The NSW Government has introduced new requirements for residential and other buildings that have external combustible cladding.
Under the new laws, owners of certain buildings with combustible cladding are now required to register their building with the NSW Government through a NSW Cladding Registration portal.
The requirements apply to the following buildings of two or more storeys:
- Residential apartment buildings;
- Other types of residential buildings where people sleep, such as hotels, boarding houses, backpackers accommodation, student accommodation;
- Aged-care buildings, hospitals and day surgeries (and any associated single dwellings within the building);
- Public assembly buildings such as theatres, cinemas, schools and churches.
The new law applies if the buildings have external combustible cladding made of the following material:
- metal composite panels, including products that consist of aluminium, zinc, or copper outer layers and a core material; or
- insulated cladding systems including systems comprised of polystyrene, polyurethane, and polyisocyanurate.
The laws require owners of existing buildings that fall within these categories to register their building on the portal by 22 February 2019. Owners of new buildings will be required to register their building within four months of the building first being occupied.
More information about these requirements, including a link to the NSW Cladding Registration Portal, is available at the NSW Department of Planning & Environment website:
Action required:
Insurance brokers who have clients who are owners of these types of buildings should discuss the matter with their clients, and make sure they have registered their building with the NSW Cladding Registration portal as soon as possible.