HomeBuilder Grant

Applicants

All applicants must:

• be a natural person – not a company or trust, who is at least 18 years of age on the contract date
• be owner-occupiers – investment properties are not eligible
• be an Australian citizen at the time of application – permanent residents and visa holders are not eligible
• be on the certificate of title to the home
• not have previously received the HomeBuilder grant in any Australian state or territory
• meet the income test for the 2018-19 or 2019-20 financial year:
  • $125,000 or less for an individual applicant
  • $200,000 or less for a married or de facto couple.

Owner-builders are not eligible.

All applicants must be on the title to the home

Applicants must be individuals or couples

The property

The new home or substantially renovated existing home must be:

• located in the Northern Territory and affixed to land
• lawfully able to be occupied as the principal place of residence of the applicant(s) – not an investment property or a secondary residence.

New homes must have a combined home and land value of up to $750,000. Different rules apply for substantial renovations, as set out at Substantial renovations.

Applicants must retain ownership of the home and occupy it as their principal place of residence for a continuous period of at least six months from completion of construction or renovation.

A new home is one that has never previously been lived in or sold as a place of residence.

Generally, a person’s principal place of residence is the residence that the person is living in on an ongoing or permanent basis as the person’s settled or usual abode. For more information please see Commissioner’s Guideline CG-HI-005.

The contract

• You must enter into a contract to build or purchase a new home, or substantially renovate an existing home, between 4 June 2020 and 31 March 2021 (inclusive), and construction must have started on or after 4 June 2020.
• Building and renovation work must be undertaken by a Residential Building Contractor with an active registration with the Building Practitioners Board under the Building Act 1993 at the date of entering into the building contract, and prior to:
  • 4 June 2020 for contracts signed before 29 November 2020
  • 29 November 2020 for contracts signed on or after that date.

This can be confirmed via the Building Practitioners Board Registration Check.

• The building contract must be negotiated at arm’s length by parties acting independently – that is, without some special relationship such as a relative. The contract terms must be commercially reasonable and should not be inflated or deflated compared to a fair market price.
• For an off-the-plan/new home purchase, construction can commence prior to the date of the contract of sale, but must have commenced on or after 4 June 2020.
• The contract cannot replace a previous transaction entered into before 4 June 2020 for the same or a substantially similar new home or renovation.
• The contract must be with a registered builder to substantially renovate your principal place of residence where the value is between $150,000 and $750,000 (inclusive).
• The market value of the existing property, pre-renovation, must be $1,500,000 or less.
• The renovations must substantially alter the existing property, and improve the accessibility, safety or liveability of your home.
• If you have entered into a contract on or after 1 January 2021, the contract cannot replace a previous contract entered into before 1 January 2021 for the same or substantially similar home.

Substantial renovations

Substantial renovations could involve removal or replacement of: foundations, external walls, interior supporting walls, floors, roof or staircases.

A substantial renovation does not generally include swimming pools and structures unconnected to the building, such as: standalone granny flats; outdoor spas; sheds; or standalone garages and carports.

Renovations that are primarily cosmetic in purpose, such as landscaping, painting or recarpeting, do not qualify as substantial.

Commencement of construction

Construction must commence on or after 4 June 2020, and no later than 18 months after signing the contract. Construction is taken to have commenced when excavation and site preparation works commence.

You will be ineligible if construction does not commence within 18 months of signing the contract. The Commissioner of Territory Revenue has no discretion to provide an extension.

You should apply for the HomeBuilder grant once you have entered into an eligible contract and have all supporting documentation to include with your application.

Applications must be received by the Territory Revenue Office no later than 14 April 2021.

Apply online

Applications are now closed.

The Territory Revenue Office will contact you to advise you whether your application has been approved. HomeBuilder will only be paid once the Territory Revenue Office is satisfied you meet all the eligibility criteria.

Payment will be made by electronic funds transfer to your nominated bank account, generally within 10 business days of lodging the completed application with all supporting documentation.

The timing of HomeBuilder payments will depend on the type of contract you have entered into.

• New home build: after evidence is submitted to show the foundations have been laid and the first progress payment of at least $25,000, or $15,000 dollars depending on the contract date (excluding deposit) has been made to the builder.
• Substantial renovation: after construction has commenced and evidence is submitted showing payment of at least $150,000 of the contract price has been paid to the builder.
• Off-the-plan home/new home purchase: after evidence showing the property is registered in your name on the certificate of title. You must be registered as the owner of the property by no later than 30 April 2023.

You may ask for a review if your HomeBuilder application is declined and you do not agree with the decision of the Territory Revenue Office in relation to your eligibility.

A request for review should:

• be lodged within 60 days of the date of the decision to decline your application
• include the reasons you believe the decision is incorrect in relation to the HomeBuilder eligibility criteria

Note: While the Territory Revenue Office administers the HomeBuilder scheme on behalf of the Commonwealth Government, it does not have any discretion to accept a late application or to vary the eligibility criteria based on individual circumstances, including on review.

The Territory Revenue Office closely examines all HomeBuilder applications for compliance with the eligibility criteria. It is a condition of receiving HomeBuilder that you provide all information requested if we contact you during an audit.

We may request verification that you meet the residency requirement. You should keep appropriate records demonstrating the new or renovated home is used as the principal place of residence. If you have difficulties in meeting the residency requirement, please contact the Territory Revenue Office to discuss your situation.

You must advise the Territory Revenue Office within 30 days if you cease to use the property as your principal place of residence.

You may be required to repay HomeBuilder if:

• you do not provide all the information requested by the Territory Revenue Office during an audit
• you provide false or misleading information
• the Territory Revenue Office finds you should not have received HomeBuilder or you did not meet the principal place of residence requirement.

For more information or to ask any questions, email the Territory Revenue Office at ntrevenue@nt.gov.au or call 1300 305 353.

Further details including Frequently Asked Questions are available on the Australian Government HomeBuilder website.