Residential developers will struggle to secure subcontractors even as costs stabilise because subcontractors, who perform up to 90 per cent of the work done on site, will be unwilling to accept the same levels of risk as before the disruption of the past two years, data provider Altus Group says.

Bricks and concrete were up, but structural steel and timber were down, making overall building material inflation flat in the three months to September after 16 straight quarters of growth, data from Toronto-based Altus’ Australian business shows.