Trio fined for illegal building work

Three Manukau residents have been fined a total of $7116 for an illegal addition to a house.

Manukau City Council is welcoming the successful prosecution for the offence under the Building Act.

Mr Atma Ram, Mrs Gyan Mati Prasad and Mr Krishan Sachin Kumar are owners of a Papatoetoe property and built an extension to the existing house without first obtaining a Building Consent, an offence covered by Section 40 of the Building Act 2004.

Manager Compliance and Enforcement Kevin Jackson says “We are pleased with the court’s judgement and the penalties that were handed out.

“The prosecution serves as a reminder for homeowners and builders to check with council before building. Not having the right consents can cause a lot of problems and be expensive.”

The maximum fine for this type of offence can be up to $100 000, plus a further $10 000 for every day during which the offence continued. Mr Jackson says “Although the fines in this case were not at this limit the penalities still reflected how seriously the council and the Courts view this kind of offending.“

A building permit from the council is required for any building work carried out. All owners of a property are held responsible for any work done on their property.

Mr Jackson says the public need to realise if works are carried out without first obtaining the necessary consents, this may jeopardise the safety of the building and its occupants.

Home owners and builders have a responsibility to ensure that the work they carry out is built to the required standard. The only way that this can be done is by taking out the appropriate council consents and having the work inspected and approved.

Anyone considering building should contact the council’s call centre on 262 5104 or check out the website www.manukau.govt.nz