and Building Report Types

“I’m having trouble with my builder”

Inspection Frequency - Building Stage(s)

“When should I engage my ConsulTec Independent Building Inspector to conduct my building stage inspections?”

The most effective time to arrange your Independent Inspector is ‘Building Permit Application Stage’ (when your Registered Building Practitioner - RBS has submitted the building permit application to the Registered Building Surveyor-RBS). When the Building Permit has been issued, on your behalf ConsulTec conducts a ‘document discovery’ to access all approved plans and approved permit documents.

Just one facet of our inspection process is to ensure your new build complies with the approved documentation.

In Line with Registered Building Practitioner (RBS) mandatory inspections, Your ConsulTec Building Stage Inspection and Report will be completed and delivered to you in a stipulated time frame at the completion of each stage. To enhance your peace of mind, we monitor the quality, compliance and completeness of the staged works, your report also assists interactions with your financial institution, when you are verifying or declining stage payments to the builder (or other involved contractor). Your Building Report provides the evidence based information you need to avoid making stage payments while incomplete or defective works exist.

Usual Mandatory Inspections for New Home Construction

- Steel reinforcement-foundations pre-concrete pour (Slab Stage)

- Frame Stage prior to roof-cladding instal

- Completion Stage – Occupancy

The above is the baseline inspection frequency, more frequent inspections can be added as required increasing the scrutiny of your build and reducing the possibility of non-compliant and sub-standard works being concealed by the progression of building works and overlooked, see more at OTHER BUILDING INSPECTIONS

“Is it too late to engage my Independent Building Inspector?”

While commencement of your build is the most effective time to engage you Independent Inspector, if you feel you have unresolved building issues during your build or even disagreement-dispute with your builder, it will be beneficial for you to engage your independent inspector promptly (during construction), ideally prior to handover of the property. You maintain advantage when your raise your building concerns prior to the completion of the contract works.

As your independent building inspector, our inspection of a building and building defect reports are completed in accordance with Australian Standard 4349.1-2007 (Inspection of a Building)

Defective Building Works Inspection and Report

The Building Inspection – Report process for defective works and incomplete works is usually reciprocal and feature in the same building report, as both are recorded during the building inspection. In most settings, if the home owner has concerns around defective works for example, they will have similar concerns around incomplete works.

With your approval ConsulTec will arrange site access for

the Building Inspection direct with your Builder, and / or any

other involved stakeholders, the Building Engineer for example.

Your Building Report will include:

- Formatted and numbered detailed point form documentary

of each item of Incomplete Works with supporting photographic

evidence.

- The Defective Works are detailed in the same manner as

above, in addition they include reference to the Relevant Building

Code, Australian Standard, VBA Guidelines and Practice Notes.

Recommended Building Rectification works for each

Defective Item.

Cost(s) for Rectification Works can be included upon request.

Virtual Tour and Arial View footage is available upon request.

Partnering with ConsulTec relieves your worry and concerns to support an enjoyable

experience ensuring you achieve the new home build you signed up for!

Incomplete Buildings Works

See above reciprocal description for Defective Works

VCAT Compliant Reports

"Do I need a VCAT Compliant Report?"

Many different types of Building Reports are available from ConsulTec and the market. We understand it can be confusing if you’re not sure about the type of report best suites your requirements and be the most effective for you in your building matter. You can call us anytime without obligation if you would like further information on this topic. Therefore, care should be taken when choosing the type of report, you will want to avoid going through the building inspection and report process only find later, you need to get another inspection and report to be compliant and meet requirements effectively

The Victorian Civil and Appeals Tribunal (VCAT) will only proceed with matters supported by Building Reports that comply PNVCA2 -Expert Witness. Given the extended waiting time to have a case heard (currently up to two years,) if you intend to have your matter heard at VCAT, it is imperative you have a VCAT compliant report.

These are more comprehensive than other reports, but more importantly are formatted to VCAT requirements.

They are particularly beneficial in

alternate settings including:

Negotiation with your Builder
Arbitration
Conciliation
VCAT
Court & Tribunal Setting

The Importance of VCAT Compliant Reports

We had a Client contact us recently (Let’s call him Jack),

Jack explained his Melbourne apartment had developed a number of building defects within the Builder’s Warranty period. One concerning defect was the upstairs balcony leaking into the living area below. Jack had tried various channels to have the builder return to rectify the defects (under warranty) without success. Jack decided to take his case to VCAT to resolve his builder’s warranty issues, he explained, this process commenced two years ago, all the while that balcony continued to leak, causing further building damage.

Worse was to come, Jack’s case finally had its day in VCAT, only to be met by a ‘Hearing Refusal’ from VCAT due to his Building Report not being VCAT Compliant! Jack’s disappointing life experience highlights the critical importance of ensuring your Building Report is VCAT Compliant in the Tribunal setting. A Correct Housing Inspection and Compliant Report are crucial in supporting your building case.

The journey and experience of building your new home should be exciting and enjoyable, not an event filled with worries and concerns about your build. Partnering in collaboration with ConsulTec to monitor your build, ensuring building compliance and acceptable workmanship standards are achieved, will enhance your confidence and peace of mind in your project, leaving you to enjoy the excitement and enjoyment.

Quality Assurance and Workmanship

Few us buy an established property without obtaining a Building Inspection or Pre-Purchase Inspection and Report, So why don’t we behave the same way when we are building a New Home? Given there is a surprisingly absence of control over build quality and workmanship standards throughout the home building-construction process!

Read Articles about Quality & Workmanship

New Home Buyers on their building journey generally believe the Registered Building Surveyor (RBS) who is responsible for the ‘Stage Inspections’ of the Building Permit, is further responsible for ensuring the ‘Quality of the Build’ ie: Quality of workmanship across the various trades people, particularly the build carpenter(s). The RBS is only responsible ensuring the work complies with the appropriate Codes and Standards, not for workmanship nor the quality and finish of the work performed on your new home.

The usual RBS mandatory inspections are limited to:

Steel reinforcement-foundations pre-concrete pour (Slab Stage)
Frame Stage prior to roof-cladding instal
Completion Stage - Occupancy

At a minimum, you need assurance the work being performed for you meets National Construction Code, Australian Standards and Tolerances Guidelines.

Another Building Owner Said Recently:

“When I challenged my builder about the unsightly gaps around my rangehood, he just said “that’s the way we always do it”, when I persisted with my complaint, he just rambled on with a bunch of technical reasons why it had to stay the way it was, he made no attempt to correct his faulty workmanship-rangehood installation.”

A number of authority industry bodies are now recommending new home buyers planning to build a new home, engage an independent building inspector to monitor and report on the build process to:

Protect their Interest-investment with peace of mind
Confirm Compliance to relevant Codes, Standards and Associated Builder Requirements
Ensuring the delivery of Acceptable Standard quality, finish and workmanship.
Provide preventative support to help avoid falling into a Home Owner – Builder Dispute.

ConsulTec Building Reports generally range from 40 to 60+

pages depending on the size and complexity of your property,

including links to relevant cloud -based information files.

Comprehensive Photographic & Dialogue Expert Evidence

All reports delivered in Electronic and Hard Copies.

Virtual Tour and Ariel Footage available upon request

When you’re sourcing a building inspector in Melbourne for

your building inspection, please consider the benefits of a

building consultant with 40+ years of industry experience.

Resolving Your Building Concerns.

1. Discuss with your builder and make him aware of your concerns as soon as they arise, verbally and in writing is most effective.

2. If discussion with your builder doesn’t achieve resolution of your building concerns, contact ConsulTec for assistance. ConsulTec offers a free of charge and obligation free 30-minute consultation (Owner Assistance Consultation) to discuss and understand your concerns. We then advise your best course of action to resolve your building concerns and answer any questions you may have.

Our Owner Assistance Consultation is available: In person - onsite, Over the phone or Skype.

“It is in both the Owner and the Builder’s best interest to resolve building matters amicably if possible before the situation escalates to a legal setting”

For Your free 30-minute consultation Peter at ConsulTec for actionable steps and expert advice.

3. ConsulTec performs a ‘Building Inspection’ and compiles a ‘Building Report’ identifying not only your concerns, but all aspects of your building including: defective works, workmanship issues, contract and building code compliance. We the offer advice to the most effective and efficient path forward to resolve your building concerns.

It should be noted, with the correct inspections – building report and personalised assistance from ConsulTec, a lot can be achieved and acceptable resolutions reached without resorting to legal action and litigation as a first course of action. Naturally, the later remains as an option for you.

VMIA Domestic Building Insurance Claims

You’ve decided to lodge a claim

Direct steps to Lodge a Claim with your Domestic Building Insurance

1. Notify your builder

2. Secure the site

3. Review your contract documents

4. Contact your RBS

5. Detail your items of concern

6. Engage an Independent Building Consultant

7. Submit your DBI-VMIA Claim

8. Engage your new builder

9. What if my VMIA Claim is rejected?

10. More Help with the DBI Claim Process

Claim Process In More Detail

1. Notify your Builder

Notify your builder in writing you intend to lodge a consumer claim with your Domestic Building Insurance (DBI) – Victorian Managed Insurance Authority.

Even though you’ve exhausted your dispute resolution process, Taking this action puts your builder on final notice prior to the authorities getting involved, it just may trigger him into a positive response.

It also confirms to your builder you are taking control of your building site.

2. Secure the site

You need to ensure there is temporary fencing protecting your site. You may be able to make an arrangement with the hire company of any temporary fencing already in place, or if required source a temporary fencing company to install for you.

If possible-practical, your new home is securely locked.

Insurance. At this point it is unlikely the builder’s ‘all risk’ insurance will still be in force at your property. Examine your insurance options to cover your property.

3. Review your contract documents

Review your contract documents including plans and specification, identify any items of work on your property.

Maintain a record of everything in writing, your builder concerns, significant conversations (builder), dealing with the authorities as proceed.

4. Contact your RBS – Registered Building Practitioner

Your RBS is the person who issued and is executing your building permit to date, apart from informing him you’re in the process of engaging a new builder, he will advise you of the status of the permit and any outstanding items of works, ie: ‘Not Approved’ Inspection Notices

5. Detail your items of concern

Document as meticulously you can, each area of concern you have about the building, items you consider a contract breach, non-compliant, defective or substandard workmanship.

Recording relevant dates is important along with photographic record.

6. Engage an Independent Building Consultant

Contact your ConsulTec independent Building Consultant.

Working collaboratively with you we will inspect your property and compile a ‘Defects and Stage Report” also known as a ‘Building Status Report.

Your Report is an important and effective asset to you as you proceed through the claim process and will enhance your peace of mind around the ‘status of your build’ though expert analysis and recommendations

Personalised support from Consultec alleviates the mind mangle of ‘what and where to from here’ ratifying each step in the process with you to expedite your new home to completion.

For all stakeholders Your Building Report is Critical:

Your Report confirms to the VMIA, all builder defects requiring rectification,
scope of works to completion,
Items work in breach of your contract
All existing and / or non-compliant items of work
It informs your new (third party) builder you re-contract with to clearly identify:
- Confirmed defects for rectification
- Scope of Unfinished Work
- It also documents the existing works completed, ensuring they are not included in his (third party builder) Builders warranty
Your Financial Institution
- As your final build price will likely vary from the original builder’s contract price, the building report combined with the third party builders contract price forms a transparent package when dealing with your financier.
- By accurately and comprehensively documenting the ‘Scope of Works’ enhances your prospects of gaining the competitive price for the remaining works, ie: a less than reputable builder may include cost of works for items of works already completed

7. Submit your DBI-VMIA Claim: Domestic Building Insurance -Victorian Managed Insurance Authority

Please be aware, for your claim to be accepted your Builder must be categorised by ONE of the following

Has Died
Has become insolvent (bankrupt)
Has disappeared
Ignored a or failed to comply with a VCAT – Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal

Examine your building documents file (or building permit package you should have received form your RBS) to see if you can locate your ‘DBI Warranty Insurance Certificate.

If you cannot locate the certificate, search https://www.dbi.vmia.vic.gov.au/Property-Search.

With your Certificate, Building Reports & Building Documents go to the DBI Portal and submit your claim https://www.buildvic.vic.gov.au/ClaimsPortal/LoginClaimant.

The process then becomes self-explanatory

8. Engage your new builder

This stage requires some energy if your build is only partially complete, ConsulTec has a series of assistance channels for support if you require.
When calling for your Tenders – Quotations, it is ensure you provide the competing builders with a copy of your building report.
Take care when you examine and compare you’re your third party builder quotes to ensure they are clear and concise about the scope of works to complete your new home.

9. What if my VMIA Claim is rejected?

Take you Claim / Dispute to:

DBDRV – Domestic Building Disputes Resolution Victoria http://www.dbdrv.vic.gov.au/
Consumer Affairs – Victoria’s Building Disputes – Defects and Delays https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au
VCAT – Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal. http://www.vcat.vic.gov.au/

The reader may be critical of my inclusion of VCAT down the list of options.

This is definitely not legal advice, it is only my opinion from my years in the building industry and my observations, by submitting your DBI-VMIA Claim, the regulatory authorities will apply ‘pressure to comply’ to your original builder that you have been unable achieve effectively to date. If your builder hasn’t died, disappeared or become insolvent, there remains the option for him to respond and fore fill your contract, born from his own interest to avoid his Builders Licence from being compromised.

VCAT is experiencing extensive time delays to have cases heard, Google will tell you the current wait times! And a budget is required to present a case employing Lawyers, Barristers….

Other New Building Inspection & Report Types for You to Peruse

We can tailor a Building Inspection & Report to your specific requirements, Some Clients require all encompassing VCAT Compliant Reports, others only need ‘item specific’ type property reports, to focus on their identified areas of the building that is causing them concern.

Our more comprehensive specialised Building Inspection Template inspection list (for a new build from commencement to completion), you can add additional items and delete listed items to suit your individual requirements.

Pre-Construction Site Inspection
Slab-Foundation Stage pre concrete placement
Frame Stage prior to the installation of wall and roof cladding
Lock-Up Stage when the house is physically lockable
Pre-Plaster & Insulation Stage prior to wall and ceiling linings
Waterproofing prior to installation of wall and floor bathroom tiles / finishes
Fixing Stage (completed) prior to painting
Final / Pre-Handover Stage
Knock Down – Rebuild
Dilapidation Reports (nearby properties)
Builder’s Quality Assurance (QA) Reports

A listing of a Defective Work item is verified by identifying its ‘non-compliance’ to:

Your Approved Plans & Building Documents
Building Act 1993
Building Regulations 2018
Plumbing Regulations 2018
Victorian Building Authority Guidelines
Relevant Australian Standards
Current Practice Notes
Building Certificates

This Report Information becomes invaluable to you in the event you need to liaise with or take Your Builder (Registered Building Practitioner RBP) to task for non-compliant, defective or incomplete works. Should that situation arise, your builder will see you as ‘having a handle on the build process’ and a strong understanding of your rights under the Building Contract. Having the report’s clear and concise information at hand also reduces the likelihood of disruptive arguments and excuse making and time delays when dealing with your builder around defective or incomplete works. Partnering with ConsulTec in a collaborative communicate dialogue with your builder, takes the weight and worries from your shoulders.

All reports delivered in Electronic and Hard Copies.

Virtual Tour and Ariel Footing of your property available upon request

When you engage ConsulTec to inspect the property with inspection for house, our holistic inspection approach ensures each and every aspect of your property and building(s) is captured for all time and presented in detail in your building inspector report.

Scope of Your Building Report

There is no real ‘one size fits all’ type of building report.

The Scope of the report is generated by several factors:

The type of Building Report you have requested
The number of items you have requested specifically for inspection and report
The size and complexity of your building
The combined number of ‘items detected’ at the building inspection
Certain Building Inspections my require the engagement of independent Building Engineers

Index of More Reports

- Building condition (at a given point in time)

- Expert Witness report for VCAT, Tribunal, Courts & Mediation

- Building Notice response assistance

- Warranty Insurance Establishment of the ‘stage of works’

Incomplete works (including within a specific ‘stage of works’)
Defective – Non compliant works
Identification of workmanship issues

- Fire, storm & flood damage (insurance)

- Structural assessment including distress in buildings

- Residential new home stage assessments

- Pre-construction (or dilapidation) condition establishment (residential & commercial)

- Owner Builder reports

- Owner – Builder ‘stage’ inspections

- Building defects report for all types of construction (Including and beyond residential-commercial)

- Quality Assurance & maintenance inspections

- Mould, disease and fungus inspection-report

- Condition reports for Rental Properties

- Inspection – report for non legislated construction, ie: Landscaping

- Builder’s Quality Assurance

- Moisture testing (including concealed environments)

- Floor (and other) level surveys

- Home insp

- Building Maintenance advice

- Reports & Submission for the VBA Appeals Board (BAB)

* appeals (ss 138 to 144q of the Act)

* disputes (ss 150 to 158 of the Act)

* compensation applications (s 159 of the Act)

* whether a provision of the building regulations should not apply to a building or land or should apply a modification or variation (s 160 of the Act)

* whether a provision of the building regulations relating to access for persons with disabilities should not apply to a building or land or should apply with a modification or variation (s 160B of the Act).

- Assessment of Building Works Compliance to:

* NCC ~ National Construction Code

* Relevant Plumbing AS Codes

New Home Build Quality

Pursuit - Research Articles and News | University of Melbourne Dr Paulo Vaz-Serra,

Here are some important excerpts from Dr, Paulo’s stated research material,

You can read the full informative article at https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/topics/building-codes

Australia plans to build an extra 1.2 million quality homes in five years, but we don’t have the people or regulatory processes to achieve this

To build more homes we need confidence in building quality

The federal government recently announced an ambitious plan to boost the Australian economy with an extra 1.2 million new houses in five years, including a $AU3 billion National Housing Infrastructure Facility. How the government intends to execute this plan within the current regulatory climate remains unclear.

The plan will require building an additional 240,000 new houses per year, which is double the current capacity to build houses – even more than double if looking at the reduced projection of only 173,000 for 2025.

With the current shortage of qualified professionals and construction companies, achieving this goal will be challenging for all stakeholders, especially the final buyers.

Reducing construction timelines increases the risks

Here in my home state of Victoria, I have doubts about the capacity of building surveyors to manage the increased work.

Building surveyors ensure compliance with regulations and are currently crucial to the construction process. Registration as a building surveyor requires a minimum of four years of training and some years of experience.

The City of Melbourne says there are insufficient building surveyors to meet even the existing workload.

This shortage has left tens of thousands of ‘orphaned building permits’ – permits without building surveyors attached – leaving people unable to live in their finished homes. So how does the government plan to cover the requirements for 1.2 million new builds?

This increase in buildings will also add to existing issues with inspections mandated by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) – an authority facing criticism for its “appalling culture” and ability to effectively oversee the sector.

Will the new builds meet quality standards?

The current regulatory system employs the National Construction Code (NCC) to determine quality based on how a building performs, rather than solely on materials and processes.

If it functions, it is considered compliant.

For instance, if someone turns on a tap, water must flow, regardless of whether the shower was constructed according to the design and expectations of the owner. In addition, owners have to accept cracks in walls if less than one millimetre as authorities consider that some movement of footings is ‘normal’.

The Supreme Court recently ruled that a contractor did not need to comply with a VBA ‘direction to fix’ because the VBA inspectors failed to detect the faults before the certificate of final inspection was issued. The owners were left to deal with the problem themselves.

This clearly ineffective level of inspections prompted the City of Melbourne to propose that inspections should be managed by an independent authority.

We continue to lose design and construction knowledge

The terms ‘builders’ and ‘contractors’ are now used interchangeably when historically they hold significant differences and carry different implications.

Builders referred to companies with internal competencies to perform all construction aspects, possessed in-house trades capabilities and employed foremen as site managers with expertise in various trades including carpentry, plumbing and electrical.

Contractors referred to contract administrators or what are now known as ’main contractors’, people responsible for managing subcontractors. They employ ‘project managers’ who often manage subcontractors across different trades, but they may have no expertise in any of these individual trades.

Thanks to University of Melbourne Dr Paulo Vaz-Serra, for the use of this article

You can read the complete article at https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/topics/building-cod

Historical view of Victoria’s Building Industry Control and Regulation

Informative Topic 2 (By Peter Grundy)

I am in complete agreement with the University of Melbourne’s previously listed information article by Dr Paulo Vaz-Serra, outlining what can be viewed as a looming crisis in the manner Victoria’s building industry manages and regulates itself. If there was ever a time for ‘buyer be ware’, it is now for Victorian new home buyers.

In quoting Dr Paulo Vaz-Serra’s take on the current state of the industry: “Australia plans to build an extra 1.2 million quality homes in five years, but we don’t have the people or regulatory processes to achieve this”

Having been actively involved in Victoria’s building industry as a self-employed registered builder for more than forty years, I have witnessed and been a part of the evolution of the Sectors various government and associated regulator bodies responsible for:

Builder Registration
Home Owner’s Warranty (Domestic Building Insurance-DBI)
Builder Compliance

My initial ‘Builders Registration’ and the inception of the first consumer protection (for domestic building works) was with the Housing Guarantee Fund Limited (HGFL) Victoria, established in 1984.

The Progressive Building Regulatory Bodies since the HGFL Days:

Housing Guarantee Fund Limited (HGFL)

Building Control Commission (BCC)

Building Practitioners Board (BPB)

Victorian Building Authority (VBA)

(soon to be further revamped to the Building and Plumbing Commission - BPC)

Now we have a building industry that is controlled more by an insurance company ‘Victorian Managed Insurance Authority – (VMIA) via the Domestic Building Insurance – (DBI), than the Regulatory Body Victorian Building Authority.

This performance history of the regulatory bodies is not confidence inspiring for Victoria’s New Home buying and domestic building consumers, more so when you consider the following industry news excerpts:

Victorian Building Regulatory Bodies – Historical Articles

Informative Topic 3. THE AGE Nov 2012

Credit & Thanks to Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie

The demise of the Victorian Building Commission comes after The Age this year exposed a culture of extravagant spending that in part led to a $3 million budget shortfall, conflicts of interest involving senior commission officials and a failure to act on warnings that unregistered inspectors were approving work on thousands of homes.

And

The abolition of the commission comes nearly 12 months after a damning Auditor-General's report found that 96 per cent of 401 building permits it examined that were issued by private and council surveyors failed to meet basic standards.

You can read the Entire Article at https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/shake-up-in-building-industry-20121128-2aep9.html

WOTTON KEARNEY 24 October 2024

Thanks & Credit to : Andrew Brennan, Sarah Metcalfe, Nick Lux and Jordan Bova

The Victorian government will abolish and replace the Victorian Building Authority following an independent review that found significant management and cultural failures.
A new regulator, the Building & Plumbing Commission, will be created by merging the Victorian Building Authority with other agencies, offering expanded powers to enforce building defect repairs and manage disputes.

And

Released today, the ‘Victorian Building Authority – The Case for Transformation’ report (Report) found that there was “no doubt that the VBA’s management and culture failed consumers”.

The failures of the VBA identified in the Report included:

- Duplicated, delayed, lost or ignored complaints

- Conducting no to very few technical inspections

- Complainants being told to provide their expert reports for the VBA’s review

- Focusing only on practitioners and issues identified by complainants and not addressing others

- Referring complaints to other agencies, and

a dismissive culture towards complainants.

VBA CEO and Commissioner, Anna Cronin, apologised to Victorians and pledged in principle to support to the Report’s 20 recommendations for improving the regulator’s functions.

You can ready the entire article at https://www.wottonkearney.com/category/articles/page/3/

Melbourne New Home Buyer’s Deplorable Building Experience

At ConsulTec we recently had an inquiry from a new home purchaser (he had a new home built under contract and the home was now completed.)

Let’s call him Isaac.

Isaac gave me a brief outline of his building experience and where he is at now. Since moving into his new home some serious building defects had developed. Possible foundation failure appeared to present. Isaac attempted to have his builder return to inspect the home and arrange rectification works. Communications between Isaac and his Builder broke down to the point his builder severed all contact with Isaac.

Time passed then Isaac contacted the Domestic Building Insurance (DBI) and Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA), to lodge a claim against his builder for the rectification works. The response from the insurance authorities was that the legislation states: For a claim to be successfully lodged, the builder must have died, disappeared or become insolvent!

What a horror of a situation, Isaac can’t find nor contact his builder for recourse and builders warranty isn’t available to him unless one of the above events has happened to the builder.

In the absence of any path forward for him to address the building defects to his home, Isaac engaged the services of a Structural – Building Engineer to inspect his property and report on the building issues, then to provide Isaac with a rectification plan.

If things seemed bad at this point, Isaac’s building experience was about to deteriorate a whole lot more.

The Consultant Engineer provided his report including prescribed rectification works to correct the building defects. The Engineer’s recommendation was to demolish the house and rebuild.

Isaac was distraught and remains in a quandary what to do, he can’t demo the house and rebuild with another builder as all of his capital was invested in the first build. He can’t sell the property and go elsewhere. He can only sit and wait and hope for one of the triggers to validate his home owners warranty.

An independent building inspector may well have averted this disaster for Isaac.

Certain new home buyers see the cost of engaging an independent building inspector and building reports as an unjustified expense.

Clearly Isaac is facing a lot of unjustified expense, even if / when his warranty insurance kicks

The Importance of New Home Buyers engaging an Independent Building Inspector

If you’ve already read or scanned the above article, you’re probably feeling you would like a bit more confidence around the Regulatory Compliance of your new build. Developing an understanding of how exposed Victoria’s new home buyers are to building non-compliant work, building defects and workmanship issues might not be for everyone! And just choose to ‘go with the flow’ and hope for the best.

For everyone else who wants to embrace a peace of mind and enjoy their home building experience, engaging your building inspector - consultant to independently inspect and report to you through the various stages of construct will facilitate that peace of mind feeling for you.

In the knowledge your build work is being independently monitored from commencement to completion, inspected and reported upon at key intervals by ConsulTec protects your interest and enhances your home building experience. With your approval, ConsulTec will liaise with your Builder – Site Supervisor at a congenially acceptable throughout the construction process.

Peter is a third-generation builder and has more than forty years industry experience across all facets of residential construction.

AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS, The industry's ability to comply ?

Informative TOPIC 4 (By Peter Grundy)

How can it be that the Australian standards related to building work are not freely available to all domestic building industry participants including the end user, you the homeowner.

If a person was to visit a building site today and asked any of the tradies which Australian Standard applied to the work they are performing, its unlikely they could identify the relevant standard, let alone their awareness of whether the work they are performing complied with the standard or not!

Noting all building participants and others are required to pay an ongoing, annual fee to access the Australian standards and continual updates. Of course we argue ‘professional Building Practitioners and other should manage their standards subscription cost as a business expense’. It is safe to entertain the thought that the exorbitant ongoing cost of the standards retards industry players to access them. I am sure there are numerous home owners who would like to access them when they have concerns about their building compliance?

On the other hand, a large degree of our residential construction work is performed by our ‘up and coming’ younger and often inexperienced tradies, using an apprentice for example as he/she is also a cheaper labour unit, will have very little awareness at all of the Australian Standards, let alone access to them to familiarise themselves and apply them to their own work. It would in turn be argued the upline carpenter-supervisor-builder should be responsible for all work being compliant to the standards and associated codes, and that is correct. Particularly in the price driven housing markets, history shows that upline responsibility chain is often ineffective in ensuring compliance. The issue then falls to the last chance of compliance check with the RBS Registered Building Surveyor, see preceding articles around that topic!

My own years immersed in the building industry indicated to me very few players had access to or were familiar with the standards.

Some players might even deem the Australian Standards in the domestic building sector less important than other codes and regulations.

From a Building Consultant’s experience, I can advise, when a building project has fallen into dispute between a home buyer and a builder, then arrives at VCAT to attempt resolution, Compliance and reference to various Australian Standards features strongly in an Expert Witness’s Building Report Evidence to the Tribunal.

Further to, compliance to the Australian Standard is a regular feature in most other building reports that don’t proceed to VCAT, so its difficult to understand why the standards are given such little credence in the construction phase and so little attention to the construction compliance to them?

Noting the sample scathing reports in the previous section levelled at our various building regulators and questionable management of their budget spending, It is my opinion (which is not important at all) but you can draw your own conclusions, it’s fair to say making the Australian Standards freely available to all domestic building participants would encourage a greater compliance to them.

Other Sector Organisation who claim to ‘service the domestic building industry’ fall short in their ‘service’ by not providing free access to the Standards, Including the Housing Industry Association (HIA) and Master Builders Association (MBA)

As all of these organisations claim to have an interest in our building industry participants and builders performance

Point of Unrestricted Access to The Australian Standards Could Include:

Victorian Building Authority (VBA)
Master Builders Association (MBA)
Housing Industry Association (HIA)
Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA)
Domestic Building Insurance (DBI)
Registered Building Surveyors (RBS)

Grow your vision & empower your position.

Enquire Which Report Best Suites My Needs

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