Pre-sign due-diligence topics
Start with the risk you need to understand.
Original topic guides for New Zealand homeowners preparing to sign a building contract. Each topic covers what to check, questions to ask, and what evidence to keep. These are not builder reviews or ratings.
Contracts and fixed prices
Read the contract before you sign, know what is included, and understand payment, variation, and dispute mechanics.
- Variation clauses
- Payment stages
- Scope and exclusions
Build delays
Understand contractual dates, extension-of-time mechanics, and what evidence to keep if a build starts to drift.
- Start and finish dates
- Delay notices
- Written updates
Variation costs
Control price changes during a build through disciplined approvals, realistic allowances, and signed variation records.
- Approval records
- Allowance realism
- Cost evidence
Workmanship and LBP checks
Verify licensed-building-practitioner status, agree inspection points, and put a defect-management process in writing.
- Inspection points
- Defect records
- LBP details
Communication
Agree who your main contact is, how updates will be delivered, and how decisions will be confirmed in writing.
- Main contact
- Update cadence
- Written trail
Budget and liquidation signals
Test whether the price is realistic and use public-record checks to spot builders that may be under financial pressure.
- Quote exclusions
- Company history
- Public records
Franchise versus local operator
Separate the national brand from the local legal entity that will actually hold your contract and build your home.
- Local entity
- Brand oversight
- Related operators