Terms & Conditions
Terms, Conditions & Disclaimers
These terms and disclaimers explain the basis on which information is published on this website and in Vero Living’s marketing materials, and they set out the commitments we make about our homes, pricing, timeframes and guarantees. They should be read together with your building contract.
Nothing on this website is an offer or a contract. The binding terms between you and Vero Living are those set out in your signed building contract, your preliminary works agreement, and the documents referred to in them. Where anything on this website differs from your building contract, your building contract prevails. These terms should be read together with that contract.
Words like “we”, “us” and “our” mean Vero Living Pty Ltd. “You” and “your” mean the person reading this website or named as the owner in a building contract with us.
1. Site Start Guarantee
We guarantee that construction commences within 8 weeks of your land settlement.
Document preparation
Upon signing the Preliminary Works Agreement, Vero Living will commence preparation of all documentation required to lodge the building permit application, including working drawings, structural engineering, the energy efficiency report and developer/design review approval. This work is undertaken prior to land settlement so that the permit application is complete and ready to lodge upon settlement. The client agrees to provide any information, selections or approvals reasonably required to complete this documentation in a timely manner.
Site start guarantee
The Site Start Guarantee commences on the date of land settlement. For untitled lots, the guarantee period does not begin until the developer has registered the title and settlement has completed; Vero Living makes no representation as to the timing of title registration or land settlement, which are outside its control. Subject to the below, Vero Living will lodge the building permit application within 3 business days of the later of land settlement and contract signing, and construction will commence within 8 weeks of land settlement.
Pause conditions
The guarantee period is paused, and the 8-week period extended accordingly, where:
a. the client requests variations to plans, selections or specifications after contract signing;
b. the client’s finance is not unconditional at settlement;
c. construction cannot lawfully commence due to outstanding statutory or authority approvals not attributable to Vero Living;
d. the client has not provided information, selections or approvals reasonably required to complete the permit documentation; or
e. delays are caused by the developer, relevant authority, or any party other than Vero Living.
Where a pause applies, the period resumes once the relevant matter is resolved.
Limitation of liability
The 8-week period applies only where land settlement has occurred, finance is unconditional, and all matters within Vero Living’s control are unimpeded. Vero Living is not liable for any delay to the commencement of construction caused by matters outside its reasonable control, including but not limited to building permit issue, building surveyor or authority processing times, developer or design review approvals, land titling or settlement timing, finance, or client-requested variations. Where construction has not commenced within 8 weeks for any such reason, the guarantee does not apply and Vero Living bears no liability. In all cases, Vero Living’s obligation under this guarantee is limited to commencing construction as soon as reasonably practicable, and the guarantee does not entitle the client to terminate the contract, withhold payment, or claim compensation, damages or loss of any kind.
2. Time to build
We refer to a four (4) month build for a single-storey home and an eight (8) month build for a double-storey home, depending on the size of the home.
These are indicative typical timeframes, based on the construction of a standard Vero home design, on a standard registered site, under normal conditions. They are measured from the commencement of on-site construction (base/slab stage) to practical completion.
The actual construction period for your home is the period stated in your building contract, and that period (including any extension of time provided for under the contract) is what governs your build. Construction may take longer than the indicative figures above for reasons including:
a. inclement or adverse weather, and the after-effects of weather on the site;
b. variations, changes or selections requested by you, or delays in you finalising selections, colours or upgrades;
c. delays in you obtaining finance or providing information or documents we require;
d. requirements, approvals or delays of any statutory authority, council, certifier or land developer;
e. site conditions encountered after construction begins that could not reasonably have been foreseen (for example rock, fill, soft soil, contamination or drainage issues);
f. availability of materials, products, trades or labour, and supply-chain disruptions;
g. industrial action, civil disruption, or disputes with neighbouring owners or occupiers;
h. anything done or not done by you or any third party; and
i. any other cause beyond our reasonable control.
The indicative build times are not a guarantee of a completion date unless a completion date is expressly stated as a guarantee in your building contract.
3. Fixed price and 12-month price hold
We offer a fixed price building contract and a 12-month price hold.
Price hold. The price we quote you is held for twelve (12) months from the date of your deposit. Within that period, the agreed figure will not rise due to general increases in the cost of materials or labour.
Fixed price. Once your building contract is signed, the contract price is locked in. The figure we agree on is the figure your home is built on — there are no adjustments after the fact for movements in build costs during your construction.
For full transparency, the contract price can change only in the limited circumstances expressly allowed under your building contract, all of which are visible to you before they apply:
a. variations — changes, additions or upgrades you request after signing;
b. provisional sums and prime cost items — allowances in your contract where the final cost is confirmed once the actual item is selected or the work is carried out, and which may be higher or lower than the allowance;
c. changes required by a statutory authority, council, certifier or developer after the contract is signed;
d. latent site conditions that could not reasonably have been foreseen and were not allowed for in your site costs;
e. changes in legislation, taxes, levies or statutory charges; and
f. costs arising from a delay or default caused by you.
The fixed price covers the scope of works in your contract only and does not include items outside that scope.
4. Advertised pricing
All prices shown on this website and in our marketing are base prices for the home design only, are correct at the time of publication, and are subject to change without notice until a building contract is signed.
Unless we expressly state otherwise, advertised and “from” prices do not include:
a. land;
b. site costs and site preparation (including any costs arising from the specific conditions or fall of your block);
c. developer, estate, covenant or design-guideline requirements;
d. council, statutory and authority fees, permits and charges;
e. upgrades, optional inclusions, façade or structural changes; and
f. landscaping, fencing, driveways, decking, pools, window furnishings, furniture and similar items unless specifically listed as included.
Prices vary depending on the home design, façade, inclusions selected, site and build location. House and land package prices involve a separate contract for the land with the relevant third party, and we are not responsible for the land component. For an accurate, itemised price for your home, please speak with our team and refer to your tender and building contract.
5. Defects liability period (24 months)
Every Vero home includes a twenty-four (24) month defects liability period, beginning at handover.
During this period, we will rectify, at our cost, defects or faults in the work that are our responsibility and that you notify to us in writing, in accordance with your building contract and the Guide to Standards and Tolerances. This period gives your new home time to settle in and lets us take care of items that need attention as it does.
The defects liability period does not cover:
a. damage caused by you, occupants or third parties, or by misuse, neglect or failure to maintain the home;
b. fair wear and tear, or damage caused by normal use;
c. alterations, additions or work carried out by anyone other than us;
d. items covered by separate manufacturer or supplier warranties; and
e. movement, shrinkage or settlement within accepted building tolerances (which, where applicable, we will attend to once toward the end of the period in line with standard industry practice).
The defects liability period is in addition to your statutory warranties and your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, and the binding terms are those in your building contract.
6. Statutory warranties
Every Vero home carries the statutory warranties implied into domestic building contracts under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (Vic). These are legislated rights that apply automatically to your home and cannot be excluded, restricted or modified — they apply regardless of any other guarantee we give.
In Victoria, the law also sets the timeframes within which a building action may be brought and within which statutory domestic building insurance responds — generally up to ten (10) years for major (structural) defects and two (2) years for non-structural defects, calculated from completion or the issue of the occupancy permit, as determined under the relevant legislation. Your statutory warranties operate alongside, and independently of, the Lifetime Transferable Structural Guarantee in section 7.
7. Lifetime Transferable Structural Guarantee
Above the statutory minimum, we guarantee the structure of your home for life. Our Lifetime Transferable Structural Guarantee is given by Vero Living in addition to — and does not reduce or replace — your statutory warranties, your statutory domestic building insurance, and your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
What it covers
Subject to the exclusions below, the guarantee covers major structural failure of the load-bearing elements of your home that we constructed — being the footings, the structural frame, load-bearing walls, the roof structure, and engineered structural elements — where that failure is established in accordance with the Building Code of Australia and the relevant Australian Standards (including AS 2870, AS 1684 and AS 4773). We will rectify a covered structural failure at our cost.
It transfers with your home
Unlike a guarantee tied only to the first owner, our structural guarantee is attached to the dwelling, not the original owner. If you sell your home, the guarantee transfers with the property to the new owner for the life of the dwelling, subject to these terms — lasting protection that carries genuine value down the track.
What it does not cover
The guarantee does not cover:
a. failure or damage caused by misuse, neglect, or failure to maintain the home in accordance with the documents provided at handover (including the CSIRO Guide to Foundation Maintenance and Footing Performance and the VBA footing guidance);
b. failure or damage caused by natural events or environmental factors, including weather, storm, rain, flood, fire, earthquake, wind, soil movement and termite or pest damage;
c. failure or damage arising from changes to site conditions after handover, including landscaping, planting of trees or gardens, paving, retaining, excavation, or poor surface or sub-surface drainage;
d. any structural modification, addition, extension, alteration or renovation to the home carried out after handover, or work by anyone other than us or our authorised contractors (which will void the guarantee);
e. normal settlement, shrinkage, movement or minor cracking within accepted building tolerances; and
f. anything that is not a major structural element, including finishes, fixtures, fittings, appliances and non-structural components (these may be covered by the defects liability period in section 5, by your statutory warranties, or by manufacturer warranties).
Maintaining your guarantee
To keep the guarantee valid, the home must be maintained in accordance with the building contract, the approved engineering, the handover documents, and the maintenance guides referred to above.
It’s in writing, from the start
Your guarantee is captured in your building contract and reflected in your preliminary works agreement, so you receive it in writing as part of your contract documents. There is no separate deed to keep track of — it is simply part of the paperwork from day one.
If Vero Living is no longer operating
This guarantee is a contractual promise made by Vero Living Pty Ltd. Like any guarantee given by a business, our ability to honour a claim under it depends on Vero Living continuing to operate.
Your home is, however, protected on two further fronts that do not depend on us:
• your statutory warranties stand regardless of what happens to us as a business — they are legislated rights (see section 6); and
• we hold Domestic Building Insurance through the VMIA (Victorian Managed Insurance Authority) for your build, which provides a further layer of cover should a builder be unable to complete the work or remedy a defect — subject to the cover amounts, timeframes and conditions set under that policy and the relevant legislation.
We encourage you to retain your insurance certificate and contract documents.
More information
For more information about the Lifetime Transferable Structural Guarantee, please contact us at [email/phone].
8. Renders, images and illustrations
Renders, artist’s impressions, photographs, illustrations, floor plans and videos shown on this website and in our marketing are for illustrative purposes only and are impressions of the home, not a precise representation of the finished product.
They:
a. are intended as a guide only and should not be relied on as an accurate depiction of any home as built;
b. may show upgrades, optional inclusions, façade options, fixtures, finishes and features that are not part of the standard inclusions or base price and are available at additional cost;
c. may include items we do not supply — for example furniture, decorative items, window furnishings, landscaping, fencing, decking, pools and outdoor structures;
d. may show colours, materials and finishes that differ from the actual product, including variation in colour reproduction on screen; and
e. include floor plans and dimensions that are approximate, not to scale, and subject to change, council and engineering requirements, and final working drawings.
For the standard inclusions, available façades and accurate plans and dimensions for any home, please speak with our team and refer to your tender, working drawings and building contract.
9. Australian Consumer Law
Nothing in these terms, in any guarantee we offer, or in our marketing excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)), the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (Vic), or any other law that cannot lawfully be excluded (“non-excludable rights”).
Our guarantees and commitments are provided in addition to, and do not take away from, your non-excludable rights. To the extent permitted by law, and except in relation to your non-excludable rights, our liability is limited as set out in your building contract.
10. General
• Website information. While we take care to keep this website accurate and current, we do not warrant that it is free from errors or omissions, and to the extent permitted by law we are not liable for any loss arising from reliance on it. Information, designs, inclusions, prices and offers may be changed or withdrawn at any time without notice.
• Intellectual property. All content on this website is owned by or licensed to Vero Living and is protected by copyright. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part without our written permission.
• Changes to these terms. We may update these terms from time to time. The version published on this website at the time you view it applies.
• Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.
Email: Sales@veroliving.com.au
Phone: 0433 605 045