• $136,500 building project carried out without the required registration or permit
• Building Services Board issued $2,500 fine for registration breach and negligence
• Home owners encouraged to check registration and permits before work starts

Home owners are urged to check their builder’s registration and any permits before building work begins after a Cloverdale couple had to seek retrospective approval for an unauthorised renovation.

At its September 2021 meeting, the Building Services Board issued a $2,500 fine to former building practitioner Ronald Henry Anthony Goldsword (BP6120; expired) in relation to the Cloverdale project. The Board found Mr Goldsword breached his registration conditions by entering into the $136,500 contract and was negligent by not ensuring a building permit was in place.

To undertake building work valued at more than $20,000 and requiring a building permit, such as the Cloverdale project, Mr Goldsword was required to be registered as a building contractor.

He was previously the co-director of a registered building contracting company that went into liquidation in 2011. He continued to be registered as an individual building practitioner until August 2020 with restrictions including no financial management or leadership of a building company.

Information presented by Building and Energy to the Board showed that in 2016, Mr Goldsword carried out fencing work at the Cloverdale house while using a vehicle marked with a building registration number.

The home owners invited Mr Goldsword to provide a quote for a renovation including removing an internal wall and a fireplace, extending the lounge room and relocating a doorway, as well as adding an ensuite bathroom, a patio and a double carport.

In May 2017, Mr Goldsword provided a written quote for more than $141,000. The owners eventually paid $136,500 after adjusting the scope of work.

After the Cloverdale project was completed in late 2017, the owners requested a copy of the building permit and discovered that Mr Goldsword had never applied for this permit from the City of Belmont.

“Carrying out unauthorised building work could result in faulty or even hazardous structures that do not meet the required codes and standards,” Building and Energy Acting Executive Director Nabil Yazdani said.

“The home owners now have to go through the costly and time-consuming process of obtaining retrospective approval for the work.

“Mr Goldsword should never have entered into a contract of this kind in the first place as he was not registered as a building contractor and his building practitioner registration was restricted.

“This also meant a home indemnity insurance policy was not in place, which would have offered the home owners some financial protection in the event of the builder’s death, disappearance or insolvency.”

When issuing the fine, the Board took into account that Mr Goldsword had cooperated with the investigation and had not faced disciplinary issues before or since.

Mr Goldsword’s building practitioner registration expired in August 2020 and was not renewed by the Board.

Visit dmirs.wa.gov.au/buildersearch to check if a builder is registered or subject to any restrictions. Building permits can be requested from the relevant local government.

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Media contact: BEmedia@demirs.wa.gov.au