Property owners whose buildings have unsafe cladding now have a greater opportunity to have rectification work paid for by the builder, Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said.
Mr Kean said an amendment to home building laws means unsafe external wall cladding will now be classified as a major defect, giving residents longer to have it rectified.
“This means anyone who buys a unit or townhouse with unsafe external cladding has the right to get repairs done by the responsible builder for up to six years after the building is completed,” Mr Kean said.
Existing home building laws in NSW provide safeguards to owners of new properties with major defects for up to six years after construction finishes.
Mr Kean said today’s reforms are about extending those protections to include external wall cladding.
“Now, with this change to the Home Building Regulation, if cladding on a building causes or is likely to cause a threat to the safety of any occupants in the case of a fire, it is considered to be a major defect,” Mr Kean said.
Mr Kean said the protection is the latest step in a series of ongoing reforms regarding the use of cladding across the state.
The Commissioner for NSW Fair Trading Rose Webb recently called for public submissions about whether a ban is warranted on certain types of cladding. That process is ongoing.
“Residents who are concerned about major defects in their building should contact the builder or developer, in the first instance,” Mr Kean said.
“If the issue cannot be resolved directly, a lot owner or owners’ corporation representative can contact NSW Fair Trading for assistance on 13 32 20.”
