About the NHBRC: The NHBRC Warranty

The NHBRC warranty covers the super structure, floor slabs and roof up to a maximum amount of R500,000 which may include:

* Any professional fee
* Necessary costs for rectification
* Reasonable accommodation costs.

The period covered by the warranty is 5 (five) years maximum, from occupation date.

Defects and poor workmanship must be recorded formally (in writing) to the Developer or Contractor as well as the NHBRC within 3 (three) months from date of occupation.

Roof leaks attributable to poor workmanship and materials must be recorded, formally (in writing) the Developer, Contractor as well as to the NHBRC within 12 (twelve) months from date of occupations.

The NHBRC warranty takes effect from date of occupation by the Home Owner of the newly built dwelling providing that the dwelling was formally enrolled with the NHBRC and that the NHBRC didn't issue a formal letter of non-compliance in accordance with the NHBRC Technical Requirements.

For more information on how The Facilitators can assist you with the NHBRC, please visit our website or contact us on 0861 2 36765

NHBRC obtains order to stop building contractor

Lawyers representing the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) have obtained a high court order to prevent a contractor and his partners from continuing with construction in Durban.

The council made the application to the Durban High Court against the developers N. Singh, Ndunlall Singh and Dhunpathee Singh. The council alleged that a retaining wall built by the developers in the suburb of Effingham Heights collapsed and damaged several properties.

The developers have until the 22nd of February to file answering affidavits against the interdict.

SABC News, South Africa

About the NHBRC: Implication of the Act

As for the NHBRC to warrant any residential dwelling against poor workmanship resulting into structural defects all newly build residential dwellings are to be enrolled by any Developer, Contractor or Prospective Home Owner with the NHBRC whether being built cash or through finance assistance by any legal bond holder.

The following are the types of dwellings covered by "the Act".

• Houses
• Flats
• Town housed
• Employee/Corporate Housing
• Maisonnettes
• Rented Homes

Additions and alterations are not covered by "the Act. Owner Builders must apply through the NHBRC for exemption.

All Developers and Contractors that are in the business of building residential dwellings, must Register with the NHBRC as such.

For more information on how The Facilitators can assist you with the NHBRC, please visit our website or contact us on 0861 2 36765

About the NHBRC: The Act

The Act Means the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act, 1998 (Act No 95 of 1998) which makes provision for the protection of housing consumers and provides also for the establishment of the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC) which is mandated to apply the "Act" through prescribed regulations and procedures as per Government Gazette 1 December 1999 and Home Building Manuals Parts 1,2 & 3 February 1999.

For more information on how The Facilitators can assist you with the NHBRC, please visit our website or contact us on 0861 2 36765

All Housing Customers Must Ensure their Homes are enrolled with the NHBRC

What happens if you fail to enrol a home?

This article is produced as a result of a visit that occurred on 2nd March 2006 in the areas of Langebaan on West Coast, approximately 100km outside Cape Town.

The outsourced inspector D van Hansen issued a Non Technical Non-Compliant to a builder. Mr Siebrits. It was later discovered that Mr. Siebrits was in fact the home owner who resides in Cape Town and builds primarily over weekends.

At the time of issuing the non compliance only the foundations and foundation walls were built. At a later site visit it was discovered that the owner/builder carried on with the construction without any intention to register or enrol the home with the NHBRC. The owner made use of local labour without any supervision on site.

As a regulatory body mandated to protect the rights and interests of the housing consumers, the role of the NHBRC has been significant in curbing the continued abuse of home owners and their exposure to poor workmanship, by those builders who do not comply with their obligations in the terms of the Housing Consumers Protection act, Act 95 of 1998

In its endeavour to protect the housing consumers against defaulting and fraudulent builders, the NHBRC, with its formidable force of qualified staff, does issue orders to builders who fail to comply with the set technical standards and have a right to demolish, not only a poorly constructed house, nut a non compliance house. This includes non compliance and builders failure to register with the NHBRC or enrol the project with the NHBRC.

The sight of cracking walls, water leak roofs and obvious cracked foundations were sufficient exhibition of the so called builder, Mr Siebrits’s incompetence. His poor workmanship, according to the NHBRC’s technical report, is a danger to the unsuspected new homeowners and prospective homebuyers who are continuously tricked or robbed their lifetime savings by such builders.

As a matter of fact, housing consumers are once again reminded to report such acts by homebuilders in their respective communities as well as through our toll free hotline so that such matters could be resolved. In cases where a housing consumer wishes to employ the serves of any builder, he or she must ensure that the homebuilder is registered with the NHBRC and the property is registered and enrolled with the NHBRC.

The Purpose of these requirements and processes is to protect the housing consumers against builders of Mr Siebrits’s character, whereby through the payments of enrolment fees on the property, the NHBRC would cover such a property in the 5 year Warranty Scheme, and in the case of structural defects the organisation, as a protector would be at liberty to use funds to rectify the house.

To date the NHBRC has spent more than R25.6 million on remedial works across the country, while the amount of R4 261 941 has been spent in the last financial year. The remedial works were undertaken as a result of housing structures which demonstrated poor workmanship and non compliance to the Act.

The NHBRC will continue to live to its promise of protecting the rights and interests of housing consumers and thereby ensure that the dream of delivering quality housing becomes reality!

NHBRC (22 June, 2006)