Who Counts as an Owner Builder
The NHBRC is governed by the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, 1998. The NHBRC’s guide quotes the Act’s definition: an owner builder is “a person who builds a home for occupation by himself or herself; or a person who is not a registered home builder and who contemplates the building of his or her home”.
The guide adds conditions. You must be the registered owner of the property, as per the title deed. The exemption is considered for your primary residence, or a home where you will ordinarily live. Only a natural person qualifies: a trust, or a trustee or beneficiary of a trust, does not.
What the Exemption Is
An owner builder applies to the NHBRC for an exemption, and the guide explains the process as establishing whether the home will be exempted from, meaning not covered by, the NHBRC warranty scheme. An owner builder does not have to register as a home builder to apply.
Who Has to Pass the Technical Assessment
The guide is direct: “The Applicant (Owner Builder) or the person assisting the Applicant (Power of Attorney) who will be overseeing the work will be required to complete a technical assessment so that their technical capability to construct or supervise the construction of a home can be ascertained.”
If someone applies for you under a power of attorney, the guide says: “the POA has to complete and pass the Technical Assessment Test.”
So the assessment is written by whoever will oversee the building: you, or the person you give power of attorney to.
How to Apply
- Where: hand-deliver the original application form and supporting documents to the NHBRC office in the region where you intend to build.
- Signatures: the application form and a motivational affidavit must be signed and stamped by a Commissioner of Oaths. If you are married in community of property, or out of community of property with accrual, your spouse must also complete and sign the application form. In both cases include a certified copy of your marriage certificate, plus the registered antenuptial contract if you are married out of community of property.
- Copies: certified copies must not be older than three months.
- Documents: among others, your certified ID, your title deed, and a power of attorney if someone applies on your behalf. The guide lists them all in section 4.
- Proof: make your own copies and make sure the office stamps your application form with the office and date.
- Acknowledgement: the office must acknowledge receipt by email within two working days. If it doesn’t, ask the office about your application.
Before You Start Building
The guide recommends that construction does not start before you have written feedback from the NHBRC on your application. If building has already started, you must submit extra documents, including a competent person’s report and a site soil classification. After an application is accepted, the regional office inspects the site to see whether construction has started and, if it has, whether it complies with the NHBRC’s technical requirements.
How the Decision Is Made
The NHBRC Executive Committee makes the final decision. Applications are checked first at monthly Technical Evaluation Committee meetings at head office, and the decision is emailed to applicants within 14 working days after the Executive Committee meeting.
What the Guide Doesn’t Say
The guide doesn’t say how owner builders book the assessment, or whether the two-attempts-in-30-days rule on the NHBRC registration page applies to them. That rule is written for builders who have paid the application fee. Ask your regional office both questions when you hand in your application.
The guide is dated May 2021, and it says office locations and contact details may change, so confirm them with the NHBRC’s national office before you submit.
Preparing for the Assessment
The guide doesn’t describe the assessment itself. For builders, the NHBRC names the Home Builders Manual Parts 1, 2 and 3 as the material to study for the technical exam. Ask your office whether the same manual applies to you.
Our page on the NHBRC technical assessment sets out what the NHBRC publishes about it. The two-week preparation plan shows one way to study. You can try the free 10-question practice test with no account.
Questions People Ask
Do I need to register with the NHBRC to build my own house?
The guide says an owner builder does not need to register as a home builder
to apply for the exemption. You do apply to the NHBRC for the exemption,
with the documents in section 4 of the guide.
Can my builder write the assessment for me?
The guide says the assessment is for the owner builder or the person with
power of attorney “who will be overseeing the work”.
Can I apply through my family trust?
No. The guide says a trust, and a trustee or beneficiary of a trust, does
not qualify.
Official statements on this page are from the NHBRC’s “Guide for Owner Builder Exemption Applicants” (May 2021) and nhbrc.org.za, checked on 28 September 2026. Requirements can change; confirm them with your regional NHBRC office. This page is general information, not legal advice. NHBRC Test is independent test preparation and is not affiliated with the National Home Builders Registration Council.