Ready to see something really awful? It’s a cross between a video nasty version of The Block and a horror film they could call Nightmare on Easy Street.

Once again we have dived into Building Commissioner David Chandler’s “Sunday Roast” posts in Linkedin because last week’s features a horror-show video about a development in Sydney’s Rose Bay that illustrate how bad things were before he took up cudgels on behalf of apartment buyers.

But the Commissioner wants us (and you) to help spread the word to the 70 per cent of possible off-the-plan purchasers who haven’t heard that they can have more confidence in buying – provided they chose their developers’ wisely.

Video nasty first:

“This week a Rose Bay apartment development completed in 2019, before the NSW Reforms took hold showed the impact of poor design resolution before construction was undertaken, and equally poor construction and certification practice weighing on this development’s owners,” David wrote in his Linkedin Sunday Roast a couple of weeks ago.

“Had this project been caught today it may have been the subject of Prohibition and StopWork orders before an Occupation Certificate was achieved. Knowing the risk and consequences of being caught, the developer Connic Properties may have paid less for the site and played on a more level playing field.

“And the related builder Charas Construction may have managed the design and construction process competently. And the Certifier Building Certificates Australia may have been more diligent.

“They are all now firmly on Building Commission NSW’s radar.”

Getting back to spreading the message that things are now a lot better for off-the-plan purchasers, David writes that the “clear message” for prospective apartment purchasers in NSW is, that you can now make more informed choices when selecting a developer.

“Prospective purchasers of off-the-plan apartments in NSW need to know that the playing field has levelled in their favour over the last few years [but] only 30-percent of consumers know this,” he writes

“Everyone needs to own this message. The playing field has levelled for others as well,” he added.
“The presence of new consumer facing tools like the iCIRT trustworthiness rating service and now the growing availability of 10-year Latent Defects Warranty Insurance (LDI & DLI) provide powerful means of determining who to trust when buying a new apartment.
“The good news is that lenders are also seeing the benefits of these tools to help them select development worthy, project financing opportunities. The retail side of lending is also grasping these risk mitigation solutions, as they help customers navigate their way to safer apartment selection choices.
“The whole of the apartment delivery chain of Designers, Builders and Certifiers are also seeing the playing field level as a result to the NSW #DBPAct, where they must be engaged to undertake proper, integrated designs before construction starts on site. Builders are reporting that they are experiencing less rework and faster construction times as a result.
“Trustworthy developers are also reporting benefits from a more level playing field. They see fewer risky developers paying over the top for quality development sites with the sole intent of cutting corners and scamming savings out of the true cost of constructing buildings [properly] in the first place.

“Even the risky players are seeing the stiff pushback that the NSW Building Regulator now poses when their shonky buildings are discovered and they are made to fix them. The apartment playing field in NSW is levelling for everyone.’