DEEP DIVE INTO THE ‘RATE MY BUILDER’ SCHEME

Hundreds of people tuned into May’s Between the Live Lines webinar, where experts discussed NSW’s Rate my Builder scheme.

“The biggest thing that lets builders down is the documentation part.

“They can be great builders but the processes and systems around them could be lacking.”

Mr Mansour said customer confidence in builders had declined.

The panel took a deep dive into the ‘Rate my Builder’ scheme, discussing independent construction industry star rating tool iCIRT, the impacts from a builder and agent perspective, as well as the consumer response and the ramifications for the building industry.

ULTRA Building Co was the first building company to receive a four-star iCIRT rating. In order to receive an iCIRT rating, Mr Sicari said the company’s process was heavily audited.

“We saw an opportunity to differentiate ourselves in the market,” he said.

“The purpose of the rating is to ensure there’s a high quality outcome at the end.

“We document each job and make sure it conforms under the building codes of Australia.

“Once it’s signed off we make sure everything is installed correctly and documented correctly.”

Ms Rader asked if ULTRA Building Co incurred any extra costs by taking extra steps to maintain their certification.

Mr Sicari said there were no extra costs involved because they were already doing all the processes and documentation needed for the iCIRT certification.

Mr Mansour said this was where ULTRA Building Co stood out in the market.

“One of the things I’ve always appreciated is when we were talking to prospective buyers, they all know Adrian because he’s front and centre with the build,” Mr Mansour said.

“We’ve got some great builders that we work with that aren’t yet iCIRT rated.

“The majority of builders are doing a good job but the minority get the headlines and create doubts in confidence around new builds,” Mr Mansour said.

“There has to be a solution to help build confidence and the government is saying ‘well let’s do the iCIRT rating.

“I think consumer awareness is growing. The commissioner is out there promoting the iCIRT rating, we promote it and Mirvac promotes it. Those who have it promote it more and more.”

Mr Sicari agreed that consumers’ awareness of builders was growing.

“People are wanting more and more to know the track record of the builder,” he said.

He said he and his team at ULTRA Building Co were truly passionate about building.

“Me and my team, we love construction,” he said.

“We take this thing on a piece of paper and turn it into something that people live in and play in.”

In the short-term, Mr Sicari said housing supply was going to be a big issue.

“There’s no supply of apartments,” he said.

“People need places to live, the government needs to provide more land supply.

“We’re doing two build-to-rent projects right now. Affordable housing is going to be important.

“Providing houses for people is our game. We’re not just highend builders, we’re high quality builders. And we build highquality apartments across all levels.”