FAQ's

At Northern Star Homes, we are always striving to give our clients the best service possible.  Building a new home is one of the most important decisions you will ever make.  At Northern Star Homes, we have an experienced team who are able to answer your questions, and put your mind at ease throughout the process.  This page provides a platform to provide the answers to some of the most common questions we get asked.  As we've only just commenced our page, it is a work in progress, so we appreciate your patience and watch this space!!!

Question 1:  What is Fidelity Fund Insurance?

Answer:  The Fidelity Fund is what is known as a scheme of ‘last resort’, which means a builder has to die, be declared bankrupt, disappear or lose registration before a claim can be made for non-completion of a new home or extension.  All residential builders have to register with the Fidelity Fund and provide information on their financial status and experience.  They are then assigned a rating that determines the amount of work they can take on at any one time.  When you engage a builder to build a new house worth more than $12,000 the builder has to obtain a Fidelity Fund Certificate.  This is like an insurance cover.  You can make a claim under the certificate if your builder doesn’t complete work because they have been declared bankrupt, lost their registration, died or disappeared.  You can claim up to 20% of the contract price, capped at $200,000.  As long as you obtained a reasonable quote and haven’t advanced money ahead of work being done, this would normally be sufficient to complete your house or extension or get it to a point where another builder can finish the job.  If you are claiming for both defective work and non-completion, the cap is still $200,000.  The Certificate covers non-structural defects for up to a year and structural defects for up to six years.  In the NT, the Fund is administered by Master Builders and more information can be found on their website.

Question 2:  Do you build only from house plans you supply or can I provide my own plan?

Answer:  Yes we do both.  We are custom builders who specialise in designing and creating a home to meet your needs exactly.

Question 3:  Do we have house and land packages on offer?

Answer:  Yes we do.  You will find a list of our house and land packages available on our website under 'Investing'.

Question 4:  Can we have a quote listing all external and internal inclusions that we could expect in our new build?

Answer:  Certainly.  Our key inclusions are available on our website under 'Our Homes'.  We have a variety of finishes and inclusions which we can customise to suit your budget and your particular requirements.  

Question 5:  Can we get a separate price on fencing and landscaping?

Answer:  Yes we are more than happy to breakdown these costs for you.

Question 6:  When we find a block of land is there a cost involved for you to inspect the block prior to purchase?

Answer:  We offer a free site inspection.

Question 7:  Are there any out of pockets on signing a building contract with you?

Answer:  We do not charge a deposit at the time of signing the contract as some builders do, however, we require reimbursement of the contribution rate for Residential Builders' (fidelity fund) insurance.  We have chosen not to include this as part of our building contract as it is not a charge to you, the owner, by Northern Star Homes, but by the Northern Territory Government.  We make every effort to ensure our owners know they have their Residential Builders ' (fidelity fund) Insurance in place.  Important note:  Not all builders have Residential Builders' Insurance (Fidelity Fund cover), and you should ensure that you see a current letter of cover from your builder.

Question 8:  Do you have a maintenance period once the house is built?  

Answer:  By law, builders are responsible for non-structural defects for 12 months from the date of occupancy and structural defects for a period of 6 years from the date of occupancy.   In addition to this, at 3 months, Northern Star Homes conducts a rectification of any minor matters to ensure our clients are delighted with their new home.

Question 9:  What about colours and fixtures - do I get to choose?

Answer:  Definitely.  We are a custom builder, and while we have some standard ranges, you are able to choose your own fixtures and fittings.  We have a one on one colour selection process with a team of professionals to assist you to create your dream home.  Alternatively, for the investor, we can do all of the colour selection process for you.

Question 10:  How long does the construction process take?

Answer:  Our contract allows for 28 weeks to take into consideration wet weather etc, however, for an average size home, we complete them in 4 to 5 months.

Question 11:  How does the payments process work?

Answer:  Our progress payment schedule is complaint with Regulation 41HA of the Building Regulations of the Northern Territory and has 7 progress payments including initial deposit.  We complete the work required for each of the progress claim stages, and then you are issued with the progress claim.