Combustible cladding: what NSW apartment buyers should check

Why it matters

After the Grenfell and Lacrosse fires, combustible aluminium composite cladding became a major safety and financial issue for apartment buildings. Removing and replacing it can cost millions per building, funded by the owners through special levies.

If you buy into a building that later has to rectify cladding, you inherit your share of that bill. It is one of the few risks that can run to tens of thousands of dollars per lot.

How to check a building

There is no single public 'cladding register' a buyer can rely on, so the signal has to be assembled. The strongest public indicators are a NSW Building Commission rectification or prohibition order, fire-safety matters in the tribunal record, and remediation works in the building's history.

On StrataAuditor, a scheme's dossier surfaces any in-force building-work order and flags litigation that touches fire or cladding. If you see either, treat cladding as a live question and ask the agent and your conveyancer directly.

What to ask

Ask whether the building has an Annual Fire Safety Statement, whether any cladding has been identified, and whether a rectification levy has been raised or is planned. Confirm it against the strata report and the scheme's minutes, not just the agent's word.