Submission to Building Professionals Act 2005 Draft Report From: Jean-Paul Ghantous

Submission to Building Professionals Act 2005 Draft Report from:Jean-Paul Ghantous

To: The independent review

submission for review of the Building professionals Act 2005

Occupation Certificates

1)A final inspection would be undertaken by the PCA and all documentation should be sent to the Local governing authority for an occupation certificate to be issued by the LGA.

Builders and Certifiers liability

Certifiers are seeing an increase in poor workmanship from builders but most importantly owner builders who have no experience in building.

Given the builder is responsible for the day to day works on the development all builders should have the same insurance policy as the certifiers ( Professional Indemnity insurance for ten years)

Builders should also be licensed in accordance with the class of development as per the Accreditation scheme for certifiers.

below is a recommendation of builders licencing

B1 Builder – Class of buildings Unrestricted

B2 Builder – All classes up to three storeys and limited floor area.

B3 Builder – Class 1 and 10 buildings

B4 builder – Class 1 and 10 works under $25000.00

Owner Builders (OB) - Class 10 only

15.2 Accreditation of Certifiers

As forecasted there will be a shortage of Certifiers within the next ten years.

Practical experience is one of the best way to learn. This method worked well in the building industry in the 1900’s and early 2000’s for builders qualifications.

below is two recommendation that could help with the future shortage of Certifiers.

1)Three years practical experience as an A4 building inspector and a portfolio of jobs that you have worked on under supervision within the four years. This would be assessed by the board for an A3 accreditation.

2)Three years practical experience as an A4 building inspector and passing an exam set by the board for an A3 accreditation.

15.8 Certifying Fees

Under current legislation both council and private certifiers are being payed the full amount upfront prior to completing their contractual obligations as the PCA. There is a difference between council and Private certification in this area this being that council will always be around to complete the works as set out within their contracted. However within the private sector this is a volatile area as any certifier can become insolvent, retire or even death prior to the completion of the payed works.

below is a recommendation that could help with this issue

1)A certification company is required to have a company trust account where all funds are submitted upfront by the applicant. The Certifier draws out funds upon progression of the development. A guide for this practice and progression payment percentages should be outlined by the board

Kind Regards

Jean-Paul Ghantous