Leaky building report: house building process inadequate

The process of getting a house built is inadequate, a report into leaky buildings released today says.

The Building Industry Authority (BIA) says it will act immediately to implement recommendations from the report.

The report was prepared for the BIA by a three-man inquiry team -- former State Services Commissioner Don Hunn, former Victoria University architecture dean David Kerhohan and engineering consultant Ian Bond.

The BIA -- a governmental body responsible for building controls -- began the inquiry after it received reports from several industry organisations of a high number of leaking and rotting houses. It made 20 recommendations

The report reinforced a national safety warning issued by the authority last month that people could be killed or seriously injured by rotting balconies.

"The overview group has been concerned by the trauma experienced by many individuals when faced with the reality of a leaking home," the report said.

"We have met a number of people who face major financial difficulty as a result of the inadequacies of the building process. 'Let the buyer beware' is one approach -- but it is the view of the overview group that the buyer in this case has good reason to expect a home that does not leak."

Full text of the Building Industry Authority report