advice if not required to lodge a tax return. You should remove or block out your Tax File Number (TFN). Tax summaries, group certificates and tax returns will not be accepted. If you are applying as a couple, the notices of assessments must be for the same year.
• Copy of the entire, fully executed comprehensive home building contract signed between 4 June 2020 and 31 December 2020 or between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021.
• A fully signed copy of the front, execution and particular pages of the contract for sale of land if less than 12 months from date of your application. If more than 12 months, a copy of your 2020–21 or 2021–22 rates notice or valuation undertaken by a bank or licensed independent valuer to show the value of the land.
• Copy of the certificate of title for the property showing the property is registered in the name of the applicant(s).
• A copy of the builder’s licence or registration showing a licence or registration date before 4 June 2020 (for contracts entered into before 29 November 2020) or before 29 November 2020 (for contracts entered into on or after 29 November 2020).
• Evidence of construction commencement (e.g. letter from your builder confirming the date that excavation and site preparation work commenced).
• Copies of both invoice(s) and receipt(s) showing that first progress payment has been made to the builder under the contract. First progress payment is not the deposit — generally this payment is upon completion of foundations.
• Evidence that the property will be your principal place of residence (e.g. evidence from your financial institution showing that the purpose of any loan relating to the property is for a principal residence — not for investment purposes — or duties settlement statement or notice of an acquisition of interest in land or statutory declaration outlining the same).

Check the status of your application

• Incomplete — you have started your application but information is missing. We will not process incomplete applications. You need to complete your application by 30 June 2025.
• Documents required — you have not provided all the documents we need. All supporting documents must be provided by 30 June 2025 to complete your application. We will not process an application in this status.
• Submitted for processing — your application is ready to be processed. It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct supporting documents were provided. If you are unsure, email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au.
• Lodged — your application has progressed. If you have not heard anything within 15 business days of submitting your application for processing, please email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au and include your application code.

Log in and check the status of your application.

Log in to the HomeBuilder portal

When the grant is paid

The grant is:

• $25,000 for contracts signed between 4 June and 31 December 2020
• $15,000 for contracts signed between 1 January and 31 March 2021.

The grant is paid into your nominated bank account after all the supporting evidence is submitted and the State Revenue Office Victoria is satisfied that you meet all of the eligibility criteria. This includes evidence that each applicant’s name is registered on the title, the foundations have been laid and the first progress payment for the building works has been made to the builder.

This account must be an Australian account (e.g. a savings account, a loan account or cheque account). If you have borrowed from a financial institution, you can nominate the payment to go directly to your mortgage account.

The grant is paid per home, and only once to an individual or couple. It is not available to investors who do not intend to live in the property or to owner-builders.

Your obligations

You must move into your new home as your principal place of residence after the final certificate has been issued and live there continuously for 6 months.

You can rent out one or more rooms in the home during this 6-month period, as long as this arrangement doesn’t affect your use of the home.

We may ask you to verify that you have met these requirements later, by providing us with documents that support the period of occupancy for all applicants.

Examples

In these examples, the individuals also need to meet the eligibility criteria and application deadlines.

Renovating a home

For the purposes of HomeBuilder, substantial renovations can be either:

• substantially altering the existing dwelling, or
• demolishing your home and building a new home on the land.

A substantial renovation does not need to involve the removal or replacement of foundations, external walls, interior supporting walls, floors, roof or staircases. However, it should improve the accessibility, safety or liveability of the property.

For a demolition and rebuild to be treated under the substantial renovation category, both the demolition and rebuild must occur on or after 4 June 2020. If the demolition occurred before 4 June 2020 (i.e. the property was vacant land as at that date), a contract to build will be treated under the comprehensive home building contract category. 

Given these requirements, a substantial renovation does not generally include:

• Standalone granny flats, swimming pools, tennis courts and structures not connected to the building such as outdoor spas, saunas, sheds or standalone garages.
• Renovations that are primarily cosmetic in purpose such as landscaping, painting or re-carpeting.

Requirements for renovating applications

• You must meet the eligibility criteria.
• Your contract is with a licensed builder, whose licence began before:
  • 4 June 2020 for contracts signed before 29 November 2020
  • 29 November 2020 for contracts signed on or after that date.
• The contract to renovate — or demolish and build — your home was signed between 4 June 2020 and 31 March 2021.
• The contract was entered into at arm’s length or otherwise at a fair market price.
• You were the owner of the property when you entered into the contract.
• The value of property before renovation (house and land) was less than $1.5 million.
• The contracted renovations cost between $150,000 and $750,000 (including GST).
• Building work under the contract must have commenced within 18 months of signing the contract.
• You must not be performing any of the construction work yourself under the contract.
• You must have been invoiced for and paid at least $150,000 (including GST) in construction costs under your contract by 30 June 2025.

Supporting documents

You need to provide these documents. They do not need to be certified.

• A copy of your Australian birth certificate, Australian passport or Australian citizenship certificate issued prior to 14 April 2021.
• A form of photo identification, such as an Australian driver licence (front and rear) or Victorian Proof of Age card (not needed if you have provided a copy of your Australian passport).
• Evidence of a change of name (e.g. change of name certificate, statutory declaration) is required if the name on any of the documents presented is different to the name of the applicant.
• Copy of either the 2018–19 or 2019–20 Notice of Assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for each applicant, or evidence of nil tax return or non-lodgement advice if not required to lodge a tax return. You should remove or block out your Tax File Number (TFN). Tax summaries, group certificates and tax returns will not be accepted. If you are applying as a couple, the notices of assessments must be for the same year.
• Copy of the entire, fully executed building contract for substantial renovations signed between 4 June 2020 and 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021.
• Copy of your rate notice or valuation from bank or licensed independent valuer to show the value of the property (house and land) within 3 months before commencement of renovation. 
• Copy of the certificate of title for the property showing the property is registered in the name of the applicant(s).
• A copy of the builder’s licence or registration showing a licence or registration date before 4 June 2020 (for contracts entered into before 29 November 2020) or before 29 November 2020 (for contracts entered into on or after 29 November 2020).
• Evidence of construction commencement — first invoice issued for work carried out under the renovation contract. First invoice for work is not the deposit, generally this invoice is upon completion of the first works completed on your property.
• Receipt(s) issued by the builder under the contract to show that $150,000 has been received.
• If the property is a genuine farming property — refer to the farming properties section in these guidelines for information on alternative documents that can be provided to establish property value pre-renovation.

Check the status of your application

• Incomplete — you have started your application but information is missing. We will not process incomplete applications. You need to complete your application by 30 June 2025.
• Documents required — you have not provided all the documents we need. All supporting documents must be provided by 30 June 2025 to complete your application. We will not process an application in this status.
• Submitted for processing — your application is ready to be processed. It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct supporting documents were provided. If you are unsure, email homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au.
• Lodged — your application has progressed. It is your responsibility to ensure that the correct supporting documents are provided before 30 June 2025. If you need to provide more documents, you must email them to homebuilder@sro.vic.gov.au.

Log in and check the status of your application.

Log in to the HomeBuilder portal

When the grant is paid

The grant is:

• $25,000 for contracts signed between 4 June and 31 December 2020
• $15,000 for contracts signed between 1 January and 31 March 2021.

The grant is paid into your nominated bank account once the State Revenue Office Victoria is satisfied that you meet all of the eligibility criteria including construction has commenced and at least $150,000 of the contract price for renovations has been paid to the builder. 

The account must be an Australian account (e.g. a savings account, a loan account or cheque account).

The grant is paid per home, and only once to an individual or couple. It is not available to investors who do not intend living in the home after the renovations and owner-builders.

Your obligations

You must move into your renovated home as your principal place of residence after the renovations have been completed, and live there continuously for 6 months.

You can rent out one or more rooms in the home during this 6-month period, as long as this arrangement doesn’t affect your use of the home. 

We may ask you to verify that you have met these requirements later, by providing us with documents that support the period of occupancy for all applicants.

Examples

In these examples, the individuals also need to meet the eligibility criteria and application deadlines.

Definitions

Applicant(s)

Each person whose name is or will be on the certificate of title must be an applicant for the grant.

The HomeBuilder Grant is only available to individual applicants and couples. If you are the only person listed on the certificate of title as the owner of the property, you must apply as an individual applicant. If there is more than one person listed on the certificate of title, they must apply jointly as a couple, provided they meet the definition of a couple in relevant state or territory.

Arm’s length

This means the contract must be made by 2 parties acting freely and independently of each other, and without offering favour as a result of some special relationship, such as being related to one another. The terms of the contract should be commercially reasonable, and the contract price should not be inflated compared to the fair market price.

Australian citizen

All applicant(s) must be Australian citizens prior to 14 April 2021.

Commencement of construction

• In relation to a new home, commencement of construction means the commencement of excavation and site preparation works.
• In relation to a substantial renovation, commencement of construction is when works under the renovation contract commence.
• In relation to an off-the-plan purchase, commencement of construction means the commencement of excavation and site preparation works.

Couple

2 people that are legally married, in a registered domestic relationship, or living as a couple on a genuine domestic basis, excluding people related to each other, e.g. siblings.

Contract to build

A comprehensive building contract where a builder agrees to build a home, from commencement to completion of construction so that it is ready for occupation.

Income cap

$125,000 per annum for an individual or $200,000 per annum for a couple based on either the 2018–19 or 2019–20 taxable income.

Natural person

An individual; not a company or a trust.

New home

A contract for the purchase of a home that has not previously been sold or occupied as a place of residence and where construction commenced on or after 4 June 2020.

Off the plan

A contract for the purchase of a home on a proposed lot in an unregistered plan of a subdivision of land, i.e. the purchase of a unit before it is built or before the strata plan is registered, and where construction commenced on or after 4 June 2020.

You do not have an off-the-plan contract to purchase if you have both a vacant land contract and a building contract.

Owner

The person or person(s) listed on the certificate of title of the freehold property.

Partner

A person is a partner of another if they are in a registered domestic relationship or living as a couple on a genuine domestic basis.

Principal place of residence

The home you primarily reside in.

Spouse

A person who is one of the following:

• legally married to each other
• a de facto partner (who has lived and is living with the other person on a genuine domestic basis for 2 years or more, regardless of gender)
• a registered partner (under the Civil Partnerships Act 2011).

Substantial renovation

The renovation substantially alters the existing dwelling and improves the accessibility or safety or liveability of the property. If you own a property (house and land) and demolish the house to rebuild, this will be counted as a substantial renovation as long as both the demolition and rebuild occur on or after 4 June 2020. If the demolition occurred before 4 June 2020 (i.e. the property was vacant land as at that date), a contract to build will be treated under the comprehensive home building contract category.

Examples of renovation work that does not qualify includes, standalone granny flats, swimming pools, tennis courts and structures that are not connected to the property (e.g. outdoor spas, saunas, sheds or standalone garages).

Value

In relation to a new build, off-the-plan home/new home the value of the property (i.e. house and land) cannot exceed $750,000 for contracts entered into between 4 June 2020 and 31 December 2020, and $850,000 for contracts entered into between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021 (all values inclusive of GST). In relation to a substantial renovation the value of the home (i.e. house and land) prior to renovation cannot exceed $1.5 million.