Case studies

Job well done - Dean's story

Dean Horsburgh (pictured right) of Mt Maunganui found it easy to claim under the Master Build Guarantee. The roof had just gone up on Dean's new house when the builder, a registered master builder, vanished overseas taking with him the money that had been paid in advance.

With winter fast approaching, Dean called Master Build Services: "It was the beginning of May [2007] - the framing was up, and the roof was on - I couldn't let my house sit like that right through the middle of winter."

Dean says that Master Build Services moved quickly to find a replacement builder: "The whole process was very professional. I soon had another builder pricing the job - within three weeks I'd signed a new contract. Work was back on track by the beginning of June 2007."

But what happened to the advance payments that the first builder took? "Compensation was judged on the overall cost of the project - and the amount of work needed to complete the project. Obviously there are limitations under the guarantee; but I was satisfied with the process and subsequent compensation."

Dean says that, although having to make a claim under a building guarantee is never ideal, the MB Guarantee worked better than he expected.

Plugging the leaks - Sean's story

Sean Smith* of Upper Hutt rang Consumer with a complaint about the Master Build (MB) Guarantee.

Sean took out a "5-Year Alterations and Additions" MB Guarantee in 2001 when he and his wife decided to add a two-room extension to their home. The extension leaked from the beginning - and Sean wasn't satisfied with the many repairs carried out by the builder, a member of the Registered Master Builders Federation.

In March 2004, Sean asked Master Build Services to help make sure the builder's repairs were effective. Master Build Services contacted the builder and another round of remedial work was carried out. But when the leaks continued, Sean hired an independent building inspector and prepared himself for a long battle.

Sean qualified for a claim under his MB Guarantee - no problem there - but he found the service painfully slow. In February 2006 an MB regional service officer, the builder and Sean met on-site and agreed on suitable remedial work. Sean says that the work was supposed to be completed by the end of March 2006. But, as he reports, "that was the beginning of a long and frustrating 16 months".

Sean's convinced that the leaks would've taken longer to remedy without constant prompting and the help of his independent building inspector. Sean thinks that Master Build Services lacked both motivation and influence over the builder to make good on the repairs.

*Not his real name