Defect Notice Letter Template

Fill-in-the-blanks letter to formally notify your builder of defects under your contract and statutory warranty. Copy, fill in the bracketed fields, and send by email with read receipt or registered post.

Defect Notice Letter Template

How to use this template: Replace every [BRACKETED FIELD] with your own details. Send by email (request read receipt) or registered post so you have proof of delivery. Keep a copy. If your builder does not respond within the deadline, you may be able to escalate to your state building authority or tribunal without further notice.

Your name

Your address

Date

Builder name

Builder address

Licence no.

Re: Formal notice of building defects — [PROPERTY ADDRESS] — Contract dated [DATE]

Dear [BUILDER NAME / CONTACT NAME],

I am writing to formally notify you of defects at the property located at [PROPERTY ADDRESS], constructed under our contract dated [CONTRACT DATE].

The following defects have been identified:

These defects may constitute a breach of:

the express terms of our building contract
the statutory warranty under [your state's home building legislation — e.g. Home Building Act 1989 (NSW), Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (VIC), Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (QLD)]
the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law, Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)

I require you to:

Acknowledge receipt of this notice within [5 / 7] business days
Inspect the defects and provide a written rectification plan within [14 / 21] days of this notice
Complete all rectification works within [28 / 60] days of this notice, or such other timeframe as agreed in writing

If I do not receive a satisfactory response within the timeframe above, I reserve the right to:

engage an independent building inspector at your cost to document the defects
obtain quotes for rectification works and seek to recover those costs from you
lodge a complaint with [QBCC / NSW Fair Trading / Victorian Building Authority / relevant authority]
apply to [QCAT / NCAT / VCAT / relevant tribunal] for an order requiring rectification

This letter is written without prejudice to any other rights or remedies I may have.

Please direct your response to me at the address above, or by email to [YOUR EMAIL].

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR FULL NAME]

[PHONE NUMBER]

📎 Supporting documents to attach

Photographs of each defect — clearly labelled with location and date

Inspection report from independent building inspector (if obtained)

Relevant contract clause numbers that have been breached

Any previous written correspondence with the builder about these defects

List of defects signed by builder at handover (if applicable)

State escalation contacts

State	Authority	Tribunal
QLD	QBCC (qbcc.qld.gov.au)	QCAT
NSW	NSW Fair Trading	NCAT
VIC	Victorian Building Authority	VCAT
SA	Consumer and Business Services	SACAT
WA	Building and Energy	SAT
ACT	Access Canberra	ACAT

Track defects digitally with Checka

This checklist helps you spot issues. Checka helps you document them with photos, share reports with your builder, and track what gets fixed.

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