Frequently Asked Questions

HomeOwner Guardian is a comprehensive digital tool for Australian homeowners to track and document their home construction project. It helps you monitor variations, defects, inspections, certifications, and payment milestones — creating legal-ready documentation that can be used for NSW Fair Trading complaints or NCAT disputes.

Yes! The free plan lets you track 1 project with up to 3 defect records and 2 variations. This is perfect for getting started. Guardian Pro ($14.99/mo) unlocks unlimited projects, defects, variations, PDF exports, and certification gates.

Guardian is built for three types of users: Homeowners building or renovating a home, Builders managing construction projects, and Certifiers inspecting and signing off on work. Each role gets a tailored experience.

After signing up, click "Create New Project" from your dashboard. You'll select your build type (new build, renovation, etc.) and state, then enter your project details including builder name, license number, contract value, and site address. Guardian will automatically set up stage-specific checklists based on your state's building regulations.

No. HomeOwner Guardian runs entirely in your web browser and works on any device — desktop, tablet, or mobile. Simply visit vedawellapp.com/guardian and sign in. No app store downloads required.

The Pre-Plasterboard (Pre-Drywall) Checklist is one of the most critical inspection points in your build. Before plasterboard goes up, you need photo evidence of ceiling batts, wall insulation, electrical rough-in, plumbing rough-in, and fire safety measures. Guardian provides a structured checklist with mandatory photo uploads to ensure nothing gets hidden behind walls.

The Variation Lockbox requires digital signatures BEFORE any variation work begins. When your builder proposes a change, you log it in Guardian with the description, cost, and reason. Both parties must acknowledge the variation before work starts. This prevents surprise charges and creates an auditable trail of all changes to your original contract.

Certification Gates block payment milestones until required compliance documents are uploaded. For example, you can set a gate requiring EICC (Electrical Installation Compliance Certificate), plumbing compliance certificate, or waterproofing certificate before releasing a progress payment. This ensures your builder meets all regulatory requirements before getting paid.

Yes. Guardian supports photo uploads for defects, progress tracking, site visits, and checklist items. All photos are timestamped and stored immutably — meaning they can't be altered after upload. This creates legal-ready evidence for any future disputes.

Guardian Pro users can generate comprehensive PDF reports including defect summaries, variation logs, payment schedules, and inspection timelines. These reports are formatted for submission to NSW Fair Trading, NCAT, or your solicitor. Free plan users can view all data on-screen but cannot export PDFs.

Yes. Guardian's timestamped, immutable records are designed to meet evidentiary standards for NCAT (NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal) proceedings. The structured format — with dates, descriptions, photos, and digital signatures — provides the kind of contemporaneous documentation that tribunals expect. However, we always recommend consulting a building lawyer for specific legal advice.

Absolutely. When filing a complaint with NSW Fair Trading, having organised documentation significantly strengthens your case. Guardian's export feature generates chronological evidence packs with defect photos, variation records, and communication logs — exactly what Fair Trading assessors need to evaluate your complaint.

Guardian provides: defect registers with timestamped photos, variation logs with cost tracking, payment milestone records, inspection checklists (pre-slab, frame, pre-plasterboard, lockup, fixing, completion), certification tracking (EICC, plumbing, waterproofing), communication logs, and comprehensive PDF reports. All data is organised by project and stage.

The free plan includes: 1 project, 3 defect records, 2 variation records, all checklists, the progress dashboard, and basic reporting. It's enough to get started and see the value of Guardian before upgrading.

Guardian Pro ($14.99/month) includes: unlimited projects, unlimited defects and variations, PDF export and evidence packs, certification gates, advanced reporting, budget dashboard, material registry, communication log, and priority support.

You can cancel your Guardian Pro subscription at any time from your dashboard. Click "Manage Billing" to access the Stripe customer portal where you can cancel, update payment methods, or view invoices. Your Pro features remain active until the end of your current billing period.

Guardian uses bank-grade encryption (TLS 1.3) for all data in transit and AES-256 encryption for data at rest. Your data is stored securely on Supabase's infrastructure with automatic backups. We never share your data with third parties.

Only you can see your project data. Each project is tied to your authenticated account with Row Level Security (RLS) enforced at the database level. Not even our team can access your project details without your explicit permission.