BPC LAYS CHARGES AFTER AUDIT REVEALS DEPOSITS TAKEN WITHOUT REQUIRED DOMESTIC BUILDING INSURANCE

The Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) has filed charges against Glenvill Constructions Pty Ltd over multiple alleged breaches of strengthened domestic building insurance laws. The registered domestic builder faces a total of 15 charges relating to contracts where deposits were taken before a domestic building insurance (DBI) policy was in place. The charges were laid on 19 March 2026, following a BPC insurance audit of volume builders that was initiated in the wake of the Porter Davis collapse in 2023.

What the BPC Alleges

The BPC served several coercive notices on Glenvill Constructions in relation to building contracts issued by the builder between 1 March 2024 and 30 June 2024. The regulator alleges that Glenvill Constructions, on 15 occasions, demanded or received money under a Major Domestic Building Contract (MDBC) without ensuring the work was covered by the required DBI. While DBI policies were subsequently obtained before building work commenced, they were not in place at the time money was received and were not secured for another 30 to 90 days after the payments were taken.

Sites Across Melbourne and Regional Victoria

The site locations connected to the charges are spread across Melbourne’s outer west, north, and regional Victoria, including Geelong and Ballarat. The breadth of the locations indicates that the alleged breaches were not isolated to a single development or project but spanned multiple contracts across Glenvill Constructions’ operations during the relevant period.

Changes to the Law and Potential Penalties

Under changes to the Domestic Building Contracts Act, it is now an offence for a builder to receive money under a MDBC without holding the required DBI. The penalties are significant. Builders face fines of up to $96,000 for an individual or $480,000 for a company. A builder’s DBI policy exists to provide protection for consumers from financial losses arising from incomplete or defective work carried out by a builder who has died, disappeared, or become insolvent.

Why This Matters for Homeowners

The BPC has emphasised that consumers should ensure their builder has a valid DBI certificate before making any payment under a Major Domestic Building Contract. The audit program that led to the Glenvill charges was triggered by the high-profile collapse of Porter Davis in 2023, which left hundreds of Victorian homeowners stranded mid build. The program was specifically designed to identify volume builders who may not have had insurance in place at the time deposits were collected, exposing homeowners to financial risk during a critical window.