Mold in new buildings

Mould removal expert and managing director of Xspor Australia, Graeme Rogers, said the country's construction crisis and long construction times combined with wet weather had led to a rise in mould cases.

“Just drying it out is dangerous in itself, depending on what they're doing or how they're drying it. It's a really dangerous step that just shows how little understanding there is about mold,” he said.

“Mold stays inactive for a long time. You just give it a little water and it breaks out.”

However, he said there are quick and easy solutions to treating mold.

“I'm not aware of any case where anyone has had to wait more than a week, especially in WA, for someone to come along, do an inspection and give a report on what needed to be done,” he said, referring to angry customers waiting weeks for mold inspections.

Five weeks after the birth of her premature baby, Jade Arnott, a mother of three from Two Rocks, should have been enjoying some quality time with her family. Instead, she is arguing with BGC over the additional costs her insurance will have to pay for an emergency roof repair.

Arnott and her husband John got the keys to their new home in the northern suburbs in May after signing a contract with BGC Housing Group in 2021.

But it wasn't long before rain caused a leak in a bathroom light fixture.

Unable to reach the BGC mediation team after hours, Arnott called her building insurer, RAC.

Due to the proximity to electrical lines, the RAC deemed the matter urgent and arrived within an hour to carry out the repairs.

When mold appeared in the laundry room, the family was initially advised to simply remove the mold while they waited for mold treatment and a new coat of paint.

“This is not what you expect to be doing in a brand new home five weeks after having a baby – scrubbing mold,” she said.

“BGC continued to blame our solar modules [for damage which caused the leaks] although the leaks were verbally admitted prior to installation.

“All I want is my $500 [insurance] Exaggerations, but they don't want to take responsibility and constantly deny it.”

Arnott says the mold problem has now been resolved to her satisfaction with treatment and repainting.

In response to photo evidence of mold at six customers sent to BGC through this link, a company spokesperson stated that the maintenance department has sufficient resources to respond to any issues.

Load

“Since the start of the wet season in Western Australia this year, the Maintenance Department has received only two complaints allegedly related to mould and any remediation actions will specifically address the issues identified in those cases,” they said.

“Of course, if customers have a problem with the action taken in response to complaints, they have the right under the Home Building Contracts Act to raise a dispute with Building and Energy for an independent assessment.”

Due to limitations in current legislation, the number of complaints received by Construction and Energy is unknown.

“Building and Energy understands those owners whose properties have defects and do not meet the standard they expected when they moved in,” said a Building and Energy spokesperson.

“The Building and Energy Complaints Service provides an impartial and cost-effective alternative to court proceedings or other types of legal process.”

On Thursday, BGC announced it had filed a lawsuit against a company that supplied leaky pipes for thousands of new homes.

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