Noeleen and Jack Miller were excited to be living the Australian dream in a new beachside home, but their experience with one of South Australia’s oldest and most well-known builders has left them in a “nightmare”.
The couple, originally from South Africa, is among several customers of Rossdale Homes who have come forward with complaints about workmanship, warranties not being followed through and a lack of communication.
Rossdale, a company established in 1980, calls itself one of the state’s “most respected builders” with a business motto of “trust is a must”. Originally founded by the Rossdale family, the company was sold in 2007.
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Rossdale recently admitted the company has at times struggled to maintain the quality of builds, but said it does not walk away from its responsibility to clients.
Construction on Noeleen and Jack Miller’s $735,100 home in North Haven began in June 2022. At the frames stage, when they engaged an experienced building inspector, they were told control joints were missing in two different areas of the home.
The inspector told 7NEWS.com.au that if an engineer had not approved fewer control joints, the house was at risk of cracking, which could lead to issues with waterproofing and – in the worst-case scenario, mould could compromise its structural integrity.
Despite the couple’s numerous attempts to get documentation from Rossdale that an engineer had signed off on the joints not being required, they still have not received the paperwork.
A spokesperson for the Port Adelaide Enfield Council told Noeleen some of the missing joints were compulsory, and the builder had not submitted compulsory paperwork proving they weren’t necessary.
The couple said they felt pressured to make a progress payment to continue construction because they needed to move out of their rental.
Jack said he now feels “sick” and starts to shake whenever he hears or sees promotions for Rossdale.
“You pay the money hoping they’ll come back (to fix defects) but they don’t,” Jack said.
Noeleen said the family ”haven’t got our money’s worth” after being promised a custom-built home.
“I would lie awake at night so frustrated. Sometimes I’d just lie there and cry,” Noeleen said.
When contacted for a response, a Rossdale Homes spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au an additional control joint was added to the North Haven home following the building inspection, but said the other missing joints were not needed.
They promised to send certification to the Miller family, guaranteeing their home’s integrity was not affected.
Noeleen questioned why it took questions from the media for Rossdale to respond to her concerns, which were raised months prior.
Another customer of Rossdale previously reported $75,000 worth of defects throughout her home, including a major issue in the bathroom that means she won’t be insured if the ensuite floods.
Rossdale said it was impacted by increasing costs and shortage of trades during the pandemic, but committed to contacting customers with ongoing maintenance issues.
Noeleen’s build contract promises defects will be fixed if raised within three months of the home’s December 2023 handover, but Rossdale has only recently committed to addressing their major concerns.
“The experience wouldn’t have been half as bad if they had empathy and good communication,” Noeleen said.
After the handover, they had loose threads in carpets, cracks in a wall and the staircase, loud whistling throughout the house on a windy day, bricks that needed cleaning, and tiles that were unevenly laid.
Rossdale disputed that the Miller family weren’t communicated with regularly, and said they were provided with updates every three weeks for “a period” of the home’s construction.
A spokesperson said the construction industry was recovering from its most difficult period ever, but with trade shortages easing, Rossdale has been able to induct more trades and hire another maintenance contractor.
Industry reform
Disgruntled customers of South Australian builders have spoken about the lack of consumer protection for residential homes, with builders facing no reprisal for poor workmanship.
Currently, customers can complain to Consumer Affairs about a builder, but if their issues are not resolved following conciliation meetings, they’re told to get independent legal advice that can cost them more than the price of the defects.
Noeleen was scathing of South Australia’s building industry, saying builders were accountable to nobody.
“They rule unto themselves,” Noeleen said. “You actually have no recourse. They put you in a position when you can do nothing, just wait for them to do what they want, when they want.”
The South Australian Government is undertaking the most significant review of the state’s building regulations in nearly 20 years.
It includes developing an easier dispute resolution process, saving customers and builders from having to go through courts to have defects fixed.
The Law Society of South Australia has recommended the state government establish a building tribunal where experts could make a binding decision on whether work needs to be rectified, with failure to comply leading to penalties.
Rossdale said it attended three conciliation meetings with Consumer Affairs and customers between 2020 and 2023.
It said in two of the meetings Rossdale Homes had “no responsibility” for the issues raised.
The state government has also committed $1.1 million to increase staff at Consumer Affairs to better handle building complaints.