Move to help home owners

Press, 9 October 1976, Page 6

Move to help home owners

Legislation to protect | home buyers against struc-l tural faults in new houses was likely to be approved by I Parliament this session, said the member of Parliament: for Rangiora (Mr D. K Quigley) yesterday. Mr Quigley made this coin-' ment in an address to the New Zealand Institute of [ Clerks of Works convention in Christchurch. Closer co-operation be-: tween clerks of works and builders might make it pos-[ sible for the Government to. guarantee building pertormance. Mr Quigley said New; homes would be guaranteed; against maintenance faults: for two years, and against structural defects for six; years or more. “Many homes are built by, small contractors without any outside supervision," he' said. “By supervising con-: struction, it would be pos-| sible to protect persons buy-: ing homes from costly] defects and litigations."

i Home owners would not ~be levied for this service. It was likely that the Housing Corporation would have a (supervisory function, he said. I Speaking on behalf ot the [Minister of Social Welfare . i (Mr Walker), who was unable ' to attend the conference, Mr iQuiglev said that the Disabled Persons Act. 1975, [would play an increasingly important role in the con- ; struction of public buildings. Sections of the act would require all public buildings to be constructed with adequate (accessibility for disabled I persons. These would cover [transport terminals. lavalitories. Government offices, [sports facilities, commercial buildings, and professional i iffk es | “An Order-in-Council has ;yet to be made formally to bring these sections of the ■'act into effect, which will [have a bearing on the work I of members of the institute.” he said. “However, this is •jexpected to be done in the Inear future."