Login
$32k failure: Victorian builder fined after bungled renovation leaves home unliveable
An unregistered builder from Bairnsdale, East Gippsland, has been convicted and fined more than $32,000, including costs, following an illegal renovation on a single mother’s home.
Dean Luke Johnstone, 60, pleaded guilty to three charges at the Bairnsdale Magistrates Court, including carrying out domestic building work without the required registration and without the required domestic building insurance (DBI).
The court heard Johnstone, who operates the business, East Gippsland Home Projects, quoted more than $84,000 to repair water damage in the Bairnsdale home, which included replacing windows.
He then asked for a 50 per cent deposit to enable the work to start, despite the maximum allowable amount being just five per cent.
According to Victoria's Building and Plumbing Commission (VBPC), Johnstone’s poor workmanship, which included unsealed windows and walls, left the home exposed to the elements and made it unliveable.
To save on relocation costs, the mother had to separate from her children and dog, while she paid another builder $11,000 to have the property fixed.
In a victim impact statement, she said she suffered huge emotional distress, anxiety and panic attacks as a result of the ordeal, and had to take out a second mortgage.
Magistrate Tim Walsh said the offences, particularly the lack of insurance, were serious and “must be met with consequences and deterrence".
According to the VBPC, consumers should always use a registered builder for jobs over $10,000 and ensure the builder has DBI for jobs over $16,000.
CEO and commissioner Anna Cronin said the case highlighted the importance of hiring a registered building practitioner.
"Unregistered practitioners are a threat to safety and can leave consumers with no course of action when their work is seriously defective,” Cronin concluded.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Smart Property Investment a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Smart Property Investment as a preferred news source.