Skip to content
BuilderVet
Join free

How to search NCAT decisions for a NSW builder

By BuilderVet team. Last reviewed 2 November 2026.

Go to NSW Caselaw, open Advanced Search, choose the Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Consumer and Commercial Division) and put the builder’s company name or surname in the Party names field. Then repeat the search on AustLII, but remember that only a selection of NCAT decisions are published, so finding nothing does not mean there has never been a dispute.

This guide covers where decisions are published, how to search them properly, how to read a decision once you find it, and the limits you need to keep in mind. It is one step in how to check a NSW builder. For the licence, company and regulator records together, run a free BuilderVet check.

Why search tribunal decisions at all?

Home building disputes in NSW are often heard by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, known as NCAT. AustLII’s description of the NCAT Consumer and Commercial Division lists home building among the matters it deals with, alongside consumer claims, tenancy, strata and others.

A published decision can tell you things no register does: what the homeowner said went wrong, what the builder said in reply, what an expert found, and what the tribunal ordered. The NSW licence register fact sheet itself points buyers to NSW Caselaw and AustLII as extra checks, next to the licence record, the Complaints Register and ASIC.

Where are NCAT decisions published?

There are two free places to look.

  • NSW Caselaw. This is the NSW Government’s site for decisions of NSW courts and tribunals. Its “About” page lists the Civil and Administrative Tribunal from 2014 to the present, split into the Appeal Panel and four divisions. Home building cases sit in the Consumer and Commercial Division, with the citation code NSWCATCD. Appeal Panel decisions use NSWCATAP.
  • AustLII. AustLII has a database for the NCAT Consumer and Commercial Division too. It is worth running the same names through both sites.

Older disputes may sit under the former Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal. NCAT’s published decisions page links to decisions of former tribunals that now form part of NCAT.

NSW Caselaw also publishes decisions of the District Court and Supreme Court. Ticking those courts as well costs nothing and catches any building dispute that was heard in a court.

How do you search NSW Caselaw properly?

A plain Google search is not enough. NSW Caselaw’s access policy says it uses the Robots Exclusion Protocol to stop search engine robots, other than its own search, from indexing decisions. So decisions often won’t show up in a normal web search even when they exist.

Use NSW Caselaw’s own Advanced Search instead:

  1. Open NSW Caselaw and click Advanced Search, under the search box.
  2. In the courts and tribunals list, tick Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Consumer and Commercial Division). Tick the Appeal Panel too.
  3. Put the company name in Party names. Try it with and without “Pty Ltd”.
  4. Run the search again with each director’s surname, and with any trading name on the quote.
  5. To narrow results, add a phrase in Catchwords, such as “home building”, or add “Home Building Act” in Legislation cited.
  6. Use Decision date from and to, in dd/mm/yyyy format, if the name is common.

NSW Caselaw’s search tips explain some useful tools:

  • AND, OR and NOT, typed in capitals, link search terms.
  • An asterisk finds multiple endings. For example, build* finds builder, builders and building.
  • Double quotation marks search an exact phrase.
  • In Advanced Search, several words without connectors are treated as AND, except in the free text field, which treats them as OR.

Why might there be nothing to find?

There are several reasons, and each one matters.

  • Only a selection is published. NCAT’s published decisions page says its President or Divisional Heads select decisions likely to be of public interest or useful as an educational tool, and that not all NCAT decisions are published on NSW Caselaw.
  • Agreed outcomes are not published. The NSW register fact sheet says many decisions and orders are not published, not all decisions are written, and NCAT orders are not published if they are agreed. Many building disputes settle.
  • Oral decisions take time. NSW Caselaw’s release schedule says decisions are generally released within 24 hours, but a decision read onto the record has to be written up first.
  • A different name was used. The case may be listed under a company name you don’t know, a former name, or a director personally.

So a result is useful information, and no result is not a clean bill of health.

How do you read a decision once you find one?

NCAT decisions on these sites usually open with a summary block before the reasons. Look at:

Part of the decision What it tells you
Case name Who the parties were. The applicant is usually the person who brought the claim.
Medium neutral citation The reference, such as [Year] NSWCATCD number. Use it to find the decision again.
Decision date How long ago this was.
Catchwords A short summary of the issues, such as defects, statutory warranties or a money order.
Decision or orders What the tribunal actually ordered, including any amount to pay.
Reasons The full story, including the evidence and why the tribunal decided as it did.

Read the orders and the reasons, not just the catchwords. A case can be brought by the builder against the homeowner, for example over an unpaid invoice. A case can also be lost by the homeowner. Neither of those tells you the same thing as a finding that work was defective.

What should you do with what you find?

We suggest treating a decision as a reason to ask questions, not as a verdict on the builder.

  • One old matter, resolved. Ask the builder about it. A clear answer is reasonable to expect.
  • A money order not paid. The NSW licence record can show non-compliance with a related tribunal order. Check the licence record for that entry. See how to check a NSW builder for disciplinary action.
  • Several recent matters about similar defects. Compare this with the Fair Trading complaints register and the licence record before you decide.

Worked example

Say your quote is from a company with a director whose surname is fairly common.

  1. You search the company name in Party names, ticking the Consumer and Commercial Division and Appeal Panel. One result appears from four years ago.
  2. You open it. The catchwords mention home building and statutory warranties, and the orders include a money order in the homeowner’s favour.
  3. You search the director’s surname with the catchword “home building” and a date range covering the last eight years. You get several results, but reading the case names shows they are other people.
  4. You run the company name through AustLII. The same decision appears, and nothing else.
  5. You check the licence record and there is no entry for failing to comply with a tribunal order.

You then ask the builder what happened on that job and how it was settled. That is a better conversation than one based on a review site.

How BuilderVet helps

Our free check brings the NSW licence, ASIC and ABN records for the business on your quote into one place, so you know which names to search on NSW Caselaw. For NSW builds, Build Watch (A$79 once) sends change notices for 24 months. See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Are all NCAT decisions published?

No. NCAT says only a selection of written decisions is published on NSW Caselaw, chosen because they are likely to be of public interest or educational. Agreed orders are not published.

Why can’t I find NCAT decisions on Google?

NSW Caselaw uses the Robots Exclusion Protocol to stop search engines indexing decisions. Search on NSW Caselaw directly instead.

Which NCAT division hears home building disputes?

The Consumer and Commercial Division. Its decisions carry the citation code NSWCATCD.

Is searching NSW Caselaw free?

Yes. NSW Caselaw and AustLII are both free to search and read.

Are NCAT Appeal Panel decisions published?

Yes. NCAT says all Appeal Panel decisions are published on NSW Caselaw.

Does no result mean the builder has never been to NCAT?

No. Many decisions are not published, not all are written, and agreed orders are not published. A case may also be listed under another name.

Can I get a copy of a decision in my own case?

NCAT says a party who needs a copy of their decision should contact the NCAT Registry.

Sources

Related guides

Put the records beside your quote

Search the exact business on your quote. Read the source dates and gaps before you decide.

Find your builder See a sample report

Last reviewed 2 Nov 2026