Builders to watch out for: search those who have fallen foul of the VBA here in our full list

Scores of Victorian builders have fallen foul of the state’s industry watchdog in the past six months, with some suspended and many fined.

Scores of builders have copped VBA sanctions since July 1, 2023. Check our list.

Nearly 25 Victorian building firms and scores of individual tradies have copped sanctions from the state’s industry watchdog in the last seven months, with some fined thousands of dollars and others suspended from operation for long periods.

Building company directors are among those who have been disciplined and fined, with amounts ranging from $1000 to nearly $28,000, between July 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023.

Many fines fall in the $2000 to $6000 range.

Eight builders have been suspended by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) over the time period.

Campagna Developments, Mutlu Alan, Marc Harrison, Ali Osman, Makal Constructions and Watkins Building Group were banned from working for a whopping 36 months while Anthony Middling and Melway Bin Hire and Demolition were suspended for much shorter periods.

And two builders have been successfully prosecuted through the courts, with Maria Tuitupou fined $5000 and Dan Yang $1500.

Other companies had their registration suspended for shorter periods of time, including Balla Constructions who were provisionally suspended from August 19, 2022, to December 15, 2022, for breaching a dispute resolution order notice that had been issued by Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria.

A Victorian man who called himself a builder but was never registered and left a Glenroy couple’s home unfinished was fined more than $43,000.

VBA executive director of regulatory operations David Brockman said strong action had been taken to protect Victorians from practitioners doing the wrong thing.

“The VBA regulates to ensure safe and compliant buildings, and ensuring communities and industry reach their potential by supporting a thriving and trusted industry that acts with integrity,” he said.

A VBA spokesman said the organisation was transparent with its regulatory actions; publishing all disciplinary outcomes in its annual report, compliance and enforcement reports and on its Prosecution and Disciplinary Register, so the community could make informed decisions when engaging tradies.

Some building company directors and tradies have been fined large amounts while others have received sanctions including reprimands and mandatory training.

Among the most well known building firms to be sanctioned was Hamlyn Homes, which was fined $2000 in December last year.

As well as being suspended, Mutlu Alan was fined $15,000.

He was reprimanded and penalised by the VBA for work done in Moonee Ponds, Broadford, Preston, Thornbury and Braybrook.

At the Moonee Ponds site, the VBA said Mr Alan failed to notify the relevant building surveyor without delay of the completion of the mandatory notification stage prior to placing footing (underpins), as well as failing to notify at the final completion stage.

At the Broadford site, he failed to quickly notify the surveyor without delay of the completion of the mandatory notification stage prior to placing footing (stump holes) while at the Preston, Thornbury and Braybrook sites he failed to comply with written directions to fix building work.

“We expect builders to know the proper processes and adhere to them. Failure to do this will result in a costly penalty,” Mr Brockman said.

“Mr Alan’s numerous errors have added up and proved costly for him, but it is consumers who bear the real cost when practitioners fail to follow the rules.”

Anastasios Galanos copped the biggest fine over the six month period, being stung $27,738.