By employing reputable builders - such as those whose credentials have been verified through being members of Master Builders Associations (MBA) - South Africans could go a long way towards avoiding the unpleasant consequences increasingly reported on in the media, Neil Duncan, president of the Gauteng Master Builders Association, advises. Duncan says South African property owners, to an alarming extent, have themselves to blame for building disasters. 'Too often, the lowest tender is accepted without any attempt to check on the references of the contractor concerned. Builders are awarded work without any contract being drawn up. They are advanced funds without any record being kept of payments, and get away with little or no site supervision. Ultimately, the poor quality of product that results is blamed on the building industry in general. But many - if not all - of these problems could have been avoided by entrusting work to Master Builders, who have to prove their capabilities and track records to provincial Master Builders organisations before being allowed membership.
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