The Home Builder scheme is making it even easier for home buyers and those looking to build a new home to achieve their property goals.  A $25,000* grant will directly help young families, first home buyers, upgraders and downsizers to realise their goal of home ownership sooner.

Home Builder Scheme provides eligible owner occupiers with a grant of $25,000 to build a new home, substantially renovate an existing home or buy an off the plan home/new home.

A new home is one that has not previously been sold or occupied as a place of residence and where construction commenced on or after 4 June 2020.

Home Builder scheme compliments Revenue NSW existing First Home Owner’s Grant (New Home) Scheme and First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme.

• Home Builder is available to individual applicants and couples who are or will be registered as the owner on the certificate of title. If you are the only person who is listed, or will be listed, on the certificate of title as owner of the property, you must apply as an individual applicant. If there is, or will be, more than one person listed on the certificate of title, they must jointly apply as a couple provided, they meet the definition of ‘couple’.
• Each applicant must be:
  1. a natural person (not a company or trust)
  2. aged 18 years or older at the date of the contract
  3. an Australian citizen. at the date of application.

When you must be registered on the certificate of title as the owner of the land or property depends on the type of contract you enter into:

• For contracts to build, you must be registered on title as owner of the land by no later than the laying of foundations and the first progress payment is made to the builder.
• For substantial renovations, you must be registered on the title as owner of the property at the time that you enter into the contract for renovation works.
• For off the plan/new homes, you must be registered on the title as owner of the property when the building is completed, and you are entitled to take possession of the home.

• Home Builder is only open to Australian citizens.
• Accordingly, permanent resident and/or visa holders are not eligible.
• Where two people are listed on the certificate of title as registered proprietors, they must apply for Home Builder as a couple and both applicants must meet the eligibility criteria, including the citizenship requirement.

Applicant(s) must be below one of the following two income caps:

• $125,000 per annum for an individual based on either your 2018-19 or 2019-20 taxable income, as shown on your notice of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office or
• $200,000 per annum for a couple based on either your combined 2018-19 or 2019-20 taxable income, as shown on your notices of assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office.

• A couple is considered as two people that are legally married, in a registered domestic relationship, or living as a couple on a genuine domestic basis, excluding people related to each other, for example, siblings.
• Each applicant must not have previously received the Home Builder Grant for any property owned individually or jointly with another person in any Australian State or Territory.
• Each applicant must live in the home as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months on completion of construction, renovation or settlement.
• Investment properties are excluded from Home Builder.

Where commencement is delayed due to unforeseen factors outside the control of the parties to the contract the applicant(s) can request a maximum extension of up to an additional 3 months by lodging a statement with supporting evidence for the Chief Commissioner to consider.