Unregistered builder Anthony Jakupi and his company must pay more than $18,000 in fines and compensation after they were convicted on 10 charges.
Dandenong Magistrates' Court found Mr Jakupi, 39, of Cranbourne, and Jakupi Excavations Pty Ltd guilty of offences under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 and the Australian Consumer Law (Victoria).
For a company to perform major domestic building work in Victoria, one of its directors must be registered with the Victorian Building Authority.
Neither Mr Jakupi nor any other director was registered when the company entered into contracts to do major domestic building work on four Victorian properties.
In relation to a Botanic Ridge property, Mr Jakupi and the company also:
- took a deposit of $4,750, which was more than the legally allowed 10 per cent of the $6,362 contract price
- entered into a non-compliant contract for major domestic building work
- accepted payments and failed to supply all of the domestic building work within the agreed time
- made false representations to the property owner that he was a registered builder.
They misled an Endeavour Hills property owner about the need for a building permit, and did not do all the work in a reasonable time after accepting payment of $2200.
Mr Jakupi and the company also took payments from Cannons Creek and Patterson Lakes home owners, then failed to do all the work within a reasonable time.
The court convicted Mr Jakupi and ordered him to pay a total $8,050 in compensation to three of the property owners and fined him $4,000. The company was also convicted and fined $6,000.