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A landlord from Lesmurdie, Western Australia, has copped a fine for connecting a new water supply at a rental property without adequate qualifications.
Nigel David Barnard pleaded guilty to the charge of breaching the state’s Plumbers Licensing and Plumbing Standards Regulations 2000 at the Midland Magistrates Court following prosecution by the Plumbers Licensing Board.
As a result of his charge, Mr Barnard was fined $2000 for breaching the Regulations, which aim to ensure only licensed plumbers carry out water supply, sanitary and drainage plumbing work.
It was stressed that incorrect or uncertified plumbing can cause property damage and compromise public health and safety.
According to information presented to the court, tenants of Mr Barnard’s and the City of Kalamunda raised concerns related to the quality of the water at the rental property, which was supplied by a rain storage system.
It was reported that back in August 2021, Mr Barnard and another unnamed person were seen installing pipes and connecting the house to a mains water supply, which resulted in an investigation. It was concluded that the installation work fell under the umbrella of plumbing work and as such had to be conducted by an appropriately qualified person.
Additionally, the work was deemed non-compliant with plumbing standards.
On 8 August 2022, Magistrate Mark Millington ordered Mr Barnard pay $592.30 in costs, adding that the plumbing licence requirements are in place for public protection against risks induced from unlicensed works.
The West Australian government’s plumbers licensing board has highlighted that Consumers can check a plumber’s licence and qualifications through the ‘licence search’ function on the Building and Energy Website.
Major plumbing works require certification and the owner must be given a copy of said certification within five days of completion, it was stressed.
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