Homeowner’s $25k housing grant killed over shock loophole

A tribunal ruling has reinforced a strict rule designed to ensure prices are capped. Picture: Jodie Richter A homeowner has lost a $25,000 federal housing grant after authorities ruled a common cost-cutting move breached strict contract rules. The Commissioner of State Revenue’s office rejected the homeowner’s application for the federal HomeBuilder grant – which it administered – after discovering certain construction arrangements made the build ineligible. HomeBuilder grants were pushed out during the pandemic to keeping construction workers in jobs and keep the economy ticking along. That decision was upheld by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, with a subsequent appeal by the homeowner Donald Alexander now also dismissed – as authorities drew a firm line against homeowners who split construction contracts – even when work occurs under a licensed builder’s supervision. Dismissing the appeal, QCAT Senior Member Aughterson ruled that grant guidelines legally required a single licensed builder to contract the work from start to finish. The judgment said “comprehensive” means “a contract under which a builder undertakes to build a home from the start of the building w...