Unregistered WA fit-out firm faces $17k fine
A Perth construction business has been fined a total of $17,000 plus legal costs for taking on commercial fit-out work without the required registration.
Perth company Little Fitout Company Pty Ltd, and its owners Shaun Gregory Milton and Benjamin Roy Howgill McFarlane, have been fined after they were found to have taken on a commercial fit-out without being properly registered.
The Perth Magistrates Court was told that the owner of an Innaloo commercial premises engaged Little Fitout in 2022 to carry out interior construction and fit-out work.
Although Little Fitout was not a registered building service contractor, the quote the company provided included services that require registration, such as:
- Building internal walls and arches.
- Painting and the supply and installation of custom joinery, ceilings, and floors.
- Overseeing lighting, electrical, and plumbing work conducted under the contract.
In addition to Little Fitout currently being in liquidation, the business and its directors were convicted last month under the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011, which makes it an offence to contract for or carry out a prescribed building service without registration as a building service contractor.
In court on 4 April 2025, Milton pled guilty to the registration offence as an officer of the company, while McFarlane did not appear.
The presiding Magistrate Catherine Crawford issued fines of $12,500 to Little Fitout, $2,000 to Milton, and $2,500 to McFarlane, in addition to ordering each party to pay $707 in legal costs.
This decision followed a judgment earlier this month that saw the Perth Magistrates Court fine a Perth man $2,000 after he pleaded guilty to providing false information while applying for builder registration.
Building Commissioner, Saj Abdoolakhan, said that licence requirements are mandatory in Western Australia, and urged consumers to ensure that building service providers are appropriately registered before entering into a contract.
“Registration as a building contractor is required for building work valued at more than $20,000 that requires a building permit,” Abdoolakhan said.
“To gain registration, a builder must show they have the skills, experience, and financial stability to provide safe and compliant work,” he concluded.