Take a new home apart, stage by stage. At each step: what gets built, who inspects it, what you can be asked to pay, and what to check before you pay.
General information for Victoria, not legal or building advice. The deposit and payment percentages are the standard ones for a contract to build all stages; your contract sets yours. These are the rules as of October 2026. Victoria's new domestic building contract laws are set to start on 1 December 2026, and the government has proposed new deposit and progress payment limits for homes, which it consulted on until 16 September 2026. If you sign a contract from 1 December 2026, check Consumer Affairs Victoria for the rules that apply to you.
Sources: Consumer Affairs Victoria: Paying for building work (checklist) ↗ Consumer Affairs Victoria: Deposits and payments for building work ↗ Consumer Affairs Victoria: Domestic building insurance and insolvency ↗ Alpine Shire Council: What are the mandatory inspections? ↗ Consumer Affairs Victoria: New domestic building contract laws passed in Victoria ↗ Victorian Government: Proposed Domestic Building Contracts Amendment Regulations 2026 ↗ Victorian Government: Backing Families Against Dodgy Builders, 22 October 2026 ↗