Auckland man fined $2,000 for illegal bathroom renovations

An Auckland man has been convicted and fined $2,000 for illegally carrying out sanitary plumbing and has been ordered to pay solicitor’s costs of $113.00 and Court costs of $130.

Grahame Mills of Auckland was not authorised by the Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board to carry out sanitary plumbing work at a home in Mairangi Bay.

The plumbing work involved modifications to a shower unit and installation of a bathroom vanity. Mr Mills also connected the associated hot and cold water supplies and waste water supplies for both units and installed a water pump to increase water pressure.

The plumbing work carried out by Mr Mills was defective. The pipework connected to the pump leaked and water from the tap in the vanity was a brown rusty colour due to incorrect positioning of the water pump.

Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying are regulated industries in New Zealand and it is illegal for anyone to do this work unless they are authorised to do so by the Board. Mr Mills has never been registered, licensed or otherwise authorised to carry out sanitary plumbing work.

The Board’s Chief Executive, Max Pedersen said: “There are serious health and safety risks associated with sanitary plumbing work carried out by an unauthorised person. Any defective plumbing work has the potential to cause disease and serious damage to the home.”

“All authorised tradespeople are required to carry their current authorisation card. We urge consumers to ask tradespeople for this card before any work commences so that they can be assured that the work is being done by an authorised and competent tradesperson.”

If a homeowner or building inspector believes that work has been done by someone who is not authorised, or has concerns about the competency of tradespeople, they can make a complaint to the Board.

Mr Mills pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was sentenced in the North Shore District Court on 15 October.

Meanwhile, another Auckland man has been convicted and fined $2,500 for illegally advertising his services as a plumber for a third time. Bruce Hume advertised his services as a plumber in the North Shore Times when he was not authorised by the Board to carry out sanitary plumbing work. He was also ordered to pay solicitor’s costs of $113 and Court costs of $130. This was less than three months after being convicted twice for the same offence of advertising illegally with an associated fine of $2000.

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