For Owners
Protect your money when building a home
Your money stays protected until the work is done. BuildFair sends release instructions only when you approve.
The current system
Your money rides on the builder's solvency.
Construction in Australia runs on progress payments paid into the builder's business account. From the moment the funds clear, they're commingled with everything else that business is funding, and exposed to anything else that business owes.
The industry has produced enough collapses recently to make the cost of this exposure clear: deposits and progress payments lost, subcontractors unpaid, jobs half-finished. The builders involved aren't always the cause; the structure puts solvent owner money behind whatever debts the building company is carrying.
BuildFair changes where the money sits. Funds are held by our banking partner Kobble until you approve a release, identity-verified people are the only ones who can be paid, and every state change is recorded in a tamper-evident ledger.
Money spent only on your project
Funds in the project account can only be released to people verified on the project, your builder, the subcontractors, the suppliers doing the work. They can't be redirected to another job, another customer, or the builder's operating account. The structure makes that impossible by design.
Protected if the builder goes under
Project funds sit with our banking partner Kobble, not on the builder's balance sheet. If the builder becomes insolvent, the unpaid project money isn't part of the insolvency estate. It remains available to release to subcontractors and suppliers who actually did the work, or back to you for any unspent balance. (Insolvency is a legal process and your specific rights vary by state, talk to a construction lawyer for specifics.)
Released only under project rules
Money moves when the project's release conditions are met, a progress claim approved by you, work signed off, evidence attached. It doesn't move because the builder needs cashflow this week, or because someone asks the right person. The rules are the rules.
Full visibility into your project
A live dashboard of what's been claimed, approved, paid, and what's still in the budget. Updated as things happen, not at the end of the month. You don't need to wait for the next site meeting to know where you stand.
Approve every builder invoice
Every progress claim and every variation needs your explicit approval before money moves. You see what's being claimed, what evidence has been attached, and what's left in the budget, before you decide. Nothing slips through.
Everyone on your project is verified
Builder, subcontractors, suppliers, all identity-verified through Sumsub before they can receive a single dollar from your project. Phantom invoicing and payee fraud stop being possible by construction.
How it's built
Australian-built. Regulated custody. Verifiable ledger.
- Funds custody: Regulated account infrastructure with our banking partner Kobble.
- Identity verification: Sumsub for every party who can receive funds.
- Ledger: Double-entry, hash-chained audit trail. Every approval, payment, and rejection is permanently recorded.
- Compliance: Not currently required to be an AUSTRAC reporting entity.
FAQ
Owner questions, answered.
What happens if my builder becomes insolvent?
Funds you've paid that haven't yet been released for work done remain in the regulated holding account. They are not on the builder's balance sheet, so they aren't part of an insolvency estate. Any approved-but-unpaid amount can still be released to subcontractors and suppliers who did the work. Any unspent project funds remain available to you. Insolvency is a legal process and your rights vary by state. Talk to a construction lawyer for specifics.
Who actually holds the money?
Our banking partner Kobble holds the funds. BuildFair is the platform that orchestrates approvals and instructions; it does not hold customer money directly.
How does this work alongside my construction loan?
Your construction loan progress payments are drawn at the bank's usual milestones. From there they flow into the project account on BuildFair instead of straight to the builder's business account. The change is where the money sits between your bank and the people doing the work, not how the bank releases it.
Can I change builders mid-project?
Project funds you haven't released stay with you. Approved-but-unpaid amounts owed to subcontractors and suppliers for completed work are still payable from project funds. Switching builders is a legal and contractual process. BuildFair makes the financial position clean, but the contract side is between you, your builder, and your lawyer.
Is my information secure?
Identity verification runs through Sumsub. Funds custody is handled through regulated account infrastructure. The platform ledger is double-entry with a hash-chained audit trail. Every change is tamper-evident.
Ask your builder.
The builder onboards. As one of the founding 100, they get 3 years of access for the price of one year. You get the visibility and protection. Copy this and send it however you talk to your builder.
BuildFair also helps builders stop financing the job out of pocket and subcontractors get paid on time.