Contact our team as soon as you discover an issue you think is covered by your guarantee. We will work with you to understand the situation, the cover available, and next steps.
Depending on the type of cover, there are timeframes you must contact us within, and some things you should not do without our approval.
Loss of deposit, non-completion cover
- Contact us within 30 days of discovering the problem.
- Do not make further payments to your builder, other tradespeople, or suppliers.
- Do not cancel your building contract.
Materials and workmanship, structural defects cover
- Contact us within 90 days of discovering the problem.
- Ask your builder to address the problem as soon as possible.
- Do not try to fix the problem yourself.
- Do not hire anyone else to fix the problem.
Contact us
Once we have understood your situation, we will send you a claim form. You need to submit the completed form to us within 14 days at: claims@masterbuilder.org.nz
Understanding your cover
We offer a range of guarantees with different levels of cover. For details of your cover, refer to the terms and conditions provided with your guarantee certificate.
Find out the cover generally available under the:
Timeframes for cover
The type of cover will change as your building project reaches key milestones (for example, when permanent work starts and when practical completion is reached).
Temporary accommodation
Cover may include temporary accommodation costs, if you need to move out of your home while remediation work is done. Check your terms and conditions or ask our team if this is available for you.
Resolving contractual disputes
Our building guarantees do not cover contractual disputes between you and your builder. These will need to be resolved before you make a claim.
We offer a free disputes resolution service through an independent provider called Fair Way. They help resolve issues in areas such as communication, quality, payment, and design.
Resolve disputes through Fair Way