It is the responsibility of the contractor and owner, working together, to ensure the building work is carried out to an acceptable standard of quality and finish. Some owners may consider it desirable to engage their architect or designer to supervise these aspects of the work.

The building contractor has statutory and contractual obligations regarding the approval and inspection process. The homeowner is ultimately responsible for ensuring a building permit is issued, and any mandatory inspections are carried out.

Some builders offer a complete design, approval, and construction package. If the builder is to arrange for the building permit and inspections, the owner should discuss and agree on these certification arrangements with the builder. Details of the agreement should be recorded in a contract.

The builder must, on behalf of the owner, comply with any lawful requirement relating to the building work. Under the building contract, the builder must rectify any aspect of building work that does not comply with the building legislation.

Which party meets the cost of rectification will depend on the reason for the mistake. More than one party may be responsible for costs. Dispute resolution facilities are available through the Building Services Authority (BSA).