Articles, Guides, Checklists and Videos
Articles
10 Year Builders Guarantees vs Consumer Protection Law – What’s the Difference?
One of the most common questions we’re asked by builders is to explain the difference between their responsibility to guarantee their work for 10 years under the Building Act and the cover provided by a 10 year Homefirst, Certified Builders or Master Build Guarantee.
Managing Business Risk, Part Five – Personal/Family
In our final article in the four part series on managing risk for trade businesses we focus on the risk of something happening to key people in the business (that means you).
Managing Business Risk, Part Four – Financial
Unfortunately, it is a fact that over half of all New Zealand construction businesses will have failed after just four years*. The Mainzeal collapse in 2013 served to highlight the risk that many sub-contractors face when working for a principal contractor; the danger of not getting paid for work done and/or losing retention money that has been withheld.
Managing Business Risk, Part Three – Liability
Construction is a risky business, more so than most, yet many builders don’t spend enough time really understanding their risk environment and putting in place strategies to manage, avoid or transfer that risk.
Managing Risk in Your Business, Part Two – Property/Asset Risk
Construction is a risky business, more so than most, yet many builders don’t spend enough time really understanding their risk environment and putting in place strategies to manage, avoid or transfer that risk. In this second article in our Understanding Risk series, we focus on the area that is probably best understood; protecting assets from damage or loss.
Managing Risk in Your Business, Part One – Risk Principles
Life used to be simple. It was about survival, finding enough to eat and avoiding being eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger. Modern life is much more complicated, especially if you’re a builder and run a business. There’s a lot to think about and one of the most fundamental is how to minimise risk.
Videos
Guides & Checklists
Simple Risk Management Checklist
Use the checklist below to lower the odds of some of the most common risks faced by construction companies and tradies happening to you and your projects.
Key Risk Checklist for Builders
Work through the checklist to see how well you're managing the top 5 risks identified by builders. It's recommended to use the checklist for every job or project.
Building Contractor Risk Scorecard
Use this form to regularly assess key areas of risk. This will help identify trends in performance and indicate where action needs to be taken.
Easy Guide to Contract Works Insurance
Builtin’s Guide to Contract Works Insurance outlines some of the most important issues with this type of cover that builders need to be aware of when starting a new project.
Defective Workmanship Cover Explained
Defective workmanship—by you or your team—can expose you to thousands in liability, legal fees, and damages. Make sure you're properly protected.
Basic Tool Inventory for Builders
Use this table to work out how much your tools are worth and keep a record of them. You can save and update the list any time. You will be able to print a copy.
Builders Insurance Requirements Checklist
Use this form to check if there are any gaps in your insurance coverage compared to the areas of risk that you're exposed to.
Construction Project Risk Checklist
Use this form for each new job or project. It will help ensure you have covered off the most important tasks to mitigate risk to the project's success.
Construction Project Insurance Checklist
Every building project involves risk. The risk may be higher or lower, depending on a whole range of factors, and you will need to eliminate, isolate or minimise these risks.






