New government proposal aims to protect home owners

12.00pm - By ANDREW LAXON

Builders may have to be registered to give home owners more protection from leaks and other building defects.

The new proposal will add to the price of a new house, but the government says the long term benefits will outweigh the extra costs.

Commerce Minister Lianne Dalziel today announced a series of proposals designed to improve the building industry and prevent a repeat of the leaky building fiasco in which thousands of recently built homes nationwide were found to be faulty.

The paper, Better Regulation of the Building Industry, sets out proposed changes to the Building Act 1991.

The proposals include:

* An accreditation system for building inspectors and certifiers.

*Stricter tests for new building products to make sure they meet the building code.

* A registration system covering all professionals, from builders to project managers and sub-contractors.

Dalziel said the discussion paper presented the choice between voluntary and compulsory registration, however the new law would ensure that the person in charge of each building project was registered.

Submissions on the document close on April 11.

Discussion Document: Better Regulation of the Building Industry in New Zealand