Housing sustainability declaration now in force

By Emma Pollard www.abc.net.au

Queenslanders selling their homes can now be fined up to $2,000 if they do not fill out compulsory sustainability declarations.

The form outlining a property's "green credentials" has been compulsory since January 1, but until today the State Government has waived fines for sellers who ignore the requirement.

The Government says the document will raise awareness about the value of sustainability features.

Building Codes Queensland (BCQ) spokesman Glen Brumby says sellers can leave questions on the declaration blank if they do not know the answer.

"Disclosure of energy and water efficiency is something that's very much on the national agenda and the State Government has put our regime in place," he said.

"I think it will attract a great deal of interest over time when people realise the benefit of it.

"Most of the answers are very straightforward, the form has been updated and simplified."

Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) spokesman Dan Molloy says house advertisements now have to include information about the property's sustainability declaration.

"I think there's a high level of compliance with the requirements," he said.

Real estate agents can be fined up to $10,000 if they do not comply with the legislation.

 

'Complex' homeowner Sustainability Declaration overhauled

News.com.au Mitch Gaynor February 14, 2010 12:00am

THE State Government has been forced to overhaul its property Sustainability Declaration report just weeks after launching the initiative.

The revision follows an outcry over the complicated checklist introduced in January to provide buyers with more information about the energy efficiency features of a property.

Vendors were required to complete the two-page document detailing everything from the star rating of appliances to the width of hallways.

The declarations also attracted controversy after it was revealed some operators were charging vendors $129 to help them complete the confusing report.

Real estate agents said vendors were bypassing the requirements by leaving questions blank and signing the document, knowing they would not be fined. The latest version of the declaration removes 22 questions, including one to estimate the number of kilowatt hours the house was generating through wind power.

Also removed in the latest version were 16 questions on access and safety.

One of those required owners to detail whether "at least one entry from outside to inside the dwelling is provided by either a level entrance, no more than three steps, a ramp or a lift".

Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Government was simply acting on the response it had received from industry groups.

"The sustainability declaration form was simplified to address feedback from industry about its complexity," he said.

"Homeowners want a form that can be filled out without assistance and without expert knowledge."

Opposition infrastructure and planning spokesman David Gibson said even with the revisions, the report was flawed.

"Once again, the incompetent Bligh Labor Government has been forced to eat their words and waste taxpayers' dollars on redoing something that should have been done correctly in the first place," he said.

Mr Gibson said the LNP would abolish the "green tape", saying more than 5500 people had already signed a petition calling for the form to be scrapped.