AAA WELCOMES VBA OVERHAUL

The Australian Apartment Advocacy (AAA) has welcomed the Victorian Governments announcement today to overhaul the Victoria Building Authority (VBA) after a damning report by Bronwyn Weir revealed a culture that was dismissive of consumer complaints.

The 2023 AAA’s research of 2000 apartment owners found that 58% of Victorians had experienced defects with a staggering 76% still waiting for repairs to be conducted by the builder or developer.

As a result, only 8% felt comfortable buying off the plan and 75% wanted assurance of the quality of the build, which could only be achieved via proactive audits.

Ms Reece, CEO and Founder of AAA stated that the neglect of homeowners had now resulted in a crisis in confidence by apartment buyers.

“Only 6% of the Victorian respondents believed the State Government was doing a good job with consumer protection and that poor score is totally understandable,” Ms Reece said.

“We have some case studies that have been drawn out over 7 years through the VCAT process and this has affected people’s mental health, with some taking their life.

“Purchasing a home is one of the most expensive decisions that someone makes in their life and to find out that they have a building that is so defective, that in some cases has to be rebuilt, is a clear flaw on the current system.”

The research also found that 81% wanted to hold the developer more accountable for defects, 71% wanted mandatory inspections during construction and 75% wanted verification that the imported building materials met Australian Standards.

In conclusion Ms Reece stated that she now encouraged the Victorian Government to act with this decision in a decisive way.

“The Victorian Government needs to put their money where their mouth is and demonstrate that they are focused on consumer protection to instill faith in the VBA.”