VBA Collects $2 Million in Fines from Bad Builders and Plumbers

The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has ramped up its recovery process for outstanding penalties with $2 million in fines collected from practitioners over the past two financial years.

GALLERY  

The monetary number is a result of VBA disciplinary action taken against builders, building surveyors and plumbers for a range of offences under the Building Act 1993. These offences include non-compliant work, fraudulent conduct, failure to comply with rectification notices and failure to be appropriately licensed or registered.

“The message to practitioners is crystal clear – a penalty is not just a piece of paper – we will pursue you through the courts if you don’t pay up,” VBA commissioner and chief executive Anna Cronin says.

“Collecting these fines and holding builders and plumbers to account drives better performance and conduct and also acts as a deterrent.”

More than $1.5 million in fines were collected from builders and building surveyors and more than $530,000 from plumbers in the period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2024.

The crackdown on outstanding penalties is part of wider reforms underway to prioritise and protect consumers and improve the VBA’s regulatory effectiveness.

The $2 million preceded a $250,000 penalty handed down to Aycon Constructions and nominee director Seyit Ayranci in July. That record VBA penalty came after Aycon was immediately suspended in April for carrying out domestic building work without the required insurance.

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