Government of Western Australia | A Jindalee building surveyor has been fined $5,000 for failing to ensure the proper management and supervision of building surveying work at sites in Balga and Wanneroo.
The Building Services Board found Chad Robert Harvey, trading as Core Building Surveyors, had shown a “concerning lack of understanding” of the duties and responsibilities of a registered building surveyor.
The Board imposed the fine at its meeting after considering the findings of a Building and Energy investigation.
At the Balga site, where a new two-storey group dwelling was planned, Mr. Harvey issued a certificate of design compliance (CDC), which is a declaration that a building will comply with applicable building standards if it is constructed in accordance with the plans and specifications.
The Board found Mr. Harvey’s CDC had failed to show compliance of the Balga building in areas such as storm water drainage, stair and balustrade construction, floor levels, construction of the steel frame, wall cladding, and fire safety.
These omissions created potential hazards related to fire, falls, health, and amenity due to structural, waterproofing, and drainage issues.
At the Wanneroo site, the Board found Mr. Harvey failed to provide supporting documentation or evidence of suitability for a change of use of a commercial unit.
He also should have issued a CDC but instead provided a certificate of building compliance (CBC) that did not show how the building complied with the applicable building standards in many areas.
The Board found Mr. Harvey had fallen short of the standards expected under WA’s Code of Conduct for Building Surveyors, which Building and Energy published in 2022 to guide registered building surveyors about their legal and public interest obligations.
