Home Building Rules Continue to Disappoint Australian Consumers
Poor workmanship can be a nightmare for soon-to-be homeowners, especially when they have to foot the bill for remediation.
Anne Paten from Strathmore, Melbourne learned it the hard way. You’ve probably heard about the story of her crumbling dream from the latest news. If not, here it goes:
Anne and her husband have suffered horrible losses because of their home builder’s shoddy workmanship. The house which was promised to be ‘nearly perfect’ later revealed major defects that would require about $200,000 to fix. Unfortunately, the builder refused to acknowledge the responsibility and would not start the rectification of faulty plaster, air-conditioning, floorboards and brickworks without advanced payment.
Meanwhile, for Anne, it would be ridiculous to pay the same builder to start another sub-standard work.
Then fortunately, she remembered the home insurance she had paid for. But upon checking its terms and conditions, she found out that the builder either has to go broke, disappear without notice, or die before she could make a claim.
Frustrated with her remaining option (e.g. deal with the builder), she lodged a complaint to the Consumer Affairs of Victoria. Only to be told that she still had to settle the dispute with the builder as it was the best and fastest solution.
The advice left Anne totally flabbergasted and disappointed with the system.
NSW Home Building Complaints Stats
Anne is not the only exception.
NSW Fair Trading website has statistical data to show that her experience was not rare — in fact, there seems to be a persistent pattern. Home building rules and dispute resolution guidelines favour the builders. The consumers are the losers.
These stats illustrate the percentage of home building complaints by cause filed in 2013–14 and 2014–15.
This table shows the building complaints by industry two consecutive years. Notice the jump of complaints towards builders from 2013–14 to 2014–15.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can join groups that fight for consumers’ rights. It’s also a good idea to get an additional layer of protection by requesting a progress inspection.
To find out how this inspection can save you headaches and huge losses down the line, visit http://psbr.com.au. Or better yet, call 02 4962 1455 today to obtain timely, relevant advice on how to protect your most valuable investment.
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