Defects detected in new home builds in Hobart’s northern suburbs

A whopping percentage of newly built homes in Tasmania have been found to have defects – from cracked walls and loose hand rails, to doors that whistle. Here’s what you can do if you’re affected >>

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LEAKING front doors, unstable stairs, wobbly toilet seats, and cracks in the walls are among a range of problems exposed in new housing builds in Hobart’s northern suburbs.

Tenants have also revealed other issues, like loose hand rails, doors that whistle when the wind blows and carpet coming up.

After visiting a constituent and discovering an issue with that property, Labor MP for Lyons Jen Butler this month doorknocked 87 newly-built homes in Gagebrook and Bridgewater and found 78 per cent of them had faults.

But Centacare Evolve Housing, which had the properties built has defended the new builds, saying they had followed an industry standard process to identify and fix defects.

The new builds are part of a government strategy to increase the supply of social and affordable housing in the state.

Labor Lyons MP Jen Butler in front of a block of newly-built homes in Gagebrook. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Ms Butler, who is Labor’s building and construction spokeswoman, has called on the government to conduct an audit of the properties in the areas she has sampled.

“I’m concerned about what state those properties are going to be in, in the long term. The properties I went to are all aged between 4 months and 2 years,’’ she said.

“We need those properties to be robust. They need to last for the next 30 to 50 years and we need them to be built properly.”

Ms Butler said she was shocked by the “sheer amount” of faults she found, and said information from tenants was freely given.

“The thing people kept saying was, ‘I don’t want to make a fuss’ and ‘I’m grateful to have a roof over my head’,’’ she said.

But she noted some of the homes she visited during her doorknocking blitz were “perfect” and had no problems.

Centacare Evolve Housing chief executive Ben Wilson said its building contracts were in accordance with the relevant Act and new builds had a defects liability period attached to them.

“This is industry standard and an expectation that every new house would have work carried out to it after practical completion to rectify defects and carry out general maintenance requirements,’’ he said.

Mr Wilson said it was “extremely common” across the industry that new homes would require maintenance and defect rectifications, but admitted it was “not ideal and can cause inconvenience to our tenants”.

He said the organisation worked with its many partner builders to rectify issues as they were presented.

Mr Wilson said CEH had identified some problem trends, including the performance of the external front doors used, and that they had been amended in specifications moving forward.

He said the organisation managed about 1200 properties in the Gagebrook and Bridgewater areas and 158 of them had been built in the past 12 months.

“Across our entities last year, we delivered 222 new homes within Tasmania, to a seven star energy rating and a high standard of finish,’’ Mr Wilson said.

“Many of the issues raised by Ms Butler have been rectified over the past 12 months.”

Centacare Evolve Housing CEO Ben Wilson at one of their construction sites in Glenorchy. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Tenants of the homes have spoken out about defects in their homes, questioning how they can already be happening.

Ryon Smith and Namaya Pearce at their unit at Gagebrook. Picture Chris Kidd

Young couple Ryon Smith and Namaya Pearce moved into a newly-built home in Gagebrook last year, the first place they had shared after an extended time couch-surfing.

“We were excited to move into this property but now we’ve had all these problems,’’ Mr Smith said.

The pair said they had issues with the back and front doors, with the front door leaking water into the house when it rained, unstable stairs, and a leaking toilet.

Another Gagebrook resident, Andrew Cantrell, said the toilet bowl in his home “falls off” and he had to hammer in nails that were poking up out of the stairs.

“In 12 months, there shouldn’t be this much wrong with it,’’ he said.

Gagebrook resident Andrew Cantrell in front of a new unit he is living in. Picture: Zak Simmonds

A woman who lives at a newly-constructed home in Bridgewater, and who did not want to be identified, said she was mostly happy with her property.

But she said when she first moved in, she had to use up to 10 towels to mop up water that was seeping through the front door.

It was replaced, but the replacement is also imperfect and now she has to use about two or three towels to collect the rainwater which leaks inside.

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Housing Minister Roger Jaensch said if tenants had concerns with their property, they should raise it with their housing provider so it could be addressed.

“We expect our community housing providers will deliver houses to the standard required and promptly resolve any issues that come to light, noting that all homes are only handed over when they have received an occupancy certificate,’’ he said.

Executive director for Master Builders, Tasmania, Matthew Pollock. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Master Builders Tasmania executive director Matthew Pollock said it was not uncommon to see minor defects in new housing construction.

“That is why there is a provision under the building act and the defects liability period to ensure these defects are rectified through an appropriate mechanism and over an appropriate period of time,’’ he said.

“And they should be. There shouldn’t be defects that are outstanding for extended periods of time.”

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