Strata buildings in New South Wales have been facing a number of dangerous problems.
Among these issues are serious defects brought about by structural and waterproofing issues, and in the process, the average repair bill has skyrocketed.
Research found that buildings in two out of five strata in New South Wales struggle with risky problems such as fire safety, structural defects and unreliable waterproofing.
Aidan Devine laid out these issues in his recent article, published on realestate.com.au. Here are the key points we took from the article:
- According to the Strata Community Association of NSW, the leading body for the strata industry, repairing serious defects can cost the affected building nearly $332,000.
- Waterproofing problems are found to be the most common defect. In fact, waterproofing issues come up in almost two-thirds of the buildings marked as having problems.
- Other common defects include problems with fire safety systems (38 percent), structure (27 percent), key services (17 percent), and nonconforming siding (16 percent).
- It takes a long time for the problems to be fixed. Proprietary corporations spend a year or more to resolve them, as shown in the survey of 1,400 strata managers.
- The fire safety industry experts warned that thousands of New South Wales residents were at risk of a “Grenfell Tower-style hell” due to unsafe cladding products.
- According to Chris Duggan, Strata Community Association NSW President, rectifying defects was causing unnecessary stress and cost to strata building owners.
Industry Best Construction aims to help builders and contractors minimise the risk of waterproofing issues in buildings and structures through providing education and best practices.
Understanding the best waterproofing installation techniques and ensuring compliance to the Australian Standards can be the first step in advancing towards a safer and sustainable future in the construction industry.
