Homeowners are being warned not to fall into the trap of using unlicensed people to conduct plumbing work, or they risk invalidating their insurance.
Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying work undertaken by unauthorised tradespeople, not only risks their family’s health and safety – but may also invalidate homeowners’’ insurance policy, Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (PGDB) chief executive Martin Sawyers said.
“To stay safe and avoid the risk it takes one simple action – ask to sight a licence card,” Sawyers noted. “It states the credentials of a tradesperson and the type of work they are authorised to carry out.”
Meanwhile, Insurance Council of New Zealand also warned of the use of unregistered and unqualified persons to do sanitary plumbing, gasfitting or drainage work on an insured property.
“[This] may invalidate the property’s insurance cover in the event of a loss resulting from the work undertaken,” the council reported said. “Always ask to sight a tradesman’s authorisation card before work is undertaken – they are required to produce it.”
PGDB added that unauthorised restricted sanitary plumbing work carries a maximum fine of $10,000. It detailed the case of Graham Bullot, who after submitting a guilty plea, was sentenced to a $2,000 fine for carrying out restricted plumbing work without authorisation. The Hamilton District Court ordered him to pay $130 in costs and $226 for solicitor’s fees.
