NSW Fair Trading is once again exhibiting at this year’s Home Show at Darling Harbour, providing advice and assistance to the thousands of consumers and traders visiting the show over four days.

Fair Trading Minister Anthony Roberts will be at the Fair Trading stand at 11am tomorrow to see how the agency uses such events to reach out to industry and the public. (Stand number 128).

“The Home Show has become a must-see event for homeowners and renovators, as well as the home building industry and an important event through which Fair Trading is building its profile in the market,” he said.

“Fair Trading staff use the event to help people with matters including building disputes, licensing and home warranty issues.”

Mr Roberts said regulation of home building was one of Fair Trading’s key responsibilities.

“Fair Trading took almost 120,000 calls about home building matters during the last financial year,” he said. “This represented 12 per cent of all inquiries to the agency.”

Mr Roberts said the Home Building Act 1989 administered by Fair Trading protected consumers and industry by requiring builders and tradespeople to be licensed for residential work.

“Licence holders must meet strict standards in relation to competence, probity, contracts, warranties and home warranty insurance,” he said. “These standards protect people against faulty or incomplete work, which can leave people out of pocket or worse. For industry, they help to keep dodgy operators out of the business.”

In 2009/10, Fair Trading activities associated with the building industry included:

• 564 investigations
• 1,965 mediations
• $400,000 in penalty notices issued for nearly 500 offences
• prosecutions for 125 offences
• 1,300 inspections across the state.

Mr Roberts said homeowners and DIY renovators could find more information on the NSW Fair Trading website or by calling 13 32 20.

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