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$25,000 fine for unregistered, unlicensed person who provided illegal plumbing certificates

Air-conditioning inverter units on side of house
A man who pretended he was a registered and licensed plumber and provided South African plumbing compliance certificates for work he did has been fined $25,000 by the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court.

Moustafa Lebdeh, the owner of Climatec Heating and Cooling, pleaded guilty to four charges brought by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) in March:

  • Carrying out mechanical services work while unregistered
  • Signing a document that was not issued by the VBA and appeared to be a compliance certificate
  • Holding himself out to be a licensed plumber
  • Holding himself out to be a registered plumber.

The VBA told the court Mr Lebdeh was engaged in 2016 to install split-system air conditioning at one of four units being constructed as part of a development in Footscray. Sometime after the work was completed, two of the units suffered significant damage from an unrelated fire and had to be rebuilt.

The builder of the development subsequently engaged Mr Lebdeh to again install split-system air conditioning – this time, for all four units. After completing the work in July 2017, Mr Lebdeh provided the builder with false ‘Plumbing Certificates of Compliance’ on templates used by the South African Plumbing Industry Registration Board – not the VBA.

The VBA submitted that Mr Lebdeh had never been a registered or licensed plumber in Victoria, although his lawyer told Magistrate Warda that Mr Lebdeh did not know he had to be registered or licensed to work as a plumber. Mr Lebdeh thought he had the necessary qualifications because he held a Certificate II in Split System Air Conditioning from the Box Hill Institute dated August 2011.

The Magistrate said she did not accept that Mr Lebdeh honestly believed he could work as plumber and noted his compliance certificates all stated the installation was plumbing work. She said the “ripple effect” of unregistered work had implications for not just the builder but future purchasers of properties, as well as insurance companies and other plumbers.

In fining Mr Lebdeh $25,000 without conviction, Magistrate Warda stressed that her focus was on both specific and general deterrence.

The VBA’s Director of Compliance and Enforcement, Rosemary Martin, said deterring illegal plumbing work was a high priority for the VBA.

“We hold plumbers to a very high standard. Our aim is to ensure all building and plumbing work complies with strict standards in order to keep Victorians safe,” Ms Martin said.

“Anyone who thinks they can carry out plumbing work when not qualified or registered should know they will be prosecuted and penalised.”

To find an appropriately registered or licensed plumber, visit vba.vic.gov.au/find.