If you carry out building work in New South Wales, a set of reforms scheduled to commence on 1 July 2026 could change your registration and insurance obligations — in some cases for the first time. Here’s a plain-English rundown of what’s changing, who it affects, and what to check before the deadline.
What’s changing on 1 July 2026?
From 1 July 2026, changes to the NSW Design and Building Practitioners (DBP) framework are scheduled to take effect. The headline changes include:
- Mandatory Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance for registered building practitioners in NSW. The law doesn’t set a minimum dollar figure — instead your PI cover must be adequate for the work you do.
- Class 3 and Class 9c buildings brought into scope — including repair, alteration and renovation work on existing buildings. Think aged care facilities, boarding houses and similar accommodation that had previously been granted compliance extensions.
- Regulated designs and compliance declarations continue to be lodged through the NSW Planning Portal.
- Increased oversight and audits across construction and remediation activity, with auditing powers held by Building Commission NSW.
Heads up: the date has already moved once
The mandatory PI requirement was originally due to start on 1 July 2025. In June 2025 the NSW Government granted a further 12-month extension, making the current cut-off 1 July 2026. Because timelines can shift, always confirm the latest position with Building Commission NSW before you act.
Why it matters — the 10-year duty of care
Under the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020, professionals involved in construction work owe a statutory duty of care to avoid causing economic loss from defects. Importantly, that duty can be enforced for up to 10 years after the work is completed.
PI insurance is almost always written on a ‘claims-made’ basis — meaning the policy that responds is the one in force when a claim is made, not when the work was done. That makes your retroactive date and continuity of cover critical. Gaps, or letting a policy lapse, can leave work you completed years ago exposed.
Who is affected?
The DBP rules apply to registered building practitioners, design practitioners, professional engineers and specialist practitioners who carry out, design or certify building work on regulated buildings — Class 2 buildings, and from 1 July 2026, Class 3 and Class 9c buildings.
Whether a particular trade or role needs to be registered and hold PI depends on the work performed and the building class involved. If you’re involved in building, remediating or designing these buildings, the trades and roles below commonly fall within — or close to — the framework and should check their obligations:
Building & structure
Enclosure & weatherproofing
Building services
Fit-out & finishes
Design & engineering (registered practitioners)
Not sure if you’re in scope? This list is a guide, not a ruling. Being ‘affected’ depends on whether you’re a registered practitioner and the building work you actually perform. The safest move is to confirm your position with Building Commission NSW and review your insurance with your broker.
What to do before the deadline
- Check if your work is in scope — does it fall within the updated DBP framework and the Class 3/9c expansion?
- Confirm your registration — are you registered in the right class for the work you do?
- Review your PI cover — is it adequate, and what’s your retroactive date? Will it respond to past projects?
- Don’t leave it late — suitable cover can take time to arrange, especially for design & construct work.
Talk to All Trades Cover before 1 July 2026
We’ll help you work out whether the changes affect you, review how your current cover responds, and arrange the right Professional Indemnity / Design & Construct cover — in good time for the deadline, without the last-minute scramble.
Book a free cover review →
