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Shoddy renovation jobs see fake builder slugged massive $170k
A Melbourne woman has been convicted and fined a massive $170,000 after she was caught pretending to be a registered builder, leaving home owners with significant repair bills.
A woman from Melbourne’s south-east has been convicted and fined, narrowly avoiding jail time, following a series of illegal home renovations in Wantirna South, Doncaster, and Donvale.
Ha Thi “Miki” Nguyen, from Malvern East, pleaded guilty to 12 charges under the Building Act, including representing herself as a registered builder when she was not.
Despite being unregistered, Nguyen was found to have carried out domestic building work under a Major Domestic Building Contract (MDBC) and arranged the carrying out of building work when not covered by the required insurance.
At the Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court, Magistrate Jennifer Tregent convicted Nguyen on all charges and fined her $170,000, saying she was lucky not to have also been charged under the Crimes Act, which would carry jail time.
The court heard that all three home owners contacted Nguyen through Facebook, where she advertised under the names Tim Reno and AZ Homes.
In each case, Nguyen claimed she was a registered builder, owned a construction company with her husband, which employed 40 people, and had more than 20 years’ experience in renovation work.
After receiving payments for the jobs, Nguyen sent workers out to start the job, only to disappear after the home owners questioned the shoddy work or her credentials.
Nguyen was previously convicted and fined in April 2022 at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for similar offences, which the Magistrate described as a “dishonest cunning thief”.
In light of the case, the Victorian Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) issued a warning urging consumers to always use a registered builder for jobs over $10,000 and to ensure the builder has mandatory building insurance in place.
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