‘We are taking action against rogue operators’: Victorian builder was not registered

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

The VBA says tradies “who break the rules . . . take work away from reputable builders” and it will pursue rogue operators.

A Victorian man who called himself a builder and ran a building company but was never registered has been pursued by the state’s industry watchdog after leaving a Melbourne couple’s home unfinished.

Marcus Chronis was fined $43,127 in the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court following an investigation by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).

The court heard Mr Chronis operated the company ACM Group Commercial Design Builders but was at no time a registered builder or had a registered building company.

He was hired by a Glenroy couple to build their home but left it unfinished.

VBA executive director of regulatory operations David Brockman said the outcome showed that anyone attempting to do building or plumbing work while unregistered would not get away with it.

The VBA is “taking action against rogue operators”.

“We are taking action against rogue operators who destroy consumer trust in the Victorian building industry by impersonating legitimate and qualified practitioners,” he said.

“The penalty handed down by the court supports the seriousness of this matter and the stress and harm it caused the homeowners.”

In a statement on Wednesday morning the VBA said Mr Chronis was seen undertaking building work during construction of the Glenroy property, but as the value of the work exceeded $10,000 and he was not registered as a builder, it was in breach of the Building Act.

Mr Brockman said the case highlighted the need for consumers to check any practitioner they engaged was registered and or licensed.

“While the vast majority of builders do the right thing, it’s a small minority who break the rules and take work away from reputable builders,” he said.

“Before you engage a builder, you should check whether they are registered and whether they are who they say they are.”

The VBA had an online consumer resource portal with information for anyone who was experiencing issues with builders or plumbers, Mr Brockman said.

Victorians can visit vba.vic.gov.au/check to make sure their builder or plumber is registered or licensed.