Changes to Design and Builders Practitioners Act
On 10 June 2020, a retrospective duty of care commenced under the Design & Building Practitioners Act 2020 giving all owners who became aware of building defects losses in the 10 years before 10 June 2020 a right to sue in negligence against:
builders,
designers,
subcontractors,
suppliers or manufacturers; and
supervisors, project managers or co-coordinators in control of the works.
This retrospective duty of care is currently limited to residential buildings including cladding, but there are relevant other time limits e.g. limits under the planning laws which need to be considered.
If the loss became apparent after 10 June 2020, the duty of care period reverts to the usual 6 years from awareness of the loss, but again other limitations need to be considered.
10 Year Retrospective Right
The Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (“DBPA”) makes game changing provisions and will have a significant impact on the building industry and on strata schemes.
The DBPA commences in stages:
Some of the Act commenced on 10 June 2020, especially Part 4 imposing a new duty of care with retrospective effect. This is not limited to residential buildings.
Most of the rest of the DBPA commences on 1 July 2021. This includes Part 2 [regulated designs and building work], Division 1 of Part 3 [professional engineering work] and Parts 5–9 [registration of practitioners, disciplinary action against practitioners, investigations, enforcement & miscellaneous].
Division 2 of Part 3 [specialist work] commences on a day to be proclaimed, presumably on or after 1 July 2021, depending on progress with technical aspects.
The DBPA differs from the bill which failed to pass last year including in the following way:
Increased scope, e.g. extension of building elements to services, construction work to manufacture or supply of building products and economic loss to reasonable costs of providing alternate accommodation.
There are new practitioner categories and obligations, i.e. specialist design practitioner/specialist work and professional engineer/professional engineering work.
Provision for compliance declarations to be given to principal certifier, who is to take them into account when issuing occupation certificates.
Enhanced enforcement powers, e.g. secretary able to issue a stop work order.
Major changes to transitional provisions, e.g. some work under existing arrangements caught and duty of care given retrospective effect.
Key features
Registration of design and building practitioners:
Registration.
Professional indemnity insurance.
Disciplinary regime.
Regulation of design and building work:
Registered design practitioners, registered principal design practitioners and compliance declarations.
Building practitioners and relevant documents.
Professional engineering work.
Specialist work.
Secretary given broad investigative and enforcement powers.