This article was written by Nancy Wang Principal Solicitor at W & G Lawyers.
In 2024, the Queensland Court of Appeal clarified the limited circumstances in which a builder owes a duty of care to a later purchaser of a home. In Raymond v Lewis [2024] QCA 43, the Court confirmed that a builder does not owe a subsequent purchaser a duty of care to avoid pure economic loss from construction defects unless that purchaser was “relevantly vulnerable” at the time of purchase. Vulnerability, in this context, means the purchaser was incapable of protecting themselves against that economic loss — and whether the defects were reasonably discoverable at the time of purchase is central to that question.
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