Action taken against poor building work

Media release

3 July 2015

Action taken against poor building work

Two Licensed Building Practitioners have been held to account by the Building Practitioners Board for poor workmanship.

Auckland LBP Shamsher Ali has been suspended for 12 months and fined $1500 for what the Board called a cavalier attitude towards building code compliance matters. The Board also found that Mr Ali did not accept a legal obligation to build in accordance with the approved building consent.

Meanwhile, Wellington LBP Fangning Ai has been suspended for six months and fined $1000 for making a number of building-related errors disproportionate to what would be expected of an LBP holding the license class Mr Ai held. The Board found that the errors demonstrated a general lack of understanding and knowledge of the regulatory system, the Building Code and applicable technical standards

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s (MBIE’s) Registrar of Building Practitioner Licensing Paul Hobbs says these two cases should send a clear warning to other LBP’s when it comes to their obligations.

“LBPs have a legal obligation to follow plans and specifications that form a part of the building consent application,” said Mr Hobbs.

“Any significant deviation from the consented documentation should be dealt with through a formal amendment or a minor variation to the consent.”

“LBPs are all personally responsible for keeping up to date with regulatory and technical changes relevant to their area of practice.”

“Consumers can have confidence when they employ an LBP, that, in the event of difficulty their complaints are promptly and professionally heard by the Board,” said Mr Hobbs.

These two latest prosecutions follow another prosecution of a Napier LBP who had his license cancelled and cannot be re-licensed for a period of not less than two years.

A guide to making a complaint about a licensed building practitioner is available from the Board’s website www.lbp.govt.nz. When a complaint is received by the Building Practitioners Board, the Board follows the complaints process published on their website.

ends

© Scoop Media