Some residents of an apartment building in Sydney’s north-west are still without gas and hot water after the complex was cleared to be lived in by a private certifier.

The unit complex on Old Northern Road at Castle Hill was issued an occupation certificate late last month despite its shocking condition.

With the certificate issued, purchasers are essentially forced to pay up what they owe or face financial penalties.

Hills Shire Council General Manager Michael Edgar told Ray Hadley last Wednesday what’s unfolded at the property on Old Northern Road is “systematic of a reoccurring problem”.

It’s now becoming common practice for “cowboy” private certifiers to issue an occupation certificate whether a unit block is ready to be lived in or not.

Mr Edgar tells Ray there has been “a lot of work” done on the block at Castle Hill since they spoke last week, but the issue isn’t resolved as yet.

“Our officers went out with NSW Fire Brigade last week as expected. That inspection was mainly confined to the five safety elements of the building.

“The builder’s response has been very proactive, they’ve committed good resources to attending to the list that we’ve identified.”

Council has written to the Building Professionals Board about their concerns.

“We’ve made some observations that they need to attend to, and certainly they need to satisfy themselves that the certification of the building was appropriate,” Mr Edgar says.

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