YHB Group

Very poor workmanship from Yhb (wa). Do not comply with ncc and refuse to rectify unsafe work. They built my house with significant defects including a garage that i could not drive into and refused to rectify until I went to the building commission. Everything was a fight and house took over 4 years to build.

Builder fails to comply with the Building Act – Peet Limited and its various companies sold me a finished house and NOT a building contract. They delegated building my house to YHB Group. YHB Group representatives in person and in email have refused to comply with the Building Act and building regulations. In June 2024 I discovered that the boundary wall shared by 2 townhouses was defective. At first YHB Group refused to acknowledge those defects despite photographic evidence and an official building inspection report from a reputable company, Manse Group.

When YHB Group finally admitted the wall is defective, they refused to fix it in accordance with the construction drawings and they refused to comply with the building permit. (Now it seems that the building permit does not comply with building regulations, which makes this SO MUCH WORSE. Legislation requires builders to comply with the Building Act and Building Regulations but one of YHB Group’s people told me they don’t bother: “We don’t comply with the construction drawings”. He also said “We don’t make roofs waterproof”.)

James Hardie Group provided the materials for use in constructing the boundary wall with explicit and detailed instructions on how to construct the wall so that it meets minimum fire safety standards. In email in July 2024, James Hardie Group gave detailed instructions on how to rectify one and only one of the defects in the firewall. YHB Group refused to comply with James Hardie’s instructions.

On Monday 9 December after I refused permission for work that I believe is an indictable offence under the Building Act, YHB Group trespassed IN MY HOUSE, accessing my roof cavity from my neighbour’s roof while committing what I believe are OH&S violations. WorkSafe Victoria told my husband they would PROMPTLY visit YHB Group to discuss their use of a ladder on top of a roof to access a higher roof.

YHB Group accessed the roof to tamper with my boundary wall without giving the mandatory minimum 24 hours notice for emergency work prescribed by the Building Act. They did not even knock on my front door to tell me they would be opening up MY roof to enter MY house to work on MY boundary wall. They refused to leave. They refused to explain to my husband what work they were doing on my house. They did not have a building permit authorising that work. The work done does not comply with the original building permit. I believe these are indictable offences under the Building Act.

Peet and YHB Group sent emails and official correspondence via solicitors on and since 9 December insisting that I give permission and access for their specified work on the boundary wall. Note: the fire engineers have not visited the site so their alleged proposal does NOT deal with the facts of what is there. I believe this is a failure to comply with the Building Act because, at the very least, failure to inspect the boundary wall is a failure to perform minimum reasonable actions in the course of their duties as engineers engaged to work on my house. Also they want to use wood to block up some of the air gaps in what should be a firewall between two separately titled townhouses.

According to the Wyndham City Council Wyndham Building Permits section, when the building surveyor learnt that the house does not comply with the original building permit issued in 2022, he should have reported that to the authorities. The council has no record of this occurring.

Also the council said they have no record of a variation to the building permit, issued in June 2023 because the concrete foundation was defective. All this should have been disclosed prior to sale but was not. The Sale of Land Act is explicit in this and lists a number of offences.

Also according to the Wyndham Building Permits department, YHB Group must have a building permit to perform current and future work on the boundary wall. That department says they have no record of any application for a building permit for this house since 2022. I believe failing to comply with a building permit and performing work that requires a building permit without a building permit are offences under the Building Act.

I have repeatedly informed both Peet and YHB Group of my concerns and instructed them to comply with the Building Act.

YHB Group have threatened defamation because apparently I should not have told Peet, the company that employed them to build my house, of issues concerning the product Peet sold me.

I do NOT recommend YHB Group.

See also my reviews of Peet and HWL Ebsworth for more information. BUYER BEWARE.