Friday, 13 November 2026Five minutes, sourced

The Friday Intelligence Briefing

The Build BriefIssue 017

Construction loans fell 13.2% in the September quarter.

In Victoria, owner-occupier construction loans fell 24.9%. Consumer sentiment among mortgage holders fell to its lowest reading on records going back to 1994. And ahead of summer, the Building and Plumbing Commission is asking the public to report unregistered renovation work.

By BuilderHQ, Melbourne

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Housing Industry AssociationMaster Builders Victoria
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The Note

Construction lending fell in the September quarter, and the regulator is checking renovation sites before summer.

Loans to build homes fell 13.2% in the September quarter, according to Wednesday's figures from the ABS. In Victoria, owner-occupier construction loans fell 24.9%.

Consumer sentiment among mortgage holders fell to its lowest reading on the Westpac–Melbourne Institute's records, which go back to 1994.

Ahead of the summer renovation season, the Building and Plumbing Commission is asking the public to report unregistered builders and plumbers.

In the Feature, an offer for builders and contractors: send us one project's drawings, and our team will build your part of the job in 3D and prepare your first report free. The first 20 only, until 5pm on Friday 27 November.

The Victorian election is on Saturday 28 November. In Brief has this week's commitments, and Partner Corner introduces ROAM Architects.

The BuilderHQ Team

Market Watch

Three developments this week.

  1. 01Loans
  2. 02Mood
  3. 03Check
Market Watch · 01 · The Loans, story 1 of 3

Construction loans fell 13.2% in the September quarter, and Victorian owner-occupier construction loans fell 24.9%.

−24.9%

change in the number of owner-occupier construction loans in Victoria, September quarter 2026 on the June quarter, seasonally adjusted

National construction loans −13.2%

The ABS released its lending figures for July to September on Wednesday. Lenders made 15,381 new loan commitments to build homes, 13.2% fewer than in the June quarter. Owner-occupier construction loans fell 14.4% and investor construction loans fell 11.8%. All figures are seasonally adjusted.

Victoria fell furthest of the large states, with owner-occupier construction loans down 24.9% in the quarter.

Across all home lending, the number of new loans fell 15.0%. Their value fell 15.5%, the largest quarterly fall since the series began in 2002. Investors pulled back most from existing homes.

Compared with a year earlier, construction lending has held up better than the rest of the market. NAB's October business survey, taken before the 3 November rate rise, showed forward orders falling to −12, led by construction and manufacturing.

Construction loans usually come before building starts, so a fall in loans tends to show in commencements in the months that follow. Issue 016 covered the latest rate rise.

What this means for you

Homeowners & developers
Fewer people are taking out construction finance, so builders may have more capacity. Ask for a firm start date before you sign.
Architects & designers
Confirm that a client's finance is approved before starting design development.
Builders
Check every finance-conditional contract on your pre-start list, and follow up each one.
Finance brokers
Investor loans for new builds fell far less than loans for existing homes, so new builds are now a larger share of investor lending. Ask investor clients whether a new build is under consideration.
Contractors
Confirm bookings for early 2027 with the builders you work with most.
Change in the number of new loans, September quarter on June quarter

No change

Number of new loan commitments, September quarter 2026 on June quarter 2026, seasonally adjusted. ACT owner-occupier construction loans: −19.3% (83 to 67 loans). ABS, Lending Indicators.

Change in the number of new loans, September quarter on June quarter. All new home loans −15.0%. Construction loans, national −13.2%. Owner-occupier construction, national −14.4%. Investor construction, national −11.8%. Owner-occupier construction, Victoria −24.9%. Seasonally adjusted.
SeriesChange on the June quarter
All new home loans−15.0%
Construction loans, national−13.2%
Owner-occupier construction, national−14.4%
Investor construction, national−11.8%
Owner-occupier construction, Victoria−24.9%

Source: ABS, Lending Indicators, Australia, September Quarter 2026 (released 11 November 2026) · NAB Monthly Business Survey, October 2026.

Market Watch · 02 · The Mood, story 2 of 3

Consumer sentiment among mortgage holders fell to its lowest reading on records going back to 1994.

68.1

consumer sentiment among mortgage holders, November 2026

Lowest on records going back to 1994

The Westpac–Melbourne Institute survey of 1,200 adults ran from 2 to 6 November, across the Reserve Bank's rate decision.

Overall sentiment fell 2.7% to 78.2, seasonally adjusted, its weakest since late 2022. Among mortgage holders, it fell 11.6% to 68.1, the lowest on records going back to 1994.

The index of house price expectations, which is not seasonally adjusted, fell 13.4% to 99.6. A reading below 100 means more people expect prices to fall than to rise. It is the first reading below 100 since November 2022.

Of those surveyed after the rate decision, 72% expect mortgage rates to rise further over the next year.

Sentiment measures how people feel, not what they do. Buyers who feel less certain can take longer to sign. Issue 016 covered the Reserve Bank's rate decision.

What this means for you

Homeowners & developers
If you are selling to fund a build, price realistically and allow more time.
Architects & designers
Clients who feel uncertain may delay decisions. Offer staged fees and a clear decision timetable.
Builders
Expect more hesitation at signing. Set out variation and price escalation terms clearly in writing.
Finance brokers
Review clients whose fixed rates end in the next six months, and check their buffers.
Contractors
Households are reducing discretionary spending, so small renovation jobs may slow. Spread your work across more clients.
Consumer sentiment, November 2026
The three readings
Overall sentiment, November
78.2
Mortgage holders, a record low
68.1
House price expectations, the first reading below 100 since 2022
99.6
Where the readings sit
Where the readings sit
Mortgage holders68.1
All consumers78.2

The scale is drawn from 50 to 150. Westpac–Melbourne Institute, November 2026.

Source: Westpac–Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment, November 2026 (released 10 November 2026).

Market Watch · 03 · The Check, story 3 of 3

Ahead of the summer renovation season, the regulator is checking who is working on site.

752

tip-offs about unregistered or unlicensed work made through the Building and Plumbing Commission's online form in 2025-26

Reports can be made anonymously

On 11 November, the Building and Plumbing Commission said it is "turning up the dial" on unregistered and unlicensed practitioners in Victoria's home renovation market. Renovations make up almost half of all building projects in the state. The Commission is asking the public to report unregistered work, and reports can be made anonymously.

It follows a statewide blitz in September. Inspectors visited nearly 350 residential and commercial building sites and asked nearly 700 people for their credentials. Twenty-four were unregistered, all of them doing plumbing work. Issue 015 covered a fine for an unregistered builder.

For licensed plumbers, there is a specific risk. Letting an unregistered person do plumbing work on your behalf, other than a supervised apprentice, carries a penalty of more than $10,000.

Registered builders and plumbers benefit most from these checks. Checking a registration takes a few minutes.

What this means for you

Homeowners & developers
Before you sign a renovation contract this summer, check the registration and the insurance certificate.
Architects & designers
Check registration before recommending a builder, and keep a record that you did.
Builders
Include your registration and insurance details on every quote.
Finance brokers
On renovation loans, collect registration and insurance evidence early.
Contractors
Licensed plumbers: check every worker on your sites. Letting an unregistered person do plumbing work on your behalf, other than a supervised apprentice, carries a penalty of more than $10,000.
The September blitz, and the checks before work starts
The September blitz
Sites inspected
Nearly 350
People asked for their credentials
Nearly 700
Unregistered, all doing plumbing work
24
Check before you start
  1. 1Check the builder or plumber on the BPC register.
  2. 2Confirm insurance is in place before you pay a deposit.
  3. 3Report anything that does not add up to the BPC, anonymously if you prefer.
Search the BPC registerReport unregistered work to the BPC

Source: Building and Plumbing Commission, 11 November 2026 and 10 September 2026.

The Feature

Build the job before you price it. Your first report is free.

Send us one project's drawings. Our team builds the job in 3D, measures it from the model, and hands you the report you need to price it and plan it: a scope of works, a cost estimate or a construction programme. For the first 20 builders and contractors only.

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Twenty places, taken in the order applications arrive. When they are gone, the offer closes.

Applications close in

5pm, Friday 27 November

Apply for one of the 20 places

Market Watch shows fewer construction loans this quarter. For builders and contractors, that usually means fewer jobs to price and more competition for each one. The business that knows its numbers first, and knows them well, wins the work it wants.

It is the same report our subscribers request for their own jobs. Readers of The Build Brief can have their first one free, on a project of their own.

A 3D model of a timber frame for three townhouses: wall frames, floor joists and trusses, with the engineer's beams in steel.
Carpentry framing: every wall frame, joist and truss, modelled before it is measured.
A 3D model of two townhouses with each cladding type in its own colour: Hebel on the ground floor and first floor, and the party wall above the roofs.
External cladding: each product in its own colour, so every face is counted once.
A 3D model of a two-storey house with the brick piers, bands and portal frames marked with their schedule references.
Brickwork: the piers, bands and portals, each tagged to the schedule.

From BuilderHQ's own sample reports for 42 Ashcombe Street, Reservoir, not a client's.

  1. Modelled, then measured

    For most trades, your part of the job is built in 3D from the architectural and structural drawings, then measured from the model. Every quantity traces back to something you can see.

  2. Ready to order

    Materials are set out stage by stage, in the sizes and lengths suppliers stock, so the order can go out the day you win the job.

  3. The gaps, found first

    Whatever the drawings leave open is listed as a question for the builder or the designer, before you put your name to a price.

Three reports. Choose yours.

Scope of works

The job, or your part of it, built in 3D from the drawings and measured from the model.

  • Quantities by area, length and count
  • What is included and what is excluded
  • Materials by stage, in the sizes suppliers stock
  • The questions to raise before you price
Sample scope of works (PDF)

Cost estimate

What the job is likely to cost, before you put your name to a price. For builders, a cost proposal.

  • Low, Most Likely and High totals, including GST
  • Each trade, or your part, priced
  • The rate per square metre, against similar work
  • Provisional sums, inclusions and exclusions
Sample cost estimate (PDF)

Programme

When each stage starts and finishes, on real dates, from site start to handover.

  • Every stage, with its start and finish
  • Weather, holidays and the shutdown allowed for
  • Milestones and hold points marked
  • The risks, with time held in reserve
Sample programme (PDF)

How it works

  1. Apply

    Tell us about your business and the project, and upload the drawings. It takes about two minutes.

  2. We confirm your place

    We reply within one business day. If the drawings are not enough, we tell you what is missing.

  3. We prepare the report

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  4. You price the job

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Twenty places, taken in the order applications arrive. When they are gone, the offer closes.

Applications close in

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Within one business day
Report
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Reports
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Read the offer terms

Step 1 of 3

  1. About you
  2. The project
  3. The drawings

About you

I am a

About two minutes. We reply within one business day.

Offer termsFirst 20 only. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 27 November 2026.
Who can apply
Builders and contractors in Australia who do not hold a paid BuilderHQ plan. One application for each business.
What you receive
One report on one project, prepared by BuilderHQ's team from the drawings you send: a scope of works, a cost estimate (a cost proposal for a builder) or a construction programme. A contractor's report covers one trade. It is delivered to your BuilderHQ dashboard and opens in full.
The cost
The report is free.
Places
20 projects, accepted in the order applications are received. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 27 November 2026 (Melbourne time), or earlier once 20 projects have been accepted.
Timing
We reply within one business day to confirm your place. Reports are usually delivered within three business days of that confirmation.
The drawings
We need drawings that show the work, usually the architectural set and, where relevant, the structural drawings. If they are not enough to prepare the report, we will tell you within one business day and ask for what is missing.
What the report is
A cost estimate or cost proposal is a preliminary estimate, not a quote. Quantities in a scope of works are measured from the drawings and are subject to site measurement before ordering. A programme sets out planned timing from the drawings and the information given.

People on BuilderHQ's team prepare every report from the drawings. The samples above are BuilderHQ's own example reports, not a client's.

Know a builder or contractor who should see this? The offer has its own page: builderhq.com.au/free-report

Partner Corner

Meet ROAM Architects, and Little Maggie in Yarraville.

A North Melbourne practice working on homes, schools and civic buildings, founded in 2014.

Home extensions & Heritage renovations · North Melbourne, VIC · In the network since 2026

ROAM Architects logo

Architecture practice · North Melbourne, VIC

5.0

Google rating, 2 reviews

2014

Established

25+

Years' experience, each director

Why we introduce them

ROAM Architects was founded in 2014 by its directors, Amanda Robinson and Rod Allan, who each bring more than 25 years of experience from practices in Australia and the United Kingdom.

The practice

The studio works on homes, schools, healthcare and civic projects. Its homes are mostly renovations and extensions of older houses on tight inner-west sites, and its school work has won a Lysaght Design Award and an award from the Association for Learning Environments.

ROAM pairs the design with careful delivery, so a project is resolved and buildable before it reaches site.

View ROAM Architects’ partner profileMeet our Preferred Design Partners

The project

Little Maggie, Yarraville

A single-fronted weatherboard cottage in a heritage street, renovated and extended to open onto its garden.

The rear of Little Maggie: a white painted-brick garden room with an outdoor fireplace and open doors, under a timber-clad upper form, beside a bluestone terrace and garden.
Photography by Tatjana Plitt, from ROAM Architects.

The clients asked for a light-filled home that would make them feel they were sitting in the garden. They also wanted to keep two bedrooms and add a library for their book collection, separate from the main living spaces.

The cottage is close to the Yarraville village centre, in a heritage streetscape of mostly single-storey cottages, so the front of the house keeps its scale and character. The new work is at the rear: a kitchen, dining and living extension, and a separate library.

A glazed link joins the original cottage to the addition, whose upper form is clad in timber. Bi-fold and pivot doors open the garden room onto a north-facing bluestone terrace and courtyard garden, and a central double-sided fireplace lets the spaces be used all year.

The house was completed in 2020 and built by Portside Building.

See Little Maggie on ROAM Architects' website
Project
Little Maggie
Location
Yarraville, VIC
Type
Cottage renovation and rear extension
Practice
ROAM Architects
Builder
Portside Building
Completed
2020
The glazed link from the original cottage, looking through to the new living and dining room and its fireplace.The glazed link seen from the side courtyard, between white vertical boards and the timber-clad addition, with potted plants on the paving.
In Brief

Also this week

Victorian election: housing and trade commitments not covered in earlier editions.

Labor has committed $15.8 million for supported housing for adults living with mental illness, and $170 million for TAFE, including two new campuses offering construction and trade courses and a $45 million Home Building Centre at Chisholm's Dandenong campus. The Coalition has promised 10 technical colleges and to cover half of approved off-the-job training costs for apprentices in priority occupations. The Greens propose a $50 million independent rental regulator. Parties can ask the Parliamentary Budget Office for costings until 5pm on Wednesday 25 November.

These are election commitments, not current law.

Canberra: is there a land shortage?

Master Builders ACT and independent MLA Leanne Castley have challenged a Suburban Land Agency comment that Canberra does not have an undersupply of land. The ACT Government says the comment referred to the broader housing market. Its land release program releases land for 25,794 homes over the next five years.

The infrastructure royal commission's first public hearings are under way.

The royal commission into the integrity of Victoria's major public infrastructure projects began its first block of public hearings on 9 November, running to 20 November. The hearings take evidence; they do not make findings. The final report is due by 20 August 2027. Issue 007 covered the royal commission's terms.

Coming up

  • Wed 18 NovABS Wage Price Index, September quarter
  • Thu 19 NovABS Labour Force, October
  • Wed 25 NovABS monthly CPI, October
  • Wed 25 Nov, 5pmElection costing requests close
  • 25 to 26 NovMelbourne Build Expo, MCEC
  • Fri 27 Nov, 5pmFirst report applications close
  • Sat 28 NovVictorian state election
  • Tue 1 DecABS Building Approvals, October
  • Tue 8 DecRBA decision
Questions

Questions this edition answers

Is the 13.2% fall all home loans?
No. It is the fall in the number of loans to build a home, seasonally adjusted, in the September quarter. All new home loans fell 15.0%.
What does a house price expectations reading below 100 mean?
More people surveyed expect prices to fall than expect them to rise. The index was 99.6 in November 2026, the first reading below 100 since November 2022.
How do I check a builder or plumber's registration in Victoria?
Search the Building and Plumbing Commission's register of practitioners, and ask for the insurance certificate before paying a deposit.
Who can apply for a free first report?
Builders and contractors in Australia who do not hold a paid BuilderHQ plan. There are 20 places, and applications close at 5pm on Friday 27 November 2026 or earlier once 20 projects are accepted.
Which reports can I choose?
Builders and contractors can each choose a scope of works, a cost estimate (a cost proposal for a builder) or a construction programme. The offer also has its own page at builderhq.com.au/free-report.
Sources

Where this edition's numbers come from

The loans

The mood

The check

Partner Corner

In Brief

This edition used data and reporting from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Westpac and the Melbourne Institute, NAB, the Building and Plumbing Commission, Victorian Labor, the Victorian Greens, the Canberra Times, Master Plumbers, the ACT Government, the royal commission and Canberra Daily. The Build Brief is compiled by BuilderHQ, Melbourne.

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Construction loans fell 13.2% in the September quarter, mortgage holder sentiment reached a record low, and builders and contractors can apply for a first report prepared free. This week's Build Brief.

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The Build Brief is compiled by BuilderHQ, Melbourne. Read past editions at builderhq.com.au/build-brief.