• Building Services Board issues $2,500 fine
• No building permit in place during an apartment balcony renovation
• Altered compliance certificate provided to the City of Perth

A Mount Hawthorn building practitioner has been fined $2,500 for carrying out unauthorised work at a West Perth apartment and submitting incorrect documents to the City of Perth.

The Building Services Board found that Christiaan Theodore Hazebroek (BP9603) was negligent when he carried out building work without a valid building permit.

An investigation by Building and Energy found that the City of Perth issued a building permit in December 2014 for balcony renovations at 11 apartments in the West Perth complex.

After the original project was underway, another apartment owner decided to also have their balcony renovated. Mr Hazebroek submitted a building permit application for the additional apartment in 2015 but, before the permit was issued, City of Perth officers discovered that work on this balcony was already completed. 

The Building Services Board also found that Mr Hazebroek had misled the City of Perth when he submitted an application for retrospective approval of the unauthorised work.

The application included a Certificate of Building Compliance apparently signed by a registered building surveyor. However, when the City of Perth contacted the building surveyor to clarify some information, he denied issuing the certificate and there was no evidence to show that he carried out this service.

Building and Energy Executive Director Saj Abdoolakhan said unauthorised building work, including late additions to an existing project, was unacceptable.

“Disregard for the building approval process can put public safety at risk,” he said.

“Of particular concern in this case is the provision of a compliance certificate that a building surveyor had not actually signed.

“Retrospective approval for the balcony work has since been granted, but building practitioners should know that with registration comes responsibility.

“The community expects the industry to deliver safe buildings, which must involve following proper processes and working to high standards.”

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Media contact: BEmedia@dmirs.wa.gov.au

Note: BP numbers refer to registration as a building practitioner. The registers of building service providers are available at commerce.wa.gov.au/buildersearch