Unregistered builder Mark (Najy) Rayes has been convicted and fined for taking more than $100,000 in payments from customers for services he did not provide.
Rayes, 47, was running an unregistered building and landscaping business when he committed the offences, between 2021 and 2023.
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) investigated Rayes after receiving customer complaints. He was convicted and fined $15,000 for offences under the Australian Consumer Law and $1,000 for breaches of the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995.
People are reminded that when hiring someone to do a renovation, extension, repairs or other building work worth more than $10,000, the contractor must be registered as a building practitioner and provide a written contract.
Registered builders are subject to professional standards, which means consumers are more likely to end up with a job they are happy with.
Hiring someone who isn’t registered risks hiring someone who isn’t skilled and consequently, consumers may end up with poor quality work, as well as limited recourse if the builder walks away.
Jobs worth more than $16,000 must also be covered by domestic building insurance, which protects consumers if the builder dies, disappears or is declared insolvent. For this work, builders must provide:
- a copy of the domestic building insurance policy, and
- a certificate of currency covering the property.
CAV Director Nicole Rich is urging people who are renovating or getting building work done to make sure they are covered.
“For more complex jobs, it’s essential to make sure you only hire practitioners with the right cover and qualifications,” she said.
“The law is there to protect you. Doing your due diligence can help ensure the build or reno is completed to the standard you want and expect.”
Find a registered builder on the Victorian Building Authority website.
For more about planning a renovation or build, including what to do if things go wrong, go to our Building and renovating information.