.jpg)
Owner Builder Course WA Online: What to Expect Before You Enrol
Planning to Become an Owner Builder in WA?
If you're planning to manage your own building project in Western Australia, you may already have come across the requirement to demonstrate that you understand the duties and responsibilities of an owner builder.
For many applicants, this means completing an owner builder course relevant to Western Australia.
The good news is that the training can be completed online, allowing you to work through the course before preparing your owner-builder approval application.
But before enrolling, it's worth understanding exactly why the course is required, what evidence you'll need and where the training fits into the overall WA owner-builder process.
Do You Need an Owner Builder Course in WA?
Not every applicant has to demonstrate their knowledge in exactly the same way.
The current WA Government requirements provide several pathways for demonstrating sufficient knowledge of an owner builder's duties and responsibilities.
For most people without relevant building-industry registration, the applicable pathway is to complete owner-builder training with Western Australian-specific content within the previous 24 months.
The current Form 75 also provides alternative pathways for people who hold certain current or previous registrations, including WA building practitioners and specified registered building professionals.
So if you're simply a property owner preparing to owner build and don't qualify through one of those professional pathways, owner-builder training is likely to be the pathway relevant to you.
Can You Complete a WA Owner Builder Course Online?
Yes. Owner Builder Institute's WA Owner Builder Course is delivered online, so you can complete your training without attending a traditional classroom.
This can be particularly useful whether you're in Perth or building in regional WA, or balancing the project around work and family.
The important distinction is that the course needs to be relevant to Western Australia.
Owner-builder rules aren't identical across Australia, so someone preparing an application in WA needs training that addresses the responsibilities and requirements relevant to owner building in WA.
What's Included in the WA Owner Builder Course?
The Owner Builder Institute WA Owner Builder Course is designed to take you through the owner-builder process from preparing for approval through to managing your build, inspections and completion.
The course contains 10 modules:
Becoming an Owner Builder in WA
What Owner Builders Can and Cannot Build
Owner Builder Approval, Form 75 & Legal Status
The WA Building Permit Process
Reading & Interpreting Plans and Drawings
Contracts, Quotes, Budgets & Progress Payments
WHS Duties, PCBU & WorkSafe WA
Insurance, Home Indemnity & Selling Obligations
Site Management, Sequencing & Construction Safety
Inspections, Completion & Pocket Guide to Safety
You work through the course in five parts — Getting Approved; Permits, Plans & Contracts; WHS and Insurance; Managing Your Build; and Inspections & Completion — with a quiz after each of the first four parts and a final quiz at the end.
The training goes beyond simply explaining how to apply. It is designed to help you understand the responsibilities you'll take on when managing your own building project in Western Australia.
How Long Does the WA Owner Builder Course Take?
Most students complete the course in approximately 2–4 hours.
Because the course is delivered online, you can work through the training from home rather than attending a classroom.
What Do You Receive When You Finish?
After successfully completing the course, you'll receive a Certificate of Completion that provides evidence of your owner-builder training.
Keep this certificate safe, as it can form part of the evidence you provide when demonstrating your owner-builder knowledge for your Form 75 application.
You'll also receive Owner Builder Institute's Owner Builder Professional Toolkit, containing three practical templates designed to help you manage your project:
Project Management e-Kit – project registers, approvals, insurance and contact records, build scheduling, cost tracking and a site diary.
Defects Prevention & Quality Control System – stage-by-stage checks designed to help you manage quality requirements and payment points throughout construction.
Final Inspection & Defect Register – a room-by-room inspection and defect-recording system to help you document outstanding items before final payments.
The toolkit is included with the course and emailed to you after completion.
What Does a WA Owner Builder Course Prepare You For?
Becoming an owner builder involves considerably more than physically building a house yourself.
As an owner builder, you're taking responsibility for managing and supervising the building work rather than engaging a registered building contractor to take responsibility for the entire project.
Your training should help you understand the responsibilities that come with that role and prepare you to approach your project in an organised and informed way.
That includes understanding areas such as planning the build, working with trades and contractors, construction safety, documentation and your responsibilities throughout the project.
The course isn't there to turn you into a qualified builder or teach you every trade.
Instead, it's about helping you understand the role you're proposing to take on.
Your Owner Builder Course Is Only One Part of the Application
This is an important one.
Completing an owner builder course does not automatically give you owner-builder approval.
The course provides evidence that can be used to demonstrate your knowledge when applying for owner-builder approval.
You'll still need to meet the other eligibility requirements and submit the required application and supporting evidence.
The WA Government currently requires owner-builder approval before you can apply to your local government for a building permit as an owner builder.
Think of it as:
Training → Owner-Builder Approval → Building Permit → Construction
That makes the course an early part of the process, rather than the final approval to start building.
Don't Forget Your White Card
One of the easiest things to misunderstand is the relationship between an owner builder course and a White Card.
They are not the same thing.
Under the current Form 75 training pathway, an applicant relying on a WA owner-builder course must also provide a copy of a White Card, Blue Card or other document showing completion of the unit of competency “Prepare to work safely in the construction industry.”
The WA Government accepts both White Cards and WA Blue Cards as evidence of construction induction training.
We'll cover this in much more detail in our separate guide:
Do You Need a White Card to Become an Owner Builder in WA?
How Long Is Your WA Owner Builder Training Evidence Current?
This is particularly important if you're planning your project well in advance.
Under the current Form 75 course pathway, the owner-builder course must have been completed no more than two years before the date of your application.
In other words, don't complete the course years ahead of a project and assume the training evidence will remain current indefinitely.
For most people who are actively preparing to owner build, completing the training as they begin organising their approval documents makes much more sense.
What Happens After You Complete the Course?
Once you've completed your training, keep your evidence of completion somewhere safe.
When you're ready to apply for owner-builder approval, you'll need to provide the required evidence showing how you satisfy the owner-builder knowledge requirement.
You'll also need to prepare the other information required for your application, including evidence of your interest in the land and the details required by Form 75.
We've created two guides to help with that next stage:
What Happens After Owner-Builder Approval?
Your course and owner-builder approval still aren't your building permit.
Once owner-builder approval is granted, the WA Government currently gives you six months to apply to your local government for the relevant building permit. If no building-permit application is made within that period, the owner-builder approval expires.
Once you're at that stage, our existing WA Building Permit Steps After Owner Builder Approval guide can take over.
Choosing an Online Owner Builder Course in WA
Before enrolling in any course, make sure it is relevant to Western Australia's owner-builder requirements and that you understand what evidence you'll receive when you complete it.
Owner Builder Institute's WA Owner Builder Course is designed specifically for people preparing to become owner builders in Western Australia.
It's delivered online, so you can complete the training from home and then use your evidence of completion as part of your owner-builder application, subject to meeting the other applicable eligibility and application requirements.
Ready to Get Started?
If you're preparing to owner build in Western Australia, you can start your training online with Owner Builder Institute.
For the official eligibility and application requirements, you can also check the WA Government Owner-Builder Approval page before applying.
Comments