The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) has been layering defect trends, high-risk licensees, and data from the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme across maps to pinpoint where inspectors and home owners should be paying closest attention.
QBCC CEO and Commissioner, Angelo Lambrinos, said the ‘Audit Mapper’ tells inspectors which areas to target and where intervention may be needed, before problems escalate.
"It gives us a much clearer picture of what's happening and where the risks are, so our inspectors can spend their time on the sites where there's a greater chance of a problem," Mr Lambrinos said.
"Discovering a leaking roof or water damage after you've moved in is the last thing any home owner wants. If we catch it during construction, we've got a much better chance at preventing it from becoming something much bigger."
The map also flags if unlicensed work has previously been detected at a work site, allowing the QBCC to go back and confirm the completed work is safe and compliant.
Between Cairns and Coolangatta, the most common Level 1 structural defects are roof cladding, internal wet areas, wall cladding, external waterproofing, and timber framing.
On the Gold Coast, the leading structural defects are wall cladding, roof cladding, external waterproofing, swimming pools and retaining walls.
In Toowoomba, they are roof cladding, internal wet areas, timber framing, metal framing and masonry.
In Townsville, the most common defects relate to roof cladding and drainage.
"What we see on the coast can look completely different from a regional area," Mr Lambrinos said.
"Coastal areas like the Gold Coast tend to see more pool and cladding issues, while regional centres like Toowoomba deal with different challenges, like masonry and waterproofing,” he said.
The ‘Audit Mapper’ tool has already supported more than 4,000 proactive QBCC inspections of active construction sites, where matters can be identified and fixed on site before becoming an issue.
This proactive approach helps contribute to the industry’s quality work, which sees 98 per cent of work completed without the need to lodge a claim under the Queensland Home Warranty Scheme, the compulsory government financial protection for Queenslanders undertaking eligible residential construction work.
The QBCC is also using the data to engage builders earlier when risks start to repeat or increase, helping improve supervision and construction practices before problems escalate.
Mr Lambrinos said the tools give builders and home owners greater confidence throughout the process.
"Most builders want to do a good job, and this gives us a chance to work with them when we see something that needs attention," Mr Lambrinos said.
"For home owners, this is about having greater confidence that someone is looking for the problems they may not be able to see themselves.
"We want to see fewer Queensland home owners discovering serious defects after they've moved in, and more problems being detected and fixed before they ever get that far."
Home owners are urged to do their homework before starting a project and use the QBCC’s Home Owner Hub to guide them through the process. Owners who use a licensed contractor are protected through the QBCC’s Home Owner Warranty Scheme.
