New powers for NSW Building Commissioner will target dodgy house builders

NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler is pushing for greater powers so he can order developers to fix serious defects in low-density housing as well as apartment blocks.

Developers building low-density housing have been warned to lift their game after a defect-riddled “triplex” was uncovered by the state’s building commissioner during a snap audit of new constructions last week.

The building site was one of several NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler visited unannounced in Wollongong, ahead of being granted greater powers to order developers to fix serious defects in townhouses and stand-alone housing.

It is among scores of other defective “class 1” housing developments that Mr Chandler has photographed and passed on to The Sunday Telegraph.

Having taken on dodgy apartment complex developers — and seen positive change in the multi-storey sector — Mr Chandler is waiting for the NSW government to expand his powers to enable him to clean up townhouses and stand-alone housing.

The list of defects in the Wollongong triplex included incorrectly installed fire batts and horizontal joint controls, and brackets not installed in the correct locations.

NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler is ready to wage war on housing defects. Picture: Tim Hunter

Mr Chandler said being unable to issue orders to rectify the defects meant they would likely end up as a consumer complaint in the NSW Civil and Administration Tribunal (NCAT).

“I don’t have any particular powers over class 1 one buildings before they finished,” he said

“This building has got many, many things wrong with it.

“The trouble with the non-detection of these sorts of defects is that they end up turning up in consumer complaints, either in NCAT or, as a very last resort, under a home building compensation fund insurance policy.”

Mr Chandler said it was projects such as this – and the scores of others that he has visited and photographed – that were also driving the cost of those policies up.

A Sydney home exposed numerous defects.

Home builders would be targetes under new powers.

He said an extremely untidy building site was often a sign of bad construction.

“‘If you go to a job site and the (work) toilet is disgusting, and there is a pile of rubbish outside, you pretty much know what you’re going to find inside,” he said.

The NSW government has confirmed it is considering the expansion of powers, and even thought the legislation was unlikely to be enacted in the short-term, it was expected to have a retrospective ­component.

Too many home owners have to put up with poor work.

Issues then havre to be fought through tribunals.

NSW Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the government wanted to build on the work Mr Chandler had done in weeding out dodgy ­developers.

“We want to send a very clear message to dodgy builders – there’s no room for you in NSW,” Mr Chanthivong said.

“If you’ve spent the last decade flying under the radar, your time is running out.”

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Originally published as New powers for NSW Building Commissioner will target dodgy house builders