REGULATOR
The VBA is now the Building and Plumbing Commission
If you have gone looking for the VBA lately and found the Building and Plumbing Commission instead, you are not imagining it. From 1 July 2025 the regulator changed. Here is what that means for your compliance certificates, and what has not changed.
What changed on 1 July 2025
On 1 July 2025 the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) was replaced by the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC). The BPC brings the old VBA functions together with domestic building dispute resolution and the domestic building insurance arm under one regulator, with stronger powers to act on defective work. For plumbers, the body that oversees licensing, registration, and plumbing compliance is now the BPC.
What stayed the same
The day-to-day obligations did not disappear with the name. Regulated plumbing work still needs a compliance certificate, the thresholds and timeframes carry over, and lodgement still runs through the VBA360 system for now. Your licence or registration remains the thing that lets you certify work. The letterhead changed more than the rules you work to.
New powers worth knowing
The reform gave the regulator a stronger hand, including the ability to order rectification of defective work after an occupancy permit is issued, which is often when problems surface. The practical takeaway for a plumber is simple: the regulator can look back at completed work, so being able to show what a finished job looked like on the day matters more, not less.
Updating your own records and templates
If your invoices, letterheads, or job templates still name the VBA as the regulator, they are now out of date, and worth a pass to reference the Building and Plumbing Commission. The compliance record itself, the photos and the standards the work was checked against, is unaffected. Elemetric keeps that record the same way regardless of the regulator's name.
Common questions
Is the VBA gone?
The Victorian Building Authority was replaced by the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) on 1 July 2025. The VBA360 lodgement system is still in use during the transition, so you will still see the VBA name in places.
Do I need a new licence under the BPC?
No. Existing plumbing licences and registrations carry over to the new regulator. Your obligation to issue and lodge compliance certificates for regulated work is unchanged.
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Download on the App Store →General information for licensed tradespeople, not legal or regulatory advice. The licensed plumber remains solely responsible for compliance. Refer to the current AS/NZS 3500 standards and the Building and Plumbing Commission (formerly the VBA) for authoritative requirements.