A Herne Hill man has been fined $4,000 and ordered to pay $943.50 in costs by the Perth Magistrates Court on 22 February 2019 after altering a certificate of title which was part of an application for owner-builder approval.
Carl Rocco Garreffa had removed his wife’s name from the certificate of title of a property in Herne Hill which was jointly owned by the couple and failed to obtain her consent for an owner-builder registration application submitted in March 2017. It is an offence under the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 for a person to provide information that is known to be false or misleading in relation to an application.
Building Commissioner Ken Bowron said the actions of Mr Garreffa undermined the integrity of the building application process.
“By falsifying a certificate of title that showed him as a sole owner of the property and deliberately excluding his wife from his application, Mr Garreffa attempted to subvert the process and obtain approval without his wife’s authority,” Mr Bowron said.
“Being the managing director of a civil construction company with more than 24 years’ experience in the industry, Mr Garreffa should have known full well the seriousness of his actions.”
In May 2018 Mr Garreffa was fined $10,000 by the Midland Magistrates Court for carrying out building works without a building permit.
“The behaviour by Mr Garreffa shows a blatant disregard for the building compliance process and the penalties imposed on both occasions should be warning to others in the building and construction industry in WA to ensure they fulfil their legal obligations,” the Building Commissioner said.
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Media Contact: Alan Hynd, (08) 6552 9248 / 0429 078 791 / alan.hynd@demirs.wa.gov.au
