Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB) welcomes fine for unlicensed plumber

The PGDB has welcomed the $1,500 fine handed down to an unlicensed plumber who illegally carried out work at a property in Auckland.

Gholam Abbas Askari was fined for undertaking the plumbing work at 3 Seymour Street, Ponsonby, Auckland, when he did not hold a current limited certificate.

The work included a number of defects including a lack of ventilation on waste pipes, potentially creating a risk of poisonous gases and pathogens entering the building.  Other defects included the poor installation of waste pipes and soil pipes that may have caused blockages and loss of amenity to the occupants of the property.

Kern U’ren, Acting Registrar at the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB), said:

“The offending in this case is amongst the more serious of its type. Not only was the work carried out without a licence but it was seriously defective, breaching the Building Code and potentially risking the health and safety of the building occupants.

“The PGDB treats any case of an unlicensed plumber undertaking any sort of work extremely seriously. The regulations, which require anyone involved in plumbing to be licensed and carry a licence card, exist for a reason.

“They provide consumers with an assurance that the work is being legally carried out by an authorised and competent tradesperson, who is currently licensed by the PGDB.

“We welcome this sentencing and urge consumers to ask tradespeople for their licence card.”

Mr Askari was sentenced in the Auckland District Court by Judge Hubble.