SEQ flood recovery — tips for rebuilding and tradie register.
The QBCC has come to the rescue for a Brisbane family after their home improvement dreams looked like going down the drain.
The Jennings family approached the QBCC for help after problems arose with the renovations at their home in northwest Brisbane.
QBCC Commissioner, Anissa Levy says the regulator stepped in to get the renovation back on track for the Arana Hills family thanks to the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme (QHWS).
“It's always good to hear from one of our many satisfied customers. In this instance we had a family of five living in a home with several defects including unusable bathrooms,” Ms Levy said.
“Thanks to the QHWS, the QBCC, our partners Sedgwick Building Consultants and the rectification builders this family now have their renovations completed including three working bathrooms.”
Ms Jennings said she was thrilled to have their family home back in working order.
“It’s a welcome relief to have the work completed and we are very satisfied with the excellent job by the rectification builder and the QBCC kept us informed the whole way,” Ms Jennings said.
Commissioner Levy says Queensland is the only State to offer first resort home warranty consumer protection cover.
“Being a first resort limited scheme, the QBCC is the first port of call for consumers. If QBCC cannot resolve the issue, and the contractor is at fault, a claim is paid provided the statutory requirements are met.
“This process means that consumers are not required to take expensive and lengthy legal action against builders".
“Instead, the QBCC pays a claim within the limits of the scheme, and, wherever possible, takes recovery action against any person or company that is determined to be responsible for the debt.
“In all other states, the consumer has to wait until the builder is deceased, insolvent or is otherwise non-contactable, before a homeowner can make a claim, or exhaust all other options via a court process.”
Further information about the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme is available on the QBCC website.
BACKGROUND
For residential construction projects, the QHWS provides claims coverage of up to $200,000 for incomplete work, defective work or subsidence-related issues post completion.
The work is covered for a period of 6 years 6 months from when the contract is signed by the homeowner and the primary contractor.
In 2021-22, 150,171 Queensland Home Warranty Scheme polices were written. Of those contracts 119,682 (80 per cent) were for renovations and 30,489 (20 per cent) were for new construction.
If you’re a QBCC licensee or a homeowner with an open case with the QBCC, nothing changes immediately, and any future changes will be communicated to you ahead of time.
In November 2021, the Department of Energy and Public Works commissioned an independent review into the governance arrangements of the QBCC.
The QBCC Governance Review Report along with the government’s response is now available here – QBCC Governance review | Department of Energy and Public Works.
To help ensure the QBCC’s success, the independent review has made 17 recommendations.
It is the intent of the Queensland Government that all recommendations are either supported, or supported in principle, noting further detailed analysis is needed for some recommendations before deciding the best approach to achieve the outcome being sought.
An implementation committee has already been established to effect changes spanning the QBCC’s structure, systems, capability, culture, processes, and performance.
It’s business as usual right now for the QBCC, and nothing changes if you’re a QBCC licensee or if you’re a homeowner with an active case. Any changes which may affect you will be communicated ahead of time.
Officers from Queensland’s building industry watchdog have visited dozens of building sites on Russell and Macleay Islands in Moreton Bay, uncovering suspected illegal building-related offences.
Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) officers visited 37 building sites on the islands, conducting contractor licence checks and interviews.
As a result, a number of potential offences were detected, including unlicensed building work, non-compliant site signage and contracting with unlicensed persons.
The QBCC is currently undertaking further investigations into these matters, and anticipates that a number of fines and warnings will be issued as a result.
QBCC Commissioner, Anissa Levy, says compliance audits help ensure building work is performed by licensed, qualified contractors, which protects home owners from potentially defective, dangerous work.
“Unlicensed building work is illegal building work and potentially exposes current and future owners and residents to unacceptable risks,” Ms Levy says.
She says the coordinated, targeted audits on the islands demonstrates that the QBCC will take action against unlicensed individuals wherever and whenever necessary, to maintain a level playing field for licensees and to protect property owners.
“Our licensees are qualified, experienced individuals who must prove their financial status with the QBCC. These requirements help to ensure that their work will be completed and done to the appropriate standards and codes.”
During the compliance audit, QBCC officers also provided building information and advice to builders and property owners.
BACKGROUND
Unlicensed building offences can result in fines for an individual ranging between $2,757 for a first offence and up to $34,462.50 if prosecuted through a magistrates court.
Other offences can attract warnings, fines and/or education requirements, depending on the type and severity of the offence.
A scholarship recipient who helps people find jobs in the building and construction industry has been given a platform to take her love of recruitment even further.
Cassandra Hicking was named the National Association of Women in Construction's (NAWIC) annual scholarship winner and this is the fourth year the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) has sponsored the scholarship.
QBCC Commissioner Anissa Levy said the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) scholarship would provide Mrs Hicking the opportunity to further her self-development.
“We know how important it is to have women represented in the building and construction industry but we also need to offer them support and encouragement along the way,” Ms Levy said.
“The QBCC has sponsored this scholarship since 2018 because we know how important it is to have women represented in this industry.”
Cassandra Hicking was named the QBCC’s 2022 winner of the AICD scholarship program.
Mrs Hicking, 42, owns CH Resourcing and said she was looking forward to continuing helping women gain employment, as well as confidence, from roles in the building and construction industry.
“I think women need to know there are many rewarding roles in the construction industry” she said.
“This type of awareness needs to start at a young age so women have more opportunities to consider when thinking about their career.”
Mrs Hicking has participated in NAWIC’s mentoring program, both as a mentor and mentee and is the program lead for education engagement at NAWIC.
NAWIC Queensland President Sheree Taylor said NAWIC’s vision had always been to have an equitable construction industry where women participated.
“The AICD scholarship is an important initiative to create a pipeline of talented women who are ideal future board members. This is a life-changing opportunity for our scholarship winner Cassandra,” Ms Taylor said.
“We are extremely grateful for QBCC’s ongoing support to NAWIC Queensland and for sponsoring this scholarship.”
The scholarship entitles Mrs Hicking to a 12-month membership with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, as well as completing their company directors’ course.
Officers from the building industry regulator have started door-knocking in Brisbane’s flood affected suburbs, offering advice to homeowners to help protect them and their properties when rebuilding work starts.
Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) staff are visiting homeowners this week, providing flood recovery advice and urging them to only use licensed tradespeople for their important building work.
QBCC Commissioner, Anissa Levy, says it is understandable that affected owners want to start work as soon as possible but it is equally important that they ensure the work is done correctly, legally and to all appropriate standards.
"I know that owners urgently want their homes repaired but if the work isn’t done properly the first time, it could potentially create further problems down the track," Ms Levy says.
"It’s also important that owners speak to their insurer before attempting or authorising any building work, including emergency repairs, as unauthorised work may not be covered by an
insurance policy."
The QBCC website features a 'Find a Local Contractor' search function to help those owners who need to locate and contact qualified, licensed local tradespeople.
Owners are also encouraged to use contracts to help safeguard all parties in case of potential future disputes. Contracts are available to download for free from the QBCC website.
"When the important rebuilding work starts in flood-affected areas, the QBCC will be there to check licences and inspect work, to protect owners and ensure a level playing field for licensed contractors," Ms Levy says.
Queensland homeowners affected by recent flooding are urged to check the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) website for resources to help rebuild and recover.
QBCC Commissioner Richard Cassidy said there was a range of information and resources online for people and businesses affected by floods or seeking flooding assistance.
“Events like this have a huge impact on the community and we're here to help,” he said.
“We encourage anyone affected by the floods to take extra steps to stay safe during the clean-up and know there are a number of helpful guides and tips on how to start the clean-up, and how to do it safely.
“There is a flood cleaning checklist which looks at where to start with general cleaning as well as what to do with cavity walls, concrete floors, plaster board and fixtures and fittings, to name a few.
“A floods health and safety checklist looks at initial post-flood safety and awareness around electricity and gas supply, as well as strip-out and clean procedures for insulation, water damaged furniture, carpets and any other absorbent items.”
Mr Cassidy said it was important people followed these simple steps to stop any further damage to their properties, as well as keep them and their families safe.
“We know this can be an emotional time and having these checklists on hand helps take the guess work out of what needs to be done next,” he said.
Further fact sheets and checklists are available on the QBCC website.
If you don’t have internet access, please phone QBCC on 13 93 33.
The Service Trades Council met in February and discussed the nomination process for the Service Trades Licensing Advisory Panel (STLAP).
The Council were asked to endorse the following at the meeting:
The proposed candidate attributes are:
Nominees must also consent to a criminal history and probity checks and provide details of any potential conflicts of interest.
The advertisement for the STLAP panel nomination process will be from 7 March to 18 March 2022, as an open merit, expression of interest to members of the service trades industry, including stakeholder representatives and individual representatives.