Building and Construction Disputes
Building a home or investment property can also be fraught with danger, particularly given current market volatility. Since November last year at least fifteen builders have gone bust, including former heavyweights Probuild, Condev and Pivotal Homes.
Builders attribute their demise to soaring material and labour prices, compounded by Covid-19 delays, all of which have eaten away at their profits.
To mitigate this, a common ‘trap’ that some builders have employed in their building contracts, is the inclusion of clauses that enable them to pass on building material price increases, and not be penalised for delays caused by third parties. We’ve seen some builders try and claim these increased costs that have totalled more than 25% of the total contract price in some cases.
We have also acted for clients building investment properties with builders who didn’t obtain the correct council approvals for the number of bedrooms. In some instances houses were built under the guise of shared accommodation when they were in fact dual occupancy.
Our experience also extends to contractor and builder disputes with the QBCC and Claims made under the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (“BIFA”).
Save yourself time, money, and stress and contact us to ensure everything is above board – and get your contract vetted before you sign on the dotted line.
PRACTICE AREAS
Litigation & Dispute Resolution In The Areas Of
We know you’d prefer to stay out of the courtroom and reach a dispute resolution outcome through settlement or a consent order instead, and that’s where we come in.
Good litigation lawyers possess strong communication and negotiation skills – but great litigation lawyers present a convincing legal argument favouring your position – and that’s what we do. Whether you’re the plaintiff or the defendant, no task is too big or small for our experienced team.