The collapse of yet another building contractor has sparked renewed calls for action on a home warranty insurance scheme.
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Minister for Small Business and Consumer Affairs Madeleine Ogilvie said the government would have such a scheme set up "as soon as possible".
LV Built, a Hobart-based franchise attached to GJ Gardner Homes, went into liquidation at the start of April and left several Tasmanian customers including Lee Gillam in the lurch.
However, Mr Gillam said trouble had been brewing for some time.
"It was late 2021, we started negotiating a contract and work started on the house in late 2022," he said.
"We got through to the completion date of September 2023 and it wasn't completed. We negotiated completion dates for December and then February, and now we're here.
"Basically nothing's happened since September apart from more damage to the house."
Mr Gillam said the new home was riddled with issues, including a driveway that was not up to specification, downpipes that were not plumbed in, and crooked walls.
The frustrated homeowner had spent about $400,000 on the now-halted construction work, with one $44,000 payment outstanding.
Mr Gillam said work to rectify the poor workmanship would likely cost three times that, and although there was compensation available through the Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) he had to stump up the cash for the rebuild first.
He said the state government had been "asleep at the wheel" when it came to protecting people like him.
Legislation to re-introduce a home warranty insurance scheme, which would cover home buyers in cases of poor construction work or if their builder goes bankrupt, passed both houses of parliament in 2023.
This requires builders to obtain insurance covering, at a minimum, $200,000 or 20 per cent of the project's contract price for incomplete work.
The bill received royal assent in October 2023, and opposition leader Dean Winter said the government had been too focussed on internal issues to implement it.
"We were really happy to work constructively through the parliament last year to get home warranty insurance up for Tasmanians and for situations like this," Mr Winter said.
"The government has been far too slow to actually implement it.
"We need to make sure we've got a government that's on the job and that's focused on issues like this, but at the moment they seem to be very focused on themselves."
However, the Minister for Small Business and Consumer Affairs said work had been done behind the scenes since October with the scheme due to be implemented "as soon as possible".
Ms Ogilvie said she was "keeping a close eye" on the situation.
"The Department of Justice and the Department of Treasury and Finance are currently setting up the procurement process for a scheme operator," she said.
"While the scheme is implemented, the Government has made a significant financial assistance package available for affected consumers through CBOS.
"The cover offered as part of this package is consistent with the proposed Home Warranty Insurance Scheme."