ADVISORY SERVICE FOR HOME BUILDERS URGED

Press, Volume C, Issue 29480, 5 April 1961, Page 19

ADVISORY SERVICE FOR HOME BUILDERS URGED

Setting up of » homes advisory service for people about to get houses built—advocated recently by the Minister of Housing (Mr Rae)—is urged in a leading article in “Building Progress," a building and allied trades journal The leading article was commenting on the suggestion by Mr Rae at the opening of the Dunedin parade of homes that there should be advisory centres in main cities and towns. He said many people did not know how to go about arranging for a house to be built.

The journal says it hopes the Minister’s suggestion is put into practice as quickly as possible. A person wanting a new house today faces an undertaking of great complexity. As a rule he orders only one new house in his lifetime and he needs expert advice on a variety of problems, including finance, planning and law, “Building Progress” says.

“Since the Second World War, Labour and National Governments have placed on the Statute Book a bewildering mass of legislation aimed largely at assisting the would-be home builder in overcoming the financial hurdles in the way of building a modern house. ‘ ‘Doubtless, many people are ignorant of benefits to which they are entitled.” There is the question of who should conduct an advisory service, the journal says.

It recalls that in 1954 the Minister of Housing (Mr Sullivan) urged local bodies to set up advisory services. "There was a poor response, but the Patea Borough Council, which did try to co-operate, found the public was definitely anxious to use the service.”

’ ‘Building Progress” says private enterprise should try its hand at establishing a service and there is no reason why people should not be prepared to pay for good advice. "Clients would more than recover the outlay by being shown how to save unnecessary costs and how to get the most out of State and other assistance available to them. “In Auckland- the Council of the Building Industry

might well include an advice bureau in its proposed building development centre. “The service could not, indeed should not, be expected to nominate a builder for the client ’ “Good advice would encourage clients to continue with plans that might otherwise be dropped end thus the industry would stand to benefit” the journal adds.