A major Australian building company and its nominated supervisor have been fined a total of $32,000 after significant roof defects were discovered at two Perth homes.

The State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) found that BGC Residential Pty Ltd (BC9769) and Thomas Edmund Starkey (BP14002) breached building registration laws by not properly managing and supervising a building service.

In 2016, a building inspector from the Building Commission (now known as Building and Energy) identified 18 defects in the roof construction of a home built by BGC Residential in the north-east Perth suburb of Bennett Springs.

The roof did not comply with relevant building standards, approved plans or manufacturers’ instructions due to absent or inadequate tie-downs and struts, poorly fixed or incorrectly spaced rafters and inappropriately applied nails.

Also in 2016, Building and Energy conducted a random inspection at another house built by BGC Residential in the riverfront suburb of Bicton. Three serious roof defects were identified, with the potential for sections of the roof to lift off in severe wind.

The company has since rectified the issues at both properties and implemented more robust systems for roof constructions.

At a SAT mediation, BGC Residential accepted a $22,000 fine as the building contractor and Mr Starkey agreed to a $10,000 fine as the nominated supervisor. Costs of $3,000 were awarded.

“This is a significant penalty that shows the seriousness of the defects and the potential dangers involved,” Building and Energy A/Executive Director Saj Abdoolakhan said.

“Failure to properly manage and supervise building projects is inexcusable, particularly in high-risk areas such as roofing. This case should remind everyone in the industry of their obligations and the consequences of not taking these responsibilities seriously.”

Mr Abdoolakhan said Building and Energy continues to closely monitor roof construction during its inspection activities.

“We’ve seen a 30 per cent improvement in compliance with tie-down systems in the three years since our comprehensive inspection report into metal roof construction in WA,” he said.

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Media contact: Sarah Roberts – 0466 409 828 or CPmedia@demirs.wa.gov.au

Note: BC and BP numbers refer to registration as a building contractor or building practitioner. The registers of building service providers are available online (dmirs.wa.gov.au).