What being one of the Registered Master Builders means for you

When you start looking for a builder, a few names and logos come up again and again. One of the most common is Registered Master Builders. It is worth knowing what that badge means, because it is one of the easier ways to narrow a long list down to a short one.

Precision Built is a Registered Master Builder. We are also a small, hands-on team, so we know the badge is only part of the picture. This post explains both sides.

What is the Registered Master Builders Association?

Registered Master Builders is a national membership organisation for building businesses in New Zealand. It describes its members as having built the places New Zealanders live, work and play since 1892. People often search for it as the Registered Master Builders Association, and it has regional associations around the country, including in the Waikato.

Membership is for building businesses rather than individual tradespeople. The association supports its members with training, information and industry advocacy, and it runs resources for homeowners on its website, masterbuilder.org.nz.

How builders become members

Builders apply to join, and their application is assessed before membership is approved. In general terms, that assessment looks at things like building experience, qualifications, how the business is run, the standard of past work and feedback from clients. The idea is that a member is an established business that does good work and treats people fairly.

Members also commit to the standards the association sets, and there is a process for raising a concern about a member if something goes wrong. Master Builders has a section on its website about resolving disputes and complaints.

Master Builder or Licensed Building Practitioner?

These two get mixed up, and they are quite different things.

• A Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) is a government licence held by an individual. It shows that person is competent to carry out or supervise certain types of building work that are important to a home's structure and weathertightness.
• A Registered Master Builder is a building business that belongs to the Master Builders association. Membership is voluntary and sits on top of the legal requirements.

A good builder will usually have both: licensed people on the tools and a business that has chosen to meet the association's standards.

What membership gives you as a homeowner

The most practical benefit is access to the Master Build guarantees. Only members can offer them. The main one for new homes is the Master Build 10-Year Guarantee, which gives you independent protection if your builder cannot finish the job or put right defects. We explain how it works in our post on the Master Builders guarantee.

Every home we build is backed by the 10 Year Master Builders Guarantee.

Master Builders also offers homeowners tools such as Find a Builder and Check Your Builder on its website, along with guides on starting, building and finishing a project.

How to check a builder is a member

It is easy to check. Master Builders has a Check Your Builder tool on its website where you can look up a business by name. You can also simply ask the builder. A member will be happy to tell you, and to explain whether they can offer the 10-Year Guarantee on your project. If a builder uses the logo, it is fair to ask for the details.

What the badge does not tell you

Membership tells you a builder has met a standard. It does not tell you whether they are the right fit for your home. Two Master Builders can work in very different ways. Some build large numbers of homes from set plans. Others, like us, usually design from scratch and keep a small number of projects on the go so the same people stay close to each one.

So it is still worth asking every builder a few plain questions:

1. Who will be on site day to day, and who do I call with a question?
2. Can I visit the site during the build?
3. Can I talk to people you have built for recently?
4. How do you price, and what is included?
5. Can you show me homes like the one I want to build?

The last question is often the most useful. Have a look through our gallery of finished homes to see the kind of work we do, from schist-clad family homes in Tamahere to barn-style homes on rural sections.

“Since being in our home lots of people including tradies have commented on the quality of workmanship and finish.”

What it means for how we work

For us, being a Registered Master Builder is part of a wider commitment to doing things properly. Jonathan Quigley, our Managing Director, is hands-on and still gets on the tools himself when needed. Adam Patmore, our Project Manager, keeps each build organised and on track. We work with long-standing, quality subcontractors, and we keep in constant contact with clients so you always know where things are up to. You are welcome to visit the site and be involved as much as you like.

The practical takeaway

Use Registered Master Builders membership as a first filter. It points you to established building businesses and gives you access to the 10-Year Guarantee. Then spend your time on the things a badge cannot show: how a builder communicates, how they price and whether their finished homes feel right to you.

If you would like to know more about who we are, read about Jonathan and the team, or start a conversation about your project.