City tightens building checks

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The Auckland City Council is taking steps to combat the leaky home crisis.

Measures include more rigorous cladding inspections and recommending treated timber for high-risk buildings.

Auckland City is the leaky building capital of New Zealand with the greatest number of rotting homes. Since 1990, the council has received 52 claims for leaky buildings.

Of these, 35 have been settled and confidential payments have been made to 20 home-owners at a cost to ratepayers of $1.1 million.

In a report to the city development committee on the weathertightness of buildings, principal building officer Bob De Leur said officers had initiated changes that would be in place in the next couple of months.

They included:

* A list of 29 checks for a new "cladding inspection" system. The previous "stucco inspection" listed six checks.

* Increasing the number of cladding inspections from one to four at an extra cost of about $200.

* More stringent management of inspections.

* Requiring more detailed drawings for items such as cladding and flashings, particularly for buildings considered risky. A senior staff member would audit each of the drawings.

* Recommending treated timber for high-risk buildings, even though this was not necessary to comply with the building code.

* Staff training and advising manufacturers about "problem buildings".

* Warning homeowners about steps to safeguard themselves against leaky buildings.

Mr De Leur said a lot of the changes were in line with recommendations in the Building Industry Authority report and from a new building lobby group.

The newly formed Construction Industry Council, representing 19 professional institutes, associations and groups, has called for more stringent construction standards, better house design, more regular building inspections and a new accreditation system.

One suggestion in the Building Industry Authority report that the council has so far not acted upon is ending the practice of out-of-court confidential settlements.

Three weeks ago the Herald requested under the Official Information Act details of all leaky building claims that have been filed against the council but has not received a response.

Mr De Leur's report said the number of claims relating to leaky buildings would increase because of the present publicity, increased popularity of plaster-clad Mediterranean-style homes and the increase in the number of homes being built. There are 12 claims before the council.

Since July 2000, the council has had a $2 million excess on liability insurance for any one claim. In that time, no claims for leaky buildings have come anywhere near the excess.

Deputy Mayor David Hay said at yesterday's committee meeting that all roads for compensation led to the council.

Mr Hay, who also runs the established family firm of Keith Hay Homes, criticised developers who set up shelf companies and then closed them down and walked away from any liability once a development was finished.

He also criticised people and their lawyers who bought apartments without bothering to check the track record of developers and builders.

"You wouldn't buy an expensive motor vehicle like a BMW or Mercedes on that basis.

"Yet people are spending more on these apartments than on a motor vehicle."

Mr Hay and councillor Faye Storer called for greater clarity on the responsibility of councils under the Building Act so that ratepayers were not left picking up the bill.

* If you have information about leaking buildings,
email the Herald or fax (09) 373-6421.

Further reading
Feature: Leaky buildings

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