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Property owners in Queensland are running out of time to comply with the first stage of the state government’s new combustible cladding regulations, Archers the Strata Professionals has warned.
Partner Andrew Staehr said that 29 March is the deadline for building owners to complete part 1 of the legislative requirements, which is an online registration process.
He said that ignoring the requirement would be unwise.
“Strata buildings that are required to complete part 1 of the process simply cannot ignore the legislative requirements or they will face unnecessary additional costs in the form of substantial fines and having to engage a building industry professional to prepare a report,” Mr Staehr said.
“Building owners should seek professional guidance to comply with each step of the regulations, and not debate who is responsible. This needs to be treated as a separate matter to making the building safe.”
Mr Staehr said that cladding has been used on buildings since the mid-1990s to improve appearance.
“But events such as the 2017 London Grenfell Tower tragedy and the Lacrosse Tower fire in Melbourne’s Docklands in 2014 have highlighted that certain types of cladding can contribute to propagation of flames and the rapid spread of fire to other parts of the building.
“Concerns in Australia about cladding in apartment buildings were reignited last month following a fast-moving fire at a Melbourne CBD apartment block which is believed to have been fuelled by combustible cladding.”
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission commissioner, Brett Bassett, echoed Mr Staehr’s sentiment.
“Once the 29 March deadline has passed, in addition to risking fines for non-compliance, a building industry professional report will have to be provided to the QBCC.”
Following the introduction of the new laws in late 2018, Archers hosted community education seminars across the state, educating stakeholders on the obligations and timelines to achieve compliance with the three-stage regulations.
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