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Apartment block’s 40 defects trigger $20k disciplinary action
A building surveying company has been fined $20,000 after 40 defective elements were found in an apartment block’s compliance certificate, with its director barred until further training is completed.
Western Australian building surveying company Russell Building Approvals Pty Ltd was fined $20,000 and reprimanded for negligent and misleading conduct involving compliance certificates across five properties in Perth and the Pilbara region.
Following an inspection, the WA Building Services Board found omissions in the certificates, including incorrect or unsupported claims that buildings complied with the National Construction Code.
The incorrect certificates of design compliance (CDCs) were found for an apartment block in Floreat, homes in South Hedland and Bicton, a storage building in Port Hedland, and commercial premises in Victoria Park.
A CDC confirms proposed building work will meet applicable building standards if construction follows approved plans and specifications and includes essential construction requirements.
Following mediation at the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT), the parties agreed on facts showing the company issued CDCs across the five assets.
According to the watchdog inspectors, the Floreat apartment block’s CDC contained 40 defective elements, including issues involving fire separation, balustrades, and disability access.
The surveying company also failed to record differences between the completed apartments and the approved CDC plans when issuing a certificate of construction compliance.
Orders published on 15 September 2026 found grounds for disciplinary action under the Building Services Act 2011 over the company’s negligent and misleading or deceptive conduct.
In addition to the $20,000 fine, the SAT ordered director and former nominated supervisor Karl Stephen Russell to complete two construction legislation study units by the end of 2027, barring him from acting as a nominated supervisor until he does so.
Executive director of the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety’s Building and Energy division, Dan Kearney, said surveyors’ certifications were a key consideration in decisions on building and occupancy permits.
“Substandard building surveying work is unacceptable and can have ripple effects on the safety, health and amenity of building occupants,” Kearney said.
“This work must be carried out in a thorough and diligent manner with robust supporting evidence for compliance certifications.”
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