Fire safety and external wall cladding
Find information about fire safety rules for external wall cladding for owners, tenants, strata managing agents, building managers and real estate agents.
Owners
Owners should take the following steps.
Find out if your building has combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels
Contact your strata managing agent, building manager, property manager or maintenance manager and ask them to review all design and construction documents to determine whether external wall cladding made of combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels, was used on your building.
Check whether your building’s fire safety statement is up to date
Your strata managing agent, building manager, property manager or maintenance manager should be able to advise you. You should also ensure that all fire safety maintenance measures have been addressed. Annual fire safety statements should be prominently displayed in your building.
Ensure a fire safety professional has inspected any cladding
If combustible cladding has been used on your building, ask the strata managing agent, building manager, property manager or maintenance manager if a fire safety professional has:
- reviewed and inspected the cladding - including the suitability of the type of material used and installation method
- checked the overall fire safety of the building
- provided an assessment of any steps required to maintain or improve the building’s fire safety.
If this has not been done, you should ask for this to be arranged.
Take immediate action to make any recommended changes
Make any recommended changes to the building.
Tenants
Tenants should take the following steps.
Find out if your building has combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels
Contact your real estate manager or private landlord and ask them to contact the owner, strata managing agent, building manager, property manager or maintenance manager, requesting they review all design and construction documents to determine whether combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels, was used on your building.
Check whether your building’s fire safety statement is up-to-date
Your real estate agent or private landlord can check with the relevant owner, strata managing agent, building manager, property manager or maintenance manager. You should also ensure all fire safety maintenance measures have been addressed. Annual fire safety statements should be prominently displayed in your building.
Ensure a fire safety professional has inspected any cladding
If combustible cladding has been used on your building, ask your real estate agent or private landlord if a fire safety professional has:
- reviewed and inspected the cladding - including the suitability of the type of material used and installation method
- checked the overall fire safety of the building
- provided an assessment of any steps required to maintain or improve the building’s fire safety.
If this has not been done, you should ask for this to be arranged.
Strata managing agents and building, property or maintenance managers
Strata managing agents, building, property or maintenance managers for multi-storey residential buildings should take the following steps.
Find out if the building has combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels
Review all design and construction documents to determine whether external wall cladding made of combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels, was used on the building.
Check that the annual fire safety statement for the building is up to date
You should also ensure that all fire safety maintenance measures have been addressed.
Engage a fire safety professional
If combustible cladding has been used on the building engage a fire safety professional to:
- review and inspect the cladding - including the suitability of the type of material used and installation method
- check the overall fire safety of the building
- provide an assessment of any steps required to maintain or improve the building’s fire safety.
Make recommended changes without delay
You must take immediate action to make any recommended changes to the building.
Real estate agents
Real estate agents currently leasing apartments in multi-story residential buildings should ensure the buildings are safe by checking the external wall cladding. They should also ensure that appropriate fire safety measures are in place.
You should contact the relevant owner, strata managing agent, building, property or maintenance manager and ask them to take the following steps.
Find out if the building has combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels
They should review all design and construction documents to determine whether external wall cladding made of combustible cladding, for example aluminium composite panels, was used on the building.
Check that the annual fire safety statement for the building is up to date
They should ensure all fire safety maintenance measures have been addressed.
Ensure a fire safety professional has inspected any cladding
If combustible cladding has been used on the building, ask the strata managing agent, building manager, property manager or maintenance manager if a fire safety professional has:
- reviewed and inspected the cladding - including the suitability of the type of material used and installation method
- checked the overall fire safety of the building
- provided an assessment of any steps required to maintain or improve the building’s fire safety.
CodeMark Certificates of Conformity withdrawn for nine cladding products
The CodeMark Australia Scheme is administered by JAS-ANZ. Under the rules, a CodeMark Certification Body is responsible for decisions to terminate, suspend and withdraw a certificate holder’s Certificate of Conformity.
In 2019, JAS-ANZ has advised that the following nine Certificates of Conformity have recently been withdrawn by the relevant certification body. The below withdrawn Certificates of Conformity are no longer valid and are not recognised as a form of evidence of suitability under the NCC (National Construction Code):
- CM40029 – Ozone Panel Building Systems
- CM40066 – Alpolic A2
- CM40067 – Alpolic FR
- CM40076 – Ultrabond FR
- CM40079 – Vitrabond FR
- CM40082 – Dulux Exsulite TM Kooltherm Façade System
- CM40093 – Larson FR
- CM40138 – Dulux Exsulite TM Thermal Façade non-cavity system
- CM40162 – Cladex FR
Under the NCC a current CodeMark Certificate of Conformity is one form of evidence that can be used to support the use of material, product, form of construction or design. It confirms that it meets a performance requirement or a deemed-to-satisfy provision of the NCC.
If the products covered by these withdrawn Certificates of Conformity are used in a building, in compliance with NSW legislation, building practitioners would need to satisfy themselves through another form of evidence of suitability that the use complies with the NCC.
More information about the withdrawal is available on the Australian Building Codes Board website.
The taskforce
In response to the Grenfell Tower fire in London, an inter-agency Fire Safety and External Wall Cladding Taskforce was created to ensure that fire safety for residential buildings are prioritised and properly addressed. This taskforce is led by the Department of Customer Service. For updates on the work of the taskforce, see the NSW Cladding Taskforce website.