Print

Renovating a home and HomeBuilder

You may have been eligible for the HomeBuilder grant if you were:

  • renovating a home to live in
  • demolishing and building a home to live in.

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.

Applications for the grant closed on 14 April 2021. You have until 30 April 2023 to confirm your application and provide all supporting documents. We are not accepting late applications.

Check the status and update application

We received tens of thousands of applications for the grant. Because of the number and their complexity, there are lengthy processing delays (2–3 months). We will let you know a decision as soon as we can. Make sure you have provided all the documents we need.

You can log in and check the status of your application.

Log in to Homebuilder

  • Incomplete—you have started your application but information is missing. You need to complete the required fields and confirm your application.
  • Documents required—you’ve lodged your application and we need supporting documents by 30 April 2023. You can log in and see what documents you have provided and what is still required. You can upload additional documents under Other.
  • Submitted for processing—we have all your documents and no further action is required from you. It could take up to 2 months before your application is allocated to an assessor who will contact you.
  • Lodged—your application is in the queue to be processed. (For the majority of cases, this could take a few weeks.)

We process grant applications in date order. Once your application is at 'lodged' status, you don’t need to contact us to check the progress. We will notify you when a decision has been made.

When the grant is paid

The grant is paid into your nominated bank account once construction has commenced and at least $150,000 of the contract price for renovations has been paid to the builder.

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.

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 April 2023.

Substantial renovations

Renovations must substantially alter the existing dwelling, to make the property more livable and improve its accessibility or safety.

They do not need to involve removal or replacement of foundations, external walls, interior supporting walls, floors, roof or staircases.

A substantial renovation includes demolishing an existing home and building a new home on the land.

Examples of works that do not qualify include:

  • landscaping
  • standalone granny flats
  • swimming pools and tennis courts
  • structures that are not connected to the home (i.e. fences, outdoor spas and saunas, sheds or standalone garages).

Examples

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

Ang’s contract with his builder to renovate his house includes construction of an outside pool and landscaping. The contract is for $200,000, with $40,000 allocated for the pool and landscaping.

Ang is eligible for the grant based on the home renovation amount of $160,000.

Ambika has engaged a builder to add an extension to her existing house. The contract work is for $200,000, excluding painting. Ambika intends to paint the residence herself after the builder has finished.

Even though Ambika is doing some of the work (i.e. painting), she is not performing services under the contract. So, Ambika is eligible for the grant.

Jay and Charlie decide to knock down their family home and build a new one in its place. They sign a contract with a demolition company to demolish their existing home and sign a separate contract with a building company for the rebuild.

The demolition starts 3 months after the demolition contract is signed, and there is a delay of 4 months (after demolition) before construction of the new home begins.

The ‘construction commencement date’ is the date when the construction of the new residence began.

Jay and Charlie are eligible for the grant.

Nadine is project managing a refit of her house. Her budget is $200,000 and she intends to involve different contractors, including some licensed builders. The most expensive contract with an individual contractor is for $80,000.

Where there are multiple contracts for one substantial renovation, at least one contract with a builder must be for $150,000.

Nadine will not be eligible for the grant.

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. However, demolishing the existing home or renting out any rooms in the first year after you first move in may affect your eligibility for the first home concession or a first home vacant land concession.

Even though the residence requirements for this grant are similar to those for the home concessions, the grant and concessions are separate benefits—you need to meet the requirements in each case. For example, you can rent the home out before moving in and keep the grant, but you may lose the first home concession.

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.

Supporting evidence

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

  • A copy of the building contract dated between 4 June 2020 and 31 March 2021
  • A copy of your Australian Taxation Office notice of assessment for the year ended 30 June 2019 or 30 June 2020 with your tax file number concealed (If applying with your spouse, you both must provide the notice for the same year.)
  • A copy of your Australian birth certificate, Australian passport or Australian citizenship certificate
  • A copy of photo ID such as an Australian driver licence, Australian proof of age card or Australian firearm licence (not needed if you have provided a copy of your Australian passport)
  • Certificates to confirm name change or marital status (e.g. marriage, divorce, death, separation)
  • Evidence of the value of your home (house and land) before the renovations, such as a market appraisal or bank valuation. This evidence must be within 3 months before the renovations commenced.
  • A copy of a title search or the registration confirmation statement that shows you and your spouse (if applying as a couple) as registered owners on the title
  • Evidence of when construction commenced, including the first invoice issued for work carried out under the renovation contract and receipts to show that $150,000 has been paid to your builder.

More information

Last updated:
23 July 2021
Last reviewed:
15 April 2021
Share this page: