Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Oct 15, 2011 1:13 pm I often read peoples problems on here and most of them are pretty simple, some a bit more complex. For the complex ones requiring more of a legal type answer, the best and first place you should go for FREE legal assistance, be it for a simple fencing dispute or problems with building contracts, is your local Office of Fair Trading (Commonly know as Consumer Affairs). The next best place is your local Ombudsman. Both these agencies are government offices that are there to help you with everyday problems that we all encounter. It's a simple phone call away, and the advice they give is FREE and very valuable in finding the right answers. I have compiled a list of numbers to use as a reference for forum users. Don't be shy in using them, that's what they are there for, and they have heard of every little problem, no matter how trivial or embarrassing you think it might be. Office of Fair Trading (consumer affairs) & Ombudsman NSW Consumer Affairs 133220 Ombudsmen 02 92861000 VIC Consumer Affairs 1300558181 Ombudsmen 96136222 CANBERRA Consumer Affairs 02 62073000 Ombudsmen 1300362072 TAS Consumer Affairs 1300654499 Ombudsmen 1800001170 SA Consumer Affairs 131882 Ombudsmen 08 82268699 QLD Consumer Affairs 137468 Ombudsmen 07 30057000 NT Consumer Affairs 1800019319 Ombudsmen 1800806380 WA Consumer Affairs 1300304054 Ombudsmen 1800117000 Re: FREE legal help numbers 2Oct 16, 2011 9:24 am In Victoria you can also get in touch with the building commision as well: http://www.buildingcommission.com.au/ww ... ctoria.asp Not sure if there is a similar service in other states but I'd go there before going to the ombudsman/CA if I were in Victoria and was having trouble with a domestic build. Some people apparently have nothing better to do than comment on other people's sigs. Re: FREE legal help numbers 3Oct 16, 2011 11:43 am eyespy, thankyou so much for the valuable info you posted. I'm one of those people who are affected by a builder that has gone into liquidation & wanted some free legal advice. I will ring the ombudsman tomorrow, once again, many thx Re: FREE legal help numbers 4Oct 16, 2011 11:50 am Springtime I'm not sure where you are located but in NSW the Ombudsman is where you lodge a complaint about another govt department/authority. Fair Trading would be your best bet and of course, the insurance company where you paid the builder's insurance, contact details would be on the certificate. Hope things work out for you, sooner rather than later. Re: FREE legal help numbers 5May 29, 2012 6:17 pm Just updating everyone, we went a thru a very uncertain time once the builder went into liquidation, in fact, it was probably the best thing that ever happened. Once we lodged with the insurance co, at least we knew we we stood. We ended up finding a new builder & we are now living in our beautiful new home that took 2 yrs instead of 9 months to build ....but in the end, it was well worth the wait. To anybody that is reading this & experiencing difficulties due to a builder that has gone bankrupt or facing cashflow problems, my advice to you is don't despair & let your anguish & frustration cloud your judgements. Goodluck everyone. Re: FREE legal help numbers 6Sep 10, 2012 1:14 pm springtime Just updating everyone, we went a thru a very uncertain time once the builder went into liquidation, in fact, it was probably the best thing that ever happened. Once we lodged with the insurance co, at least we knew we we stood. We ended up finding a new builder & we are now living in our beautiful new home that took 2 yrs instead of 9 months to build ....but in the end, it was well worth the wait. To anybody that is reading this & experiencing difficulties due to a builder that has gone bankrupt or facing cashflow problems, my advice to you is don't despair & let your anguish & frustration cloud your judgements. Goodluck everyone. Hi Springtime Hope you don't mind asking about your old message but we have just found that our builder, whom we loved and thought would do a great job, went into liquidation last Thursday. We have applied to the contract insurers. I am wondering how long the process took you before you were able to start again with a new builder ? How did the new contract take account of what had already been done by the old builder. Hope you can advise. Thanks Suze Re: FREE legal help numbers 7Sep 10, 2012 7:06 pm Hi Suze, It took about 2 and a half months for the claim to be processed. If we submitted two quotes, we had the option of finding a builder ourselves , or wait till the insurance found what they called " a block builder " . That is a builder who was willing to take on homes that were at about the same stage . But, as we were paying a mortgage, just wanted the house finished asap. Finding a builder ourselves who was willing & competent enough to take on a partially built home was no easy task. But, we came across Adam Duro who was great & finished our beautiful home. May I ask which builder you're with? Re: FREE legal help numbers 8Sep 11, 2012 9:15 am [quote="springtime"]Hi Suze, It took about 2 and a half months for the claim to be processed. If we submitted two quotes, we had the option of finding a builder ourselves , or wait till the insurance found what they called " a block builder " . That is a builder who was willing to take on homes that were at about the same stage . But, as we were paying a mortgage, just wanted the house finished asap. Finding a builder ourselves who was willing & competent enough to take on a partially built home was no easy task. But, we came across Adam Duro who was great & finished our beautiful home. May I ask which builder you're with? Thank you so much Springtime for replying. We are in that state of disbelief that you probably found yourself in. Yours is the only information online that has been useful to us. The builder is Build 401 in Lilydale. We, however are building at Mount Martha. We, like you did, have only the slab or half a slab. So you think we should start looking for a builder willing to take on the task. And you say that won't be easy. Did you feel that the "block builders" would not do much of a job ? Reading your full blog I see that the insurers mucked you around for a long time. Were you scared to sign again after the first disaster? I suppose you felt relief that anyone would be willing to do it. What area is Adam Duro in ? Would love to hear he would be willing to work at Mt Martha. So pleased that you got a beautiful home in the end. Thanks again for your input. Suze Re: FREE legal help numbers 9Sep 11, 2012 9:42 am Hi Suze, I think you misunderstood me, With regards to the block builders, I didn't mean they wouldn't do a good job, rather, they probably would. The point is if you're willing to wait while your insurance company finds a builder to take over the various builds ( That may or may not take some time ) then so be it. On a personal level, we just wanted to get on with it as we had been in limbo for 9 months . It worked for us to finish the build ourselves, even though we had to do repairs that we didn't anticipate, so it's really up to you whether you want to find a builder yourself or wait for the insurance to find someone for you. Adam is in Sydney , so I'm not exactly sure where you are? Re: FREE legal help numbers 10Sep 11, 2012 10:11 am I think we would like to get the job done as soon as possible as we have had many delays as well. I am making some enquiries now. Pity Adam is in Sydney, we are in Melbourne. I was thinking that the block builders wouldn't have strong motivation to do a good job as they know the client is in a tight spot. Is their motivation that the insurers are checking on them ? I'm sorry we are very green about the whole building process. Thanks again for your help. Hi there, long-time lurker but first time posting. I've bought a house 2 and a bit years ago and last year we had some major water damage on a converted pergola area… 0 7897 Yes, unless you are in a low intensity rainfall area or the area is protected from rain. Do you have access to NCC Part 2 or can you download it? I can email you a copy… 10 12460 Thankyou so much 😀 I've decided on White on white for doors and trims, White on white 50% on ceiling and Mt buller for walls. Fingers crossed it will look OK 😀 2 7139 |