Your building rights
To regulate the building industry and to protect the interests of the consumer against defined defects; this is what the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) wants to achieve.
POLOKWANE – To regulate the building industry and to protect the interests of the consumer against defined defects; this is what the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) wants to achieve.
Any person who carries out the business of a homebuilder must register with the NHBRC and they must also register every home to be built with the NHBRC.
Irrespective of selling price, all new homes must be enrolled 15 days before construction commences.
The punishment for failing to register with the NHBRC is one year imprisonment.
Registration fees are R1 450 excluding vat, and the registration must be renewed annually. The fee for renewal is R600 excluding vat. The enrolment fee is 1,3%, which includes construction cost and land value.
During construction, a minimum of four inspections are done by NHBRC to ensure everything is done according to procedures.
After the homebuilder hands the house over to the housing consumer, there are different NHBRC warranties that fall into place.
Nurse Lydia Chavalala, provincial manager for NHBRC said: “All enrolled properties are covered by the NHBRC warranty, which has three distinct schemes.
“The warranty protects housing consumers against poor workmanship, inappropriate construction and defect structures.
“The covers are: a three-month defect liability period, twelve-month roof leak period and a five-year major structural defect liability period. Should a homebuilder fail to rectify defects as reported by the housing consumer in the stipulated period, they can lodge a complaint with the NHBRC. The NHBRC will pursue the homebuilder to repair the defects and failure to do so will result in disciplinary action which could lead to suspension of the homebuilder’s registration, a fine or even be blacklisted”.
“For 2013 and the quarter of 2014, NHBRC suspended 94 homebuilders, 37 had a disciplinary hearing and were found guilty, criminal charges were opened against 40 and one was blacklisted.”
The NHBRC head office for Limpopo is in Polokwane, but there are two satellite offices, one in Tzaneen and another in Bela Bela. There are also service points around the province.
For more information, residents are requested to contact the NHBRC at (015) 297 7519 or to visit their offices at 81 Hans van Rensburg Street.
