An NCAT application has landed — by post, email, or hand delivery. The cover sheet has a hearing date, a file number, and an instruction to file a Response by a stated deadline. Acting in the first week is significantly cheaper than acting in the last week, and far cheaper than not acting at all.
What NCAT can and cannot do to you
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal operates under the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW). It can make money orders, work orders, possession orders (in tenancy disputes), and a range of consumer remedies — and it can do so in your absence. NCAT mirrors the equivalent state bodies — VCAT in Victoria, QCAT in Queensland, SAT in WA, SACAT in SA, ACAT in the ACT, NTCAT in the NT, and the Magistrates Court in Tasmania for minor civil claims.
Common pitfalls in week one
Three errors keep costing respondents. Calling the applicant to “talk it out” — anything you say can be put in evidence, often stripped of context. Filing a one-line denial — “I dispute the claim” is not a Response that helps an NCAT member; it locks in the hearing and tells the member you have no defence ready. Missing the response deadline — even by a day. NCAT can refuse to accept a late Response and proceed to hearing on the applicant’s evidence alone.
What a proper Response does
The NCAT Response form requires you to admit, deny, or “not know” each allegation, plead any counterclaim or set-off, and indicate your evidence. A well-drafted Response narrows the dispute to the genuinely contested issues, signals professionalism to the member, and frequently prompts a settlement before hearing because the applicant sees the case is no longer one-sided.
What Claim Done delivers
For a flat $79, Claim Done drafts your NCAT Tribunal Response package — paragraph-by-paragraph admissions and denials, any counterclaim properly pleaded under the CAT Act, your evidence indexed, and a cover letter quoting the NCAT file number. About 15 minutes in the wizard, no solicitor appointment, ready to file via the NCAT online portal or counter.
What happens after
NCAT usually lists the matter for a directions hearing or conciliation conference. If the matter does proceed to hearing, the next document is a Hearing Bundle — paginated evidence, indexed and tabbed — which Claim Done also drafts as a flat-fee service.