A KEYSBOROUGH man has been convicted and fined $8000 after being charged by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) on two counts of carrying out illegal building work.
James Vo came under VBA scrutiny after complaints from two home owners about renovation projects at Keysborough in 2011 and 2012.
The first complaint related to a large extension and renovation started in September 2011. Vo quoted $100,000 for the work and demanded a $10,000 deposit prior to commencing. The second complaint was regarding a carport that another homeowner employed Vo to build in February 2012.
Both homeowners separately reported Vo to the VBA after becoming concerned with delays and the quality of his work. It was discovered that Mr Vo was not a registered builder, did not have building permits or the appropriate building insurance to legally work on either project.
Vo fronted the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 18 June to answer nine charges.
In the first case, Vo was charged with carrying out work without a building permit or the required insurance, carrying out work while unregistered, demanding a deposit more than the limit and entering into a contract without appropriate requirements in place.
A further charge of entering into a domestic building contract unregistered was withdrawn. He was found guilty on all other charges and fined $5000.
In the second case, Mr Vo was charged with doing work without a building permit or the required insurance and carrying out domestic building work while unregistered. He was found guilty on all charges and fined $3000.
The VBA’s Compliance and Performance Director Murray Smith said all domestic building work in Victoria costing more than $5000 must be done by a builder who is registered with the Building Practitioners Board.
To check that a builder is registered, visit the VBA website at www.vba.vic.gov.au
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