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Thousands of ‘disgruntled’ apartment owners take on QBCC

Thousands of angry apartment owners represented by a high-powered advocacy group are demanding builders and developers be held to account over shoddy work.

A high-powered advocacy group representing thousands of angry apartment owners is taking on the embattled Queensland Building and Construction Commission over shoddy work by developers.

The Queensland Apartment Defects Advocacy Group, which includes structural engineers and lawyers, is demanding the government body hold builders and developers to account instead of “allowing dangerous defects to go unchecked”.

It comes as the QBCC is under repeated fire after The Courier-Mail revealed an explosive email trail linking Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni to the commission’s failed bid to prosecute a Gold Coast company.

QADAG member Samantha Reece said the group, already with 6000 apartment owners on its database, was “the voice of the disgruntled”.

“There is a lack of action by the QBCC to address potentially deadly defects, and people can wait up to three years for any action to be taken,” Ms Reece said.

She said the QBCC also was “turning a blind eye to construction essentials”.

“Buyers spending big dollars don’t know if they’re getting a Toyota or a Mercedes, and all too often they’re getting a three-wheel Mr Bean car,” she said.

Thousands of angry apartment owners represented by QADAG want builders and developers held to account over shoddy work.
Thousands of angry apartment owners represented by QADAG want builders and developers held to account over shoddy work.

QADAG member Adam Husband said the QBCC had “an almost hands-off approach to structural and quality integrity”.

“The QBCC and the state government will do anything to help developers and builders build and sell units, but all responsibility is passed onto the unit owners after the sale,” said Mr Husband, managing director of Structural Diagnostics.

“More than 70 per cent of the defects brought to the attention of QBCC are rejected.”

On Thursday, Ms Reece wrote to Mr de Brenni to advise of QADAG’s formation and offer to meet.

Mr de Brenni confirmed his department had been in contact with the new group.

“We want Queenslanders to build with confidence and peace of mind knowing there are protections in place should things go wrong,” he said.

A QBCC spokesman said tens of thousands of homes were built each year without any complaints of defective building work. But if there were defect complaints, builders must be given an opportunity to rectify them before regulatory action could be taken.

“The QBCC’s role is to regulate the industry and administer the law,” the spokesperson said. “Our job is to help ensure homes are built to code, so that Queenslanders have safe places to live.”

For homeowners in residential dwellings, the QBCC said last financial year the percentage of cases finalised under its early dispute resolution process within 28 business days was 89 per cent.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/thousands-of-disgruntled-apartment-owners-take-on-qbcc/news-story/ef5dba0dd0c785593bafd7e681b33c4b