Consumer Affairs Victoria has commenced criminal proceedings against Michael Johnson, 54 of Churchill, for alleged breaches of the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (DBCA).
Mr Johnson is an unregistered builder who undertakes outdoor building works across Melbourne. He trades under several business names including Outdoor Lifestyle Concepts, Decks R Us, Deck Creations, Lifestyle Constructions and Diamond Security Doors.
We allege Mr Johnson engaged in the following breaches of the DBCA:
- entering into a major domestic building contract without being a registered building practitioner
- receiving a deposit of over 5% under a contract worth more than $20,000
- receiving a deposit of over 10% in five other instances where the contract price was less than $20,000.
Mr Johnson accepted all the deposits before building work started.
The alleged offences occurred between 4 January and 13 May 2019, in suburbs including Narre Warren South, Chelsea Heights, Bentleigh, Wantirna South, Clayton South, and Blackburn South.
We are taking action against Mr Johnson following complaints from consumers who had made payments for building work, which was then not supplied or completed, or was completed poorly and without the required building permit or registration.
In January 2021, we issued a public warning notice regarding Mr Johnson’s conduct.
The maximum penalty applicable to the charges is 700 penalty units, or $127,218. An initial court hearing is expected in February 2022.
For further information about seeking a qualified tradesperson, including a list of all registered builders, see About builders, tradespeople and other building practitioners.