At first, it may be alarming to discover that housing construction disputes in Maitland are heavily represented in the 10 most common complaints to NSW Fair Trading.
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In 2013/14, and again in 2014/15, these disputes represented more than 20 per cent of formal complaints registered in the top 10 list.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean that building a new home in Maitland is fraught with difficulties.
It could simply be a symptom of how quickly this region is growing.
Given Maitland’s rapid population rise and the number of new homes being built in suburbs like Aberglasslyn and Gillieston Heights, the fact that disputes about how homes are constructed could be, at least partly, a result of the region’s growth.
If a large number of homes are being built, the likelihood of a dispute between a builder and a homeowner in that region increases.
However, the story of East Maitland man Sachin (who asked for his full name not to be published) shows that there is help available for people spending their hard-earned money on building a home.
Sachin was one of the 34 Maitland people who lodged a Fair Trading complaint about housing construction last financial year after it became apparent that the builder he’d enlisted was doing a dodgy job and using sub-standard materials.
When the manager of the building company refused to fix the obvious defects, which included uneven and crumbling mortar and broken bricks, Fair Trading stepped in and the company eventually fixed most of the problems.
Sachin’s story shows that there are ways for residents to make sure they get what they pay for.
So the heavy representation of housing construction disputes in Fair Trading’s top 10 list shouldn’t deter people from building a new home in Maitland.
