Owners drag feet checking on cladding
GOLD Coast building owners are dragging their feet on vital cladding checks, fuelling fears of deadly fire risks.
Legislation was introduced last year to ensure the combustible cladding that contributed to the Grenfell tower fire in London in 2017, claiming 72 lives, was removed from all Queensland buildings.
However, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission says metropolitan areas and body corporates are lagging behind.
More than 1300 Gold Coast building owners were asked to inspect their properties late last year, but less than half have registered.
The QBCC estimates 12,000 private buildings across Queensland will have to be reviewed, but it believes most buildings are safe.
Under the latest cladding laws, which took effect in Queensland in October last year, private owners of multistorey buildings built or modified since 1994 must complete Part 1 of the Safer Buildings checklist before March 29, 2019 or risk fines of at least $20,000.
Mike Murray, an executive member of the Unit Owners Association Queensland, said body corporate committees were nervous.
“People are nervous and understandably because the requirements state someone needs to sign off,” he said.
“It is pretty unreasonable to expect lay people who hold positions on body corporate committees who know little of this to sign any document that then puts that person individually responsible.”
Mr Murray suspected the situation would become a cash cow for body corporate managers who would charge a fee to complete the register.
However, he warned the issues needed to be fixed, particularly in buildings being illegally used for short-term accommodation.
QBCC Commissioner Brett Bassett said building owners had just eight weeks to check their property.
“Once the 29 March deadline has passed, in addition to risking fines for noncompliance, a building industry professional report will have to be provided to the QBCC,’’ he said.