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Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV)

Consumer Affairs Victoria administers Vic domestic building contract law: cooling-off, deposit limits, progress payments, the Consumer Building Guide.

By Dan Waring. Last updated 15 May 2026. Verified 15 May 2026.

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Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) is the Victorian state regulator responsible for consumer protection across many industries, including residential building. CAV is a business unit within the Department of Government Services and is the primary regulator a residential builder in Victoria engages with on contract-level consumer issues. Statutory licensing of registered builders sits separately with the Victorian Building Authority (VBA); CAV’s remit is the consumer side of the relationship.

CAV’s specific touchpoints for a builder:

  1. Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (Vic). CAV administers this Act. It sets the rules for residential contracts: 5-day cooling-off period, deposit caps (typically 5% on contracts under $20,000 and 10% on contracts $20,000 and over, ex-GST, where the work is not yet started), allowable progress payment structures, contract content requirements, and prescribed warnings.
  2. The Consumer Building Guide. A statutory document CAV requires the builder to give the owner before the owner signs a domestic building contract. The guide describes the owner’s rights and the contract structure in plain language. Missing it is a contract-level defect.
  3. Dispute resolution. Owners with a domestic building contract dispute commonly approach CAV first for conciliation before escalating to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). CAV does not adjudicate; it provides an information and mediation channel.
  4. Cooling-off enforcement. If an owner exercises the cooling-off right and the builder disputes, CAV is the first port of call for the owner. The cooling-off period runs from the day the owner receives a signed contract (5 clear business days under the Act).

The cross-state equivalent body for NSW is NSW Fair Trading; for Queensland the QBCC handles both regulator and consumer-protection roles; for WA it is Building and Energy under the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety; for SA the Office of Consumer and Business Services (OCBS); for Tasmania the CBOS within the Department of Justice; for the NT the Building Practitioners Board; for the ACT Access Canberra.

Also known as: CAV; Consumer Affairs (Vic).

Category: Regulators.

See also

Last updated: 2026-05-15. Verified: 2026-05-15. Quarterly review for currency.

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