Major defect
A major defect is a defect in a major element of a building, such as a load-bearing part, a fire safety system or the waterproofing, caused by defective design, workmanship or materials or by a failure to meet the building code. Statutory home warranties give it a longer period than other defects.
An Australian statutory term. New South Wales defines it in the Home Building Act and warrants major defects for six years and other defects for two; Victoria’s First Resort Home Warranty uses the same six and two years from July 2026. Queensland, the ACT and the Northern Territory draw the same line as structural against non-structural.
The label decides the clock. A leaking shower and a cracked tile can sit side by side in month thirty, and only one of them is still inside the warranty. The argument that follows is about cause and element: was it the membrane or the silicone, the beam or the plaster over it. It is settled by what was recorded when the work was built and when the fault first showed.
How IssuesId holds it
IssuesId keeps the facts the major-defect question turns on. Each defect carries its photo with the phone’s capture time, the room from the location tree, a classification from your own list such as Waterproofing or Structure, and every step stamped against a named person. Inspections answered during the build sit on the same record, so the membrane check before tiling is there when the stain arrives.
Two questions people ask
Definitions describe common usage and the usual shape of standard-form contracts. Your contract and your jurisdiction’s building law set the terms that apply to your job. The whole list is at the glossary.