Member terms

These terms form the membership agreement between [Company name] Pty Ltd (ABN [ABN to be confirmed]) ("we", "us") and each builder or trade business accepted onto The VIP Register ("you", a "member"). Part A applies to every member. Part B applies to builders and Part C to trades. The fee schedule is at the end.

Part A — All members

A1. Joining

1. You become a member when we confirm in writing that your application has passed the standard described in How we vet and a place is available.
2. Places in each builder tier and each trade are capped. Passing the standard doesn't guarantee a place; if your tier or trade is full, we'll offer you the next place that opens, in the order applications passed.
3. You confirm that everything in your application is true and complete, and you consent to the checks described in How we vet, including calls to your referees and a visit to a current job.

A2. What we provide

1. A profile on the register showing your business name, tiers or trade, suburbs, statement, selected projects, licence number and the month you were last vetted.
2. Introductions to homeowners whose projects suit your tiers or trade and area. We don't promise any number or value of introductions.
3. The right to describe yourself as a member, as set out in A6.

A3. Your obligations

1. Hold, at all times, every licence, registration and insurance required for your work, including public liability and (if you have employees) workers compensation.
2. Tell us in writing within 5 business days if: a licence or insurance lapses, is suspended or gets new conditions; a company you direct enters external administration; or you receive a Fair Trading or Building Commission NSW order, or an NCAT decision is made against you.
3. Comply with the law in all your work for homeowners we introduce, including NSW home building contract, deposit and home building compensation requirements.
4. Respond to each introduction within 2 business days — even if only to decline it — and tell us the outcome when we ask.
5. Use homeowners' details only to respond to that introduction, keep them confidential, and handle them in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
6. Make sure everything you give us for your profile — text, photos, project details — is accurate, and that you have the right (including the homeowner's permission where needed) to let us publish it.
7. Take part in the annual review in good faith.

A4. Fees

1. You agree to pay the fees in the fee schedule below. Fees exclude GST, which is added.
2. Fees are payable yearly in advance or, if you choose, monthly by direct debit over the 12-month membership year.
3. If a payment is more than 14 days overdue, we'll tell you in writing, and may pause your listing until it's paid.
4. We may change fees for future membership years by giving you at least 60 days' written notice before your renewal. If you don't accept the change, you can end your membership at renewal with no further fees.

A5. Term, renewal and ending membership

1. Membership runs for 12-month membership years. We'll remind you at least 30 days before each renewal, and it renews unless either of us gives written notice before the renewal date.
2. You may end your membership at any time on 30 days' written notice. If you've paid yearly in advance, fees aren't refunded for the rest of that year, except under A5.4. If you pay monthly, monthly payments stop at the end of the notice period.
3. We may end your membership without giving a reason on 30 days' written notice.
4. If we end your membership under A5.3, or close the register or your tier or trade, we'll refund any fees you've paid for the unused part of the membership year.
5. Removal under the removal policy follows the process in A7.

A6. Using our name

1. While you're a current member, you may describe yourself as "a member of The VIP Register, vetted [month and year]", using the wording and marks we supply.
2. You must not suggest that membership is a licence, certification or accreditation, or that we guarantee your work.
3. When membership ends or is paused, you must stop using our name and marks within 14 days, including on your website, vehicles and social media.

A7. Review, pausing and removal

1. Each member is vetted again every 12 months against the standard current at the time.
2. We may pause your listing while a licence or insurance has lapsed, while a payment is overdue (A4.3), or while we look into a concern about your work. We'll tell you why and keep the pause no longer than reasonably needed.
3. We may remove you in the circumstances set out in the removal policy. Before removing you, we'll tell you the reasons in writing and give you at least 10 business days to respond, except where your licence or required insurance has been cancelled, in which case removal can be immediate.
4. If you're removed for a reason within your control, fees for the rest of the membership year aren't refunded. If you're removed for any other reason, A5.4 applies.
5. A removed member may reapply after 12 months.

A8. Your profile and content

1. You keep ownership of the content you supply. You give us a non-exclusive licence to publish and adapt it (for example, cropping photos) on the register and in our marketing of the register while you're a member, and for a reasonable period afterwards to remove it.
2. We may decline or edit profile content to keep the register accurate and consistent — for example, removing claims we can't support.

A9. Liability

1. You are responsible for your work and your dealings with homeowners. We are not a party to your contracts with homeowners.
2. To the extent the law allows, each party's total liability to the other under these terms is limited to the fees paid or payable in the 12 months before the claim arose. This limit doesn't apply to a party's fraud, or to your obligations under A3.5 (homeowners' information) and A6 (use of our name).
3. Nothing in these terms excludes rights under the Australian Consumer Law that can't be excluded.

A10. Disputes

If we disagree about these terms, we'll first try to resolve it by talking. If that fails within 20 business days, either of us may refer it to mediation through the Australian Disputes Centre before starting court proceedings (except for urgent relief).

A11. Changes to these terms

We may change these terms by giving you at least 30 days' written notice. If a change is materially to your detriment, you may end your membership before it takes effect and receive a refund under A5.4.

A12. General

These terms are governed by the law of New South Wales. Notices may be given by email to the address each party has provided.

Part B — Builders

1. You may hold one or more of the five tiers. Each tier is assessed separately, and you may apply to add a tier at any time.
2. You must maintain eligibility for home building compensation (HBCF) cover for the work in your tiers, and give homeowners evidence of cover before taking any money or starting work, where the law requires it.
3. For Tiers 3 and 4, and the Prestige Collection, you must give us the additional references and documents listed in How we vet, including (for Tier 4 and Prestige) an accountant's letter confirming solvency at each annual review.
4. The Prestige Collection is by invitation only. An invitation can be withdrawn under the removal policy like any other place.
5. You must tell us within 5 business days if your HBCF eligibility limits change.

Part C — Trades

1. You are listed in one trade category. You may apply for a second category, which is assessed separately.
2. You must hold the licence class required for your trade, and provide compliance certificates (for example, a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work) where the law requires them.
3. Where you work under a member builder on a project we introduced, these terms continue to apply to your conduct on that project.

Fee schedule

Founding members (accepted before the register opens in February 2027): no assessment fee; no membership fee for the first 12 months; then 20% off the annual fee for the following 2 years. A founding member may leave at the end of the free period with no fee payable.