The Build BriefIssue 012

House approvals are 18.4% higher than a year ago. If you are planning a new home, ask builders about likely start dates when you compare quotes.

House approvals and approvals for other dwelling types are moving in different directions, so consider them separately when you advise clients on the market.

More house approvals point to a stronger pipeline for detached homes, although approvals do not guarantee construction will start. Last issue's sales figures point to fewer new contracts further out.

Many approved house projects will now seek construction finance at the higher cash rate, so check each client's borrowing capacity before construction starts.

Source: ABS, Building Approvals, Australia, August 2026, released 30 September 2026. Seasonally adjusted unless stated; the ACT figure is in trend terms.

Market Watch · Signal 2 of 3For everyone in the build

02 · The Rate

Borrowing costs increased, while growth in new dwelling prices eased.

4.60%

cash rate, raised on 29 September 2026

major banks pass it on from 9 October

Cash rate and new dwelling prices

These are separate measures. The cash rate affects borrowing costs, while new dwelling prices are measured in the Consumer Price Index.

Cash rate and new dwelling prices. The cash rate rose to 4.60%. Annual growth in new dwelling prices eased to 5.4%, from 5.7% in July.
Series	Rate
Cash rate, up 0.25 percentage points on 29 September	4.60%
New dwelling prices, annual growth, down from 5.7% in July	5.4%

The Reserve Bank raised the cash rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.60% on 29 September. The cash rate is the Reserve Bank's main interest rate setting, and it flows through to home loan rates. We noted in Issue 010 that a rise at this meeting was possible.

The decision was unanimous. It was the fourth increase this year, and the cash rate is now at its highest level since 2011. The Bank said housing prices have fallen in most capital cities and that new housing loans have declined noticeably. It also said it could raise the cash rate further if needed.

The four major banks are passing the increase on to variable home loans from 9 October.

On Wednesday, the ABS released the August Consumer Price Index. Headline inflation rose to 4.0%, and the trimmed mean, which excludes the largest price movements, held at 3.6%.

For anyone building, the more relevant measure is new dwelling prices. Annual growth eased to 5.4%, from 5.7% in July, and the ABS said builders passed on higher costs for materials and labour. Westpac's view is that the annual pace of growth has likely peaked.

What this means for you

If your finance is not yet settled, ask your lender to reassess it at the new rate before 9 October. If you are still at the drawings stage, a preliminary estimate can help test the budget.

Some clients may now be able to borrow less than they expected. Check the budget against the brief before the project goes to tender.

Check which of your open quotes have validity periods that run past 9 October, in case clients need more time to settle finance.

Reassess pre-approvals at the new rate before 9 October, and update repayment schedules for clients who are part way through a build.

Source: Reserve Bank of Australia, Monetary Policy Decision, 29 September 2026, and cash rate target history · ABS, Consumer Price Index, Australia, August 2026, released 30 September 2026 · Westpac Economics · Bank pass-through dates via Canstar and ABC News.

Market Watch · Signal 3 of 3For everyone in the build

03 · The Process

NSW is paying councils to reduce assessment times.

days, average assessment time across the 44 councils that qualified

up to $73 million in funding

Average time to determine a development application in NSW

Measured since the 2024 Statement of Expectations Order began.

Average time to determine a development application in NSW. The statewide average fell from 115 days to 84 days as of 31 May 2026.
Series	Days
Statewide average, before	115 days
As of 31 May 2026	84 days

Forty-four NSW councils will share up to $73 million under the second round of the Faster Assessments Incentive Program, up from 35 councils in the first round. Each council can receive up to $3 million for roads, parks and community facilities.

To qualify, councils had to meet the program's 105-day benchmark in 2025-26. The qualifying councils averaged 78 days, eight days faster than the year before. Sutherland Shire reduced its average from 177 days to 97 days over twelve months.

Across NSW, the average time to determine a development application has fallen from 115 days to 84 days, as of 31 May 2026. The statewide target for councils is 90 days from July 2026, 80 days from July 2027 and 65 days from July 2028. Each council's assessment time is published monthly on a public league table.

In a separate announcement the week before, NSW said it will fund free training for up to 950 council assessment officers.

NSW and Victoria are using different approaches to reduce assessment times. Victoria has introduced a fixed 10 business day pathway for small projects that meet a set code. NSW is keeping its existing assessment process and funding councils that assess applications faster.

Victoria's expanded four-home pathway had not been gazetted at the time of writing.

How NSW and Victoria are approaching assessment times

How NSW and Victoria are approaching assessment times
Series	New South Wales
Approach: Victoria	A fixed 10 business day pathway / New South Wales: Funding for councils that assess faster
Applies to: Victoria	Small projects that meet a set code / New South Wales: Councils' existing assessment process
Status: Victoria	Four-home expansion not yet gazetted / New South Wales: Second round announced 29 September

What this means for you

If you are building in NSW, check your council's published assessment time before you set a programme.

Use the council's published assessment time, rather than the statewide target, when you advise clients on approval timeframes.

Faster assessments can bring start dates forward. Allow for the actual assessment time of the council handling each project when you plan your pipeline.

Try it on your next project Book a walkthrough

Shorter assessment times can shorten holding periods on development facilities.

Source: NSW Government, ministerial release, 29 September 2026 · NSW Planning, Faster Assessments Incentive Program, Statement of Expectations Order and council league table.

The FeatureThe Build Brief · Issue 012

How architects and designers use BuilderHQ, from cost estimate to tender.

A short guide to the BuilderHQ dashboard for architects and building designers, and what has changed since August.

This covers the stage between finished drawings and a signed builder. We introduced tendering on BuilderHQ in Issue 008. This is the practice's side of it.

What is new since August

Cost estimates. Our estimating team prepares a preliminary cost estimate from the practice's drawings.
Client referrals. Practices in the Preferred Partner network receive introductions to homeowners looking for a design practice.
A new Home and Profile page. Quick access to tenders and estimates, and one place to manage the practice's details.
An example project. Every new practice receives a finished tender round to explore.

Before the tender: a cost estimate

A practice enters the site postcode and project type, then uploads the drawings. Floor plans and elevations are enough to start. The current target is two business days, and the expected date is shown before the request is sent.

The estimate includes low, likely and high totals, a breakdown by trade or element, and the cost per square metre with the assumptions behind it, in a PDF report for the client. It is prepared by people on our estimating team and is private to the practice. Builders never see it.

Running a tender, step by step

Upload the documents.
Drawings, engineering, reports and specifications go up in one place.
Review the scope of works.
BuilderHQ organises the documents into a structured scope. A person checks every line against its source, and open questions go to the practice and the client before the round opens. The client approves the scope before any builder sees it.
Choose the builders.
Run a private round with builders the practice invites, or an open round with BuilderHQ's verified network. Every builder prices the same scope and answers the same questions.
Compare the tenders.
Each tender is scored on six published measures, and the comparison shows where the builders differ. Issue 011 explained why builder quotes differ.
Advise the client.
The practice adds its advice and shares a Tender Evaluation Report under its own name. BuilderHQ does not recommend a builder. The client makes the decision.

What it costs

Practices run tender rounds on a plan from $53 a month including GST, billed annually, at the introductory price until 31 December 2026, and BuilderHQ takes no commission. On an open round, builders pay a one-off fee for a spot: $49 for a renovation, up to $199 for multi-dwelling work. The plans are set out at builderhq.com.au/pricing.

Editor's note, 8 October 2026: when this issue was published on 2 October, practices were not yet charged for tender rounds, and this section said so. Practice plans were introduced on 6 October 2026, and the section, the figures beside it and the question below now state them.

Who it is for

Architects and building designers working on residential projects in Australia, from renovations to multi-dwelling work. Our view on how residential tenders should run is set out in our Perspective on procurement.

What this means for you

Ask your architect or designer whether your project can be tendered on one scope. Prices based on the same scope are easier to compare.

Check the cost before the project goes to tender, then run the round under your practice's name. See BuilderHQ for architects and designers.

Rounds from design practices arrive with completed drawings and one scope to price. See how rounds work for builders.