Dozens of Tasmanian building service providers are under investigation by state regulator CBOS

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FIGURES obtained by the Mercury in the wake of the McGill Rise subdivision investigation reveal there are numerous Tasmanian building services providers currently under investigation by the state’s building regulator.

Earlier this month, it was revealed eight out of 22 homes in the Claremont development were vacated after a council audit deemed them uninhabitable, with the potential for heavy rains to collapse embankments and potentially harm or kill residents.

It was also revealed the accreditation of the building surveyor and engineer involved in the project were under investigation as part of the probe into the subdivision.

Tasmania’s building and consumer regulator Consumer Building and Occupational Services has since confirmed the total number of building services providers currently under investigation across the state includes 36 builders, eight building surveyors, four designers, three plumbers and four unlicensed builders.

Some building services providers may be involved in more than one matter, CBOS noted.

Since revealing the McGill Rise investigation, the Mercury has been inundated with calls from consumers who have had issues with their building service provider, often without a satisfactory resolution.

One reader, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had issues with the same building surveyor who worked on McGill Rise.

He said the root cause was when the building approval process was privatised away from local councils in 2004 and he said there was not enough policing of it.

“I think there is a fundamental error in the Building Act where it says the building surveyor may elect to go to the site for inspections – it doesn’t say they shall go,” he said.

“What happens is the building surveyor doesn’t come in until the end and then all the mistakes made throughout the build can be hidden.

“I’ve spent five figures in legal fees fighting a building surveyor who took a year under the Building Act to issue building notices and orders to rectify faults.”

A Justice Department spokesman said all consumers were advised to check their building services provider was licensed prior to entering a contract.

“This ensures that consumers are engaging a building services provider who has appropriate skills and experience and is covered by the necessary insurance,” the spokesman said.

“There are a number of stages in the approval process for building work where the licence status of building services providers are checked by building surveyors and council permit authorities prior to the issuing of certificates, permits or authorisation to start work.

“The Building Act requires that all building work complies with the National Construction Code, and there are consumer protection measures built into the statutory functions of building surveyors and council permit authorities which can enforce the performance of work that is compliant with the NCC, or to rectify work that is found to be non-compliant.”

Originally published as Dozens of Tasmanian building service providers are under investigation by state regulator CBOS