Dr Bryce Edwards: The Govt’s self-certification proposal is a risky bet on house builders

The housing property development industry wants the “red tape” of building consents cut, giving builders the chance to “self-certify” instead of relying on local government housing inspectors. And the Government says they’ve been listening, and now propose some major alterations to the Building Act 2004, which will deregulate the consents process.

The self-certification scheme, introduced by Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, is framed as an effort to speed up building processes, and therefore lower housing costs. Many in the industry are, however, expressing concerns about the potential risks of deregulation, drawing comparisons to the leaky homes crisis and questioning the robustness of proposed safeguards.

The Government’s case for self-certification