Modular and prefabricated construction moves much of the building work off site and into factories that may be interstate or overseas. Design, manufacture, transport and installation are often carried out by different businesses, under separate contracts and months apart. By the time a module reaches site, much of the critical work is already sealed in, and the point at which it could have been inspected has passed.

David Glinatsis has practised construction law since 1985 and has spent recent years working specifically on modular and offsite construction. He recently presented at the prefabAUS Offsite 2026 conference in Melbourne, and teaches the subject as a guest speaker on UNSW’s Legal Essentials for Off-Site Construction short course alongside former NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler, and through the AGSM short course on managing offsite modular construction disputes.