No money has been paid to Canberrans applying for the federal government's home building grants after the scheme received more than 400 applications for ACT projects.
The HomeBuilder program aiming to lift construction activity and stimulate the economy is under fire from Labor, which says the scheme is too small and slow.
But the ACT's peak construction body has said it was confident grants would be paid soon and that the program had resulted in an immediate boost to confidence in the residential sector.
The scheme has received 429 applications for grants supporting home building and renovation projects in the ACT, but none have been paid.
Previous figures show payments had been made in other states and territories by early September.
Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said applications would be progressively paid in the ACT when construction milestones were met.
State and territory revenue offices helping administer the scheme received nearly 11,400 applications by October 9.
Nearly 9000 applicants were seeking grants for new home builds and 2500 sought support for rebuilds or renovations.
Mr Sukkar said the figures showed the scheme was off to a stronger start than forecast.
"Given the construction industry's long project lead times this level of applications was not expected until November," he said.
"No matter what industry participant you talk to, they all say that HomeBuilder is delivering for Australia's tradies and home buyers, which is driving stimulus in the economy at a time it's needed most."
Master Builders ACT chief executive Michael Hopkins said the scheme was proving to be one of the most effective interventions in decades.
"We know lots of interest and inquiry has been generated from the scheme," he said.
The grant is available for eligible home buyers who enter into a contract for a new home or rebuild between June 4 and December 31.
