Page 2343 - Week 08 - Thursday, 5 August 2021
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appropriate professional advice and assistance to guide an owners corporation through the process of cladding testing, assessment and rectification. It can be a challenge to understand what remedial work may be appropriate to undertake. There can also be financial challenges associated with undertaking this work.
I am pleased to advise that the government has designed the private buildings cladding scheme to provide three avenues of assistance for eligible private building owners in the ACT: firstly, education and information on combustible cladding; secondly, practical assistance in sourcing suitable professional service providers in the ACT; and, thirdly, financial assistance by offering financial support for testing and assessment of the building cladding fire risk through a rebate scheme and, if necessary, undertaking rectification works through concessional loans. The government believes that this is an appropriate approach that supports the critical needs of private building owners while balancing the responsibilities of private building owners.
There are three key eligibility criteria of the private buildings cladding scheme. Firstly, the building must be located in the ACT. Secondly, the scheme is open to owners corporations of class 2 or mixed-use apartment buildings that are three storeys in rise or higher. Thirdly, the owners corporation must have a reasonable suspicion that the building has cladding that may be combustible. In addition, private residential buildings that otherwise may be in a tight cluster and therefore pose a higher risk of fire spread may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
I am pleased to announce that phase 1 of the scheme commenced on 21 July 2021 and covers testing and assessment of the building’s cladding to determine whether it is combustible. In conjunction with other important information, such as the location and amount of cladding as well as the presence of fire safety systems such as sprinkler systems and fire doors, a risk assessment of the building is prepared for an owners corporation. The owners corporation can then understand the level of risk, if any, that is posed by the cladding on their building, the interim steps they can take to better manage fire safety in the building, and what rectification works, if any, are recommended to reduce the fire risk to a low level. It is important to note that not all cladding is combustible and not all combustible cladding poses an unacceptable level of risk. The government’s private buildings cladding scheme enables a building-specific assessment.
The professional fire risk report can also be used by owners corporations to hold informed discussions with their insurers around important issues affecting many property owners; that is, insurance coverage and the cost of insurance. The government is pleased to be able to assist owners corporations by offering a 50 per cent rebate on the cost of undertaking the testing and assessment on each building, up to a maximum rebate of $20,000 excluding GST.
To assist owners corporations in locating service providers who have qualifications, experience and insurances to undertake specialised cladding rectification assessment work in the ACT, Major Projects Canberra is maintaining a register of potential suppliers on its website. Owners corporations can find professionals such as fire engineers, architects, facade engineers and project managers on the register, but are also able to select their own providers outside those on the register, as long as they are qualified, experienced and insured for cladding rectification work in the ACT.
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