'Leaks no longer just fault of cowboy builders'

11.45am - By ANDREW LAXON

Leaky buildings can no longer be blamed on "cowboy builders", the Building Research Association says.

The Association's weather-tightness manager Adrian Bennett told a conference in Auckland today that early reports of leaks in buildings suggested bad building practices but as more reports came in it became clear there was a wider problem requiring a response by the whole industry.

He admitted it had been difficult at times to persuade the building industry to take action.

"A lot of our efforts have been to get the industry to acknowledge the issue and get them on board - not necessarily an easy task."

Mr Bennett said there was still no reliable evidence of how many buildings were effected, despite estimates of up to 40,000 new houses.

The one-day conference at Auckland's Carlton Hotel is expected to hear legal debate this afternoon over liability - particularly the Government's possible role.

Today's Herald revealed that the Building Industry Authority, which oversees the building code, had failed to take any effective action over the problem, despite four years of warnings from industry campaigner Philip O'Sullivan and others.

Rot risk warnings ignored for years

* If you have information about leaking buildings,
email the Herald or fax (09) 373-6421.

Further reading
Feature: Leaky buildings

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