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10 Year Builders Guarantees vs Consumer Protection Law – What’s the Difference?
One of the most common questions we’re asked by builders is to explain the difference between their responsibility to guarantee their work for 10 years under the Building Act and the cover provided by a 10 year Homefirst, Certified Builders or Master Build Guarantee.
Managing Business Risk, Part Five – Personal/Family
In our final article in the four part series on managing risk for trade businesses we focus on the risk of something happening to key people in the business (that means you).
Managing Business Risk, Part Four – Financial
Unfortunately, it is a fact that over half of all New Zealand construction businesses will have failed after just four years*. The Mainzeal collapse in 2013 served to highlight the risk that many sub-contractors face when working for a principal contractor; the danger of not getting paid for work done and/or losing retention money that has been withheld.
Managing Business Risk, Part Three – Liability
Construction is a risky business, more so than most, yet many builders don’t spend enough time really understanding their risk environment and putting in place strategies to manage, avoid or transfer that risk.
Managing Risk in Your Business, Part Two – Property/Asset Risk
Construction is a risky business, more so than most, yet many builders don’t spend enough time really understanding their risk environment and putting in place strategies to manage, avoid or transfer that risk. In this second article in our Understanding Risk series, we focus on the area that is probably best understood; protecting assets from damage or loss.
Managing Risk in Your Business, Part One – Risk Principles
Life used to be simple. It was about survival, finding enough to eat and avoiding being eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger. Modern life is much more complicated, especially if you’re a builder and run a business. There’s a lot to think about and one of the most fundamental is how to minimise risk.
Are you a director of your own limited company? You could be held personally liable if your company fails
Do you know if your company is solvent? If it’s insolvent and you continue to trade you could be in breach of the Companies Act. If the company can’t pay its bills, creditors could seek recovery directly from you personally.
Can I get insurance for breaching health & safety law?
Whether you agree with it or not, the reality for everyone in the construction sector is that ensuring workplaces are safe is not negotiable. Unfortunately, despite the best intentions of employers, sometimes things happen. If an injury occurs and a WorkSafe NZ investigation determines that it could have been prevented, you could face a fine and/or prosecution. Under the current law workplace bullying is also considered a hazard, and failure to prevent it could be a breach of the law.
How can a contractor reduce the cost of not getting paid?
It’s been reported more than 20 building companies have collapsed in Christchurch this year. And nationwide every year hundreds of construction companies cease trading and don’t make the news. Businesses in all industries face the risk of not getting paid for what they do, so what are the tools and processes you can put in place to limit this risk?