It can be difficult to gather information about a builder if you don't have a recommendation from someone who you can trust, or if you have not previously built a house. Obviously, Passive House is a specialised area of home building and presents specific challenges if you need to change builders before your project is completed. I have given this a bit of thought and would offer these ideas to go with the usual meetings, marketing materials and gut instinct.
SIRA
The State Insurance Regulatory Authority regulates the home building compensation scheme in NSW. It’s an agency of the NSW government. You can use the link from their website, or go directly to the Home Building Compensation (HBC check) website to access a history of all insurance certificates that have been issued under a builder's licence number in NSW. It will enable you see any insurance claims that have been paid and how many projects the builder has started. This will give you a list of the builder's previous projects, with addresses, and may help you to see examples of work and focus discussions. https://verify.licence.nsw.gov.au/home/HBCF
This is the same website that you would use to check a prospective builder's licences. https://verify.licence.nsw.gov.au/home/Trades
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
The NCAT publishes a selection of its decisions at NSW Caselaw. There is a filter function that allows you to select decisions from the consumer and commercial division. You can then scroll through the cases. It is useful to go into a building project with your eyes open to the processes that may take place when things don't go as expected. Many people look to online chat groups for advice, which appear to be far less useful. https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/
Published client testimonials are very important.
The gold standard for a builders reference is one from a client who has taken possession of their new house, has had time to live in it and deal with any difficulties that have arisen throughout the build, or after the handover. Difficulties and setbacks do arise while building, in addition to the usual questions, it would be wise to ask about disputes, building timelines and liquidated damages.
Get your building contract reviewed by a construction lawyer. I can't stress this enough. Going by stories in the media, it may save you a lot of money, stress and heartache in the longer term. If your project does suffer setbacks, it is far easier to go back to a lawyer or firm whom you already know, to deal with any new issues.
Don't rush your research and due diligence. A passive house in Sydney is a big investment. It is easy to get a bit caught up in choosing fixtures and finishes, but the most important decision you will make in building a new home is picking the right builder.
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