RESIDENTS of the southern parts of Logan City have been caught up in a home building approval problem that has dogged the Logan City Council (LCC) since the amalgamation of a range of suburbs from the old Beaudesert Shire Council in 2008.
Many homeowners may not be aware there are no final building approvals on their property, something that might only become apparent when they come to insure or sell.
Division 9 councillor Phil Pidgeon first heard of the problems immediately after the amalgamation in 2008.
“The state government at that time decreed that Beaudesert Shire would cease to exist, that two thirds of that shire would become Logan, and one third would become part of Scenic Rim,” he told the Times.
“That in itself generated enormous problems, particularly with the flow of information, and it’s been well recognised for a number of years now that our council has not received all of the necessary documentation and information.”
Cardboard boxes
According to Cr Pidgeon, LCC was given documentation in cardboard boxes that were not in order.
“It was very messy and it’s taken several years to go through those records and collate and scan them,” he said.
“This information doesn’t simply get lost out of the cardboard boxes, let’s make that clear, but council has not been given all the information.
“Logan City Council was vehemently pursuing both the Gold Coast council and the former Beaudesert council people as they were disbanding to secure those records, and every effort was made.”
Cr Pidgeon said that changes to the state building legislation means councils cannot independently resolve approvals problems.
“Some people appear to be of the belief that it doesn’t matter, that Logan council should fix it, but Logan council can’t fix it.
“If there’s no building final that exists, then the onus is on the owners of that property to make sure they get it,” he said.
Simple process
According to Cr Pidgeon, getting final approval on properties is a very simple process with some associated costs.
“Come and talk to council, we’ve got an open door policy on this, we’re happy to work with people,” he said.
“Logan council will probably have some records of various approvals on the building. There’s not just one approval on a house, there are various approvals, like one for termites, one for framing, or slab inspection sign-off.
“The most important one is the final one, which is usually for plumbing and drainage and the final sign-off that accompanies that final building approval.”
Owner’s responsibility
“A lot of people have been caught by this when they’ve had to make a claim on their insurance,” Cr Pidgeon said.
“Household insurance will not cover you if they find out you do not have a final on your building. The responsibility is squarely on the owner.
“If I was looking to buy a property, the one standard clause I would have for my potential purchase of that property would be that it is subject to all buildings having a final approval.”
According to Cr Pidgeon, when affected homeowners go to sell their properties, buyers are putting this clause in, and the owners are finding out they don’t have a final building approval.
“Unfortunately people tend to have this belief that it’s council’s fault. We’ve inherited this problem, and we’re happy to help resolve it and work with people, but they need to be willing to work with us too.”
Many suburbs have been impacted, Cr Pidgeon said.
“I’ve had people from Park Ridge South, Munruben Forest and Jimboomba. It’s sprinkled across the whole area, and it’s not just Beaudesert it’s also the former Gold Coast areas.”
Logan council records
“Logan City Council is well regarded across Australia as having some of the most accurate, up-to-date and technologically-sound record keeping systems,” Cr Pidgeon said.
“Council electronically scans all incoming documents, so there’s always a back up, but if the document does not exist then they can’t produce one out of thin air.
“You need a qualified building inspector to undertake a final on your property and they need to produce that document for council so that it’s scanned.”
According to Cr Pidgeon, costs for a final house approval vary, depending on how many of the essential approvals are on file at LCC.
“People could be up for anywhere between about five hundred up to a couple of thousand dollars, but if you’re trying to sell your house you’ve really got to get that done,” he said.
“If you’re taking out insurance on your property, it’s your responsibility to ensure you have that building final.
“It is an ongoing issue and it is a challenge, and I feel for the people who have been caught in this situation.
“It’s just been a result of lax record keeping and poor business practices when people in the former Beaudesert council did not do their job.”
Scenic Rim council records
According to a spokesperson from the office of Scenic Rim Regional Council mayor Greg Christensen, the Scenic Rim has not experienced issues relating to legacy documents from Beaudesert Shire, Boonah Shire and the areas of Ipswich City that were amalgamated to form Scenic Rim in 2008.
All electronic and physical records and documentation applicable to those areas of the former Beaudesert Shire absorbed into Logan were transferred to Logan City at the time of amalgamation, the spokesperson said.