The Forum > Article Comments > Lest we forget? The home insulation scheme ... > Comments
Lest we forget? The home insulation scheme ... : Comments
By Chris Lewis, published 16/7/2010The Labor Government’s home insulation scheme beggars belief in terms of wastage of resources and lack of regard for safety warnings.
- Pages:
-
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Page 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
-
- All
Regardless of known discrepancies with specifications and contravention of 'Standards' the home owner has no right whatsoever to require compliance with specifications nor to require the builder to remedy work that contravenes the Standards.
After paying in full for practical completion - otherwise the home owner breaches the contract - the home owner can then try to get deficiencies corrected. However the home owner is foolish to do that before final payment in full and key handover, for fear that the builder will retaliate by claiming any of a zillion reasons including purported breach of contract by the home owner and delay final completion by months. The builder doesn't worry, he has front-loaded the contract anyway and loses nothing.
Now comes the gritty bit, the home owner can waste $30,000 minimum on a contract lawyer to resolve cheaper substitutions and cosmetic faults. Where there are known serious faults, inspected by suitable professionals and photographed during construction, the home owner is nonetheless obliged to wait for evidence of deterioration and will have to pay for more professional reports to back that up, unless he can get the diplomats in the BSA to act (takes months).
How can this be fixed? Easy peasy, by BSA or independent (BSA certified) inspection at established stages of construction against formal Standards (ie force of law). Any home owner would gladly pay for the inspections.
Benefits? The good builders and trades get plenty of work and all year long, they can afford to keep their gangs of preferred trades and the cowboys get out of the industry.