National Building Council calls for public registry of licensed contractors

The Building and Construction Authority is being called on by industry stakeholders to publish a list of all licensed contractors, following reports that nine building sites have been shut down by the authority after finding that the contractors engaged to work were not licensed.

As of 1st November 2023, contractors that did not apply for a provisional licence have not been allowed to operate legally, although questions have been posed about the enforceability of this rule when considering the limited manpower of the BCA and the hundreds if not thousands of construction sites around the country.

On Thursday (yesterday), The Times reported that nine construction projects have ben halted after the contractors involved failed to apply for a licence, prompting a strong response from the National Building Council.

The NBC, a collaboration between the Malta Development Association and the Chamber of Architects, is now calling for a “readily accessible database of all those who are legally allowed to operate.”

“This information constitutes a matter of national and public interest which cannot be shielded with the excuse of data protection. Indeed, GDPR does not apply in such a circumstance,” it said, insisting that the general public, as well as homeowners, architects, developers and main contractors have a right to know who the legally recognised operators in the industry are.

“As a result of the BCA’s failure to publish these lists, the owners of those nine sites that were shutdown, and their architects, will be burdened with cost of the site closures through no fault of their own,” it continued. “Moreover, the purchasers of the affected properties will also endure the delay in moving into their new homes.”

“This is unjust and must be rectified immediately.”