Commercial investors urged to be cautious after builder breach
Commercial property owners are reminded to be cautious when conducting renovations or repair work after a Western Australian builder was found to have contravened registration laws.
The Building Services Board has issued a formal caution to Dwayne Alcock after his partner’s business entered into a contract to do a $300,000 commercial fit-out, but the registration and building approval documents were issued to him as an individual building contractor.
An investigation by the board found that in 2018, the City of Joondalup received a building permit application and a notice of completion that identified Mr Alcock as the building contractor for the work, which Mr Alcock carried out at a Joondalup spa and wellness centre.
“The board found that Mr Alcock contravened WA’s building registration laws when he allowed Alcock Holdings (WA) Pty Ltd (now in administration), trading as Transformers Retail Fitout, to enter into the contract rather than Mr Alcock himself,” a statement from the group said.
“Mr Alcock’s partner was the sole director of Alcock Holdings. The business has never been registered as a building contractor, which is compulsory when entering into a contract for work valued at more than $20,000 and requiring a building permit.
“Individuals registered as building contractors cannot use their registration to carry out building work on behalf of unregistered companies that contract for the work.”
Commenting on the matter, Building and Energy executive director Saj Abdoolakhan said:
“The builder registration system offers assurances to consumers that the individual or company they are engaging has the appropriate qualifications, knowledge, experience and business stability to carry out the project.
“As well as confirming that the building service provider is registered, it is important to double-check that their details are the same across all documents, including building permits, contracts, invoices, receipts and insurance.”
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