A Cautionary Tale

In tribute of Halloween that is coming up, I thought I’d share a horror story of how our company narrowly missed a disaster.

*Begin suspense/horror music*

We had a lead come through for a three-storey boutique development project with commercial fit-out works to be completed for the ground floor level. On the surface, the location and scope of works of the project were perfect for our company.

However, things took a quick turn for worse…

First, we received an email from the supposedly ‘project manager’ Morris (not the real name) that is meant to be representing the client and running the project. What set off alarm bells for me was that in his email, Morris’s signature stated that he was a licensed builder and a member of the MBA (Master Builders Association).

Upon further digging, I found that out that not only was the MBA membership inactive, Morris is NO LONGER a licensed builder as his license had been revoked due to prior dodgy practices.

A bit more digging on the internet and it turns out that Morris used to operate a builder company which had scammed several clients.

Online reviews of Morris’s company described the experience as ‘the worst nightmare imaginable’. One review even went on to say that they had failed to take out Home Building Compensation Fund (previously known as home warrantee insurance), and there were several defects on for the work conducted. Another review said that ‘they were cheapest (sic) for a reason’.

With the worst review saying that ‘funds were withdrawn without authorisation’!

Obviously, we ended up politely declining the project and walked away from the inevitable disaster.

However, the moral of this story is that you should ALWAYS do your own investigative research.

If something doesn’t feel right, take action and do a bit of research yourself.

Courtesy of the internet, most things can be found these days through a quick google search. At the very least you should always been researching the company to see if their licenses are in place and valid

More importantly than that, as a consumer you are protected by the Home Building Act 1989.

As there have been recent changes made to HBCF (Home Building Compensation Fund), there is now only one provider which is iCare. This means that it is now easier than before to check whether HBCF has been taken up by the builder.

For any building works over $20,000 the builder or contractor must obtain HBCF cover for the project and provide the client with evidence of their cover. To check the validity of cover you have received, visit:

https://www.icare.nsw.gov.au/builders-and-homeowners/certificates-of-hbcf-insurance/certificates-register/

If you have any upcoming project that you need assistance with, we are always happy to help. Simply fill our contact form on our website:

https://www.magicoconstructions.com/contact/

Happy Halloween!