21 DUMP STREET
WHEN disability pensioner Sylvia Budulica moved into her brand new home she expected to “live peacefully”.
But after paying $450,000 for the house she found major defects and, worse still, that the builder is not licensed to work in Queensland. Now she says none of the government agencies are willing to help.
THE home was advertised as “beautifully constructed, completed and ready to move into”, but disability pensioner Sylvia Budulica says she has instead been sold a dud.
After buying the brand new four-bedroom house at Ormeau Hills, Ms Budulica found problems with its electrics, plumbing, joinery, tiling and plastering and discovered the builder she bought it from, Bundall-based Optima Constructions, is not licensed to work in Queensland.
Ms Budulica has complained to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission, Australian Taxation Office and Office of Fair Trading — but says none of the agencies would help her.
The QBCC confirmed it was investigating the company over allegedly unlicensed building work but had determined it was not eligible to claim under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme.
The regulator would not specifiy why the claim was ineligible. “The QBCC recently met with the owner of the property to explain its findings,” it said.
Ms Budulica said she did not have a building inspection before signing the contract. However, under advice from her conveyancer, an $8000 retention was held from the $452,000 sale, giving the builder two weeks to complete the work to her satisfaction.
Five months after settlement, the 54-year-old disability pensioner said plumbing for the washing machine leaked, the dishwasher connections and bathroom drainage didn’t work, inadequate shelving and railing had been installed in pantries and wardrobes and some concreting would have to be ripped up and redone. Lighting in a bathroom is also faulty, as well as painting and plastering, Ms Budulica said.
Ms Budulica said the same man, Marek Kramar, came to the house to do all the work — including the plumbing, electrical, concreting and painting.
“I saw this guy installing a power point and I asked him to show me his qualifications but he couldn’t,” she said.
“I’ve been sold a dud. It’s a brand new home that’s supposed to have a six-year warranty. My life is on hold, I’m financially struggling — I feel that because I'm a single woman I’ve been taken advantage of.”
She said an electrical safety officer had deemed some of the work unsafe and she had to have her oven rewired. Likewise, she said plumbing work had been deemed unsuitable, but a notice left in the meter box by an inspector had simply been removed by the builder.
Mr Kramar has registered the Australian business name and number Optima Constructions Services. However, the company behind it, Optima Constructions Pty Limited, is owned and directed by a Viktor Tomechek.
Mr Kramar told the Bulletin his relationship to the company was as an employee site supervisor and that Ms Budulica’s claims were “mainly made up by her”.
“We had some problems with her,” he said. “I can’t comment because I didn’t sign the contract. I am not eligible to answer these questions.”
He explained Optima’s lack of a builder licence by saying the company used a licensed nominee on a projectby-project basis. “We have a QBCC licence nominee for each project.”
Mr Kramar asked that further questions be sent to him via email, but he did not respond. As he is on a temporary resident visa, Mr Kramar holds a conditional individual builder licence. However, building companies themselves are also required to have a licence to undertake work. Optima’s registered owner Mr Tomechek could not be contacted.
A statement from the QBCC said the regulator would investigate a licensee if information was provided to it regarding breaches of their licence conditions.
“If the QBCC believes a person on a temporary visa is not meeting the conditions attached to their licence, it will take action against the licensee, including the suspension or cancellation of the licence.”