The extent of building quality issues in the ACT is more serious than anyone is aware because people are unwilling to complain about problems that could de-value their assets, according to campaigners for change.
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Meanwhile Labor member for Murrumbidgee Bec Cody said she hears complaints about building quality as often as complaints about roads, rates and rubbish.
Owners Corporation Network ACT president Gary Petherbridge said there was a huge undercurrent of unreported issues particularly in apartment complexes, where owners faced a catch-22.
"Some people won't come forward because they're frightened the value of their property will be diminished if they suggest there is defects," Mr Petherbridge said.
"The issue is more serious than anybody thinks."
He said there were a range of reasons why people might not come forward, but de-valuing someone's greatest asset was a major one.
"There is the other aspect sometimes too where they try to report something back to Access Canberra or to the planning authority and the process is quite complex, so they've got to go to a lot of effort to make that happen and that becomes daunting for them, so they don't do it."
Mr Petherbridge said other reasons issues were going unreported was because the general public might not understand the extent of a building defect on their property just by looking at it, and it could be difficult to get agreement from a majority of an owners corporation to deal with the problem.
He said the ACT was seeing lower quality buildings than they were 15 years ago due to changes that soften the extent to which the government can oversee the process.
Labor backbencher Bec Cody said in her electorate of Murrumbidgee, complaints about building defects come up alongside everyday things like rates, rubbish and roads.
She said a range of issues had been raised with her, and there was "a long way to go" to help deliver the changes needed to improve the industry.
"I've had people that are struggling with the issues, quite definitely struggling and considering whether they can continue to maintain living in their residence," Ms Cody said.
Spokespeople for community councils across the ACT agreed building quality was a big issue in their respective patches of the territory.
Inner South Community Council chair Marea Fatseas said one of the biggest concerns was the lack of adherence to, and enforcement of, planning rules and building standards.
She said there was a major concern that the ACT government was not ensuring compliance of its own rules. Another worry was the lack of transparency in the changes to building plans during construction.
"Potentially every strata title unit owner [is affected by these issues]," Ms Fatseas said.
Belconnen Community Council chair Damien Haas said a lack of resources in the planning department was a big part of the problem.
"Many of the Canberra wide observations about planning, planning delays and master plans come down to limited resources in [the directorate]," Mr Haas said.
"The delays are caused by lack of planning resources, our interactions with the planners has been very positive, but there are so few, and the demands on them so high."
Weston Creek Community Council chair Tom Anderson said the industry had never been more complex to navigate than it was now.
He said planning issues took up the majority of time when the community councils came together.
"Planning is a big issue and these sorts of issues come up all the time," Mr Anderson said.
He said changes to agreed plans and a lack of government inspectors were two of the main reasons why building quality was decreasing.
"The rules are so much more complicated [now than in the past]. I can't navigate the system and I've been involved with the community council for 10 years in planning," he said.
"If I can't navigate it, what hope does a normal person have."
