Residential building contract template: the sections NZ law requires for jobs of $30,000 or more, in plain English.
A five-page contract as PDF and editable Word file: the work, price, payment claims, dates, variations, each party’s responsibilities, defects, ending early, disputes, a Schedule A of exclusions, and the mandatory-content checklist. Free, no email required.
Do you need a written contract for residential building work in NZ?
Yes, for any residential building work worth $30,000 or more including GST: the Building Act 2004 (sections 362F and 362G) requires the contract to be in writing, dated, and to contain the content listed in regulation 6 of the Building (Residential Consumer Rights and Remedies) Regulations 2014. Before it is signed, the contractor must also give the client the official disclosure information and consumer checklist, in the prescribed forms. Below $30,000 a written contract is optional, but a contractor must still give those two documents to a client who asks for them, and this template still works. The prescribed content includes each party’s addresses and contact details, the site, a description of the work, who obtains the consents, start and completion dates, the price or how it is calculated, the payments and how they are invoiced and receipted, how notices are given, how variations are agreed, how delays are handled, how defects are remedied and the dispute process. Not giving the disclosure information and checklist can bring an infringement fine of up to $2,000. Payment stages should be set out as payment claims under the Construction Contracts Act, which also covers work for homeowners. Across 13,567 publicly posted reviews of NZ builders and outdoor and civil construction contractors, value is the lowest-scoring of the four rated dimensions (97.6 out of 100) and quote accuracy is praised in only 12.9 to 13.9% of positive reviews. The contract is where the price either survives the job or does not.
The job this document is doing.
- —A $60,000 renovation on a two-line quote and a handshake, which is not a contract the Act recognises
- —The client never received the disclosure statement, and finds that out from their lawyer during a dispute
- —Progress claims that are not payment claims under the Act, so the fast adjudication route is not available
- —“Practical completion” was never defined, so the final payment is argued about for months
Open it and use it today.
- 01Parties with physical, postal and notice addresses and contact details, site, consent number, documents in order of precedence
- 02Price: fixed, charge-up or estimate, with allowances and provisional sums
- 03Payment stages as Construction Contracts Act payment claims, with the response window, how payments are invoiced and receipted, and any retention
- 04Dates, what delays them and the notice the contractor gives
- 05Variations clause pointing to the variation approval form in this library
- 06Client and contractor responsibilities as two checklists
- 07Defects (with the implied warranties), ending the contract early, disputes, notices, signatures
- 08Schedule A exclusions and a checklist that follows regulation 6 line by line
- 09Editable Word version for your own terms; general information, not legal advice
Free to use and adapt for your own business. Not legal advice: check contract terms against your own terms of trade and, where it matters, with a lawyer.
Why this document, and not another one.
| Category | Value score (of 4 dimensions) | Quote accuracy praised | Transparent pricing praised |
|---|---|---|---|
| Builders | 97.6 / 100 (lowest) | 13.9% of positive reviews | 21.6% |
| Outdoor and civil construction | 97.6 / 100 (lowest) | 12.9% of positive reviews | 25.0% |
From 13,567 publicly posted reviews of 328 NZ builders and outdoor and civil construction contractors, collected August 2026. Positive reviews score 80 or more out of 100. Legal references checked against legislation.govt.nz and building.govt.nz on 9 October 2026. Full corpus, method and thresholds: the construction methodology page. Full findings: the construction research study.
Use it alongside
Construction quote template
A two-page NZ construction quote with the sections that stop disputes: scope by stage, allowances, written exclusions, a variations clause, payment stages and acceptance.
Open this resource →A template fixes one document. The diagnostic finds the rest.
Seven minutes, results immediately: five pillars scored, your leaks quantified in dollars.
Start Diagnostic — $249