Thefts from house and land sites rise as building material supply issues continue

The number of thefts from home building sites is on the rise, as timber shortages continue to hit the industry and prices of building materials rise.

The cost of building has risen between 10 to 20 per cent over the past 12 months, industry experts say, making many hard-to-get items hot property for thieves.

The Master Builders Association of Victoria says thefts have increased “dramatically” over the past few months in regional cities, including Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong. Sites in Gippsland have also reportedly been hit.

One of the most brazen thefts occurred in Wandana Heights in Geelong on October 20, when a $14,000 fibreglass pool was stolen on the back of a truck. 

The well-organised thieves made off with the slate-coloured, seven-metre-long pool and were captured in the act on CCTV. Victoria Police are now investigating.

MBAV executive director of legal compliance Tristan Moseley said thefts from building sites had become more common in recent months as home builders struggled with timber shortages and delays in completing builds.

“Theft from building sites has always been an issue but with supply chain shortages there has been a spike,” Mr Moseley said. “The main thing we are hearing about is timber. It’s become a hot item because it’s difficult to get your hands on and it’s expensive.”

Throughout the year, MBAV members have reported seeing loads of timber delivered to sites and pilfered shortly after. There have also been reports of copper thefts from hot water services, as well as recently installed whitegoods, Mr Moseley said.

Some of the stolen goods would most likely be sold to builders, he said.

“There may be some desperate builders needing materials to finish a job,” Mr Moseley said. “It really is a dog act to steal from a building site because what they’re doing is stealing from working families and from small businesses.”

He said he believed it was a problem across the country.

Western Australia-based PACT Site Security director Craig Pages-Oliver said there had been a significant rise in thefts this year from the company’s clients – up 60 per cent compared to two years ago.

“It’s definitely increased over the past two years,” he said.

The company, which works in metropolitan Western Australia as well as Bunbury, Busselton and Dunsborough, near Margaret River, is placing GPS trackers in timber and other goods to find where stolen building materials are being taken.

Mr Pages-Oliver said some thieves worked in the industry and were taking the goods to finish jobs, while others were stealing property to sell for cash.

In Queensland, thefts have also been on the rise, particularly in housing estates being built on the Sunshine Coast. Last month Queensland Police reported a growing number of thefts from housing development sites close to Caloundra. Thieves cut padlocks and jimmied open doors to steal items ranging from hammers to hot-water services at housing developments. 

Most occurred at the Nirimba and Baringa housing developments, though others had occurred at Bokarina Beach, Bli Bli and Birtinya.

Master Builders Association of Queensland deputy chief executive Paul Bidwell said he had heard of timber thefts from building sites but said there had not been a sharp rise in insurance claims. 

He said he was expecting more thefts over the Christmas break as building sites left unattended during the holiday season became easy prey for opportunistic thieves. 

“Given the shortage, particularly of timber, I know builders are being more circumspect about how they manage their sites,” Mr Bidwell said. 

He added that MBAQ advised members to secure their building sites and vehicles, organise regular security patrols and install CCTV cameras.