KINGSTON Council has fired a warning shot to developers and is preparing a campaign to let residents know where to turn to if they spot red flags in poorly built homes.
The mayor Georgina Oxley said that council officers are currently preparing a report that will look into improving protections for occupants of “shoddy” developments.
“For most people their home is their biggest asset and their livelihood, it’s important that we’re able to support families and home owners in protecting their homes. We want developments to comply with the relevant standards. Anything short of this is simply unacceptable,” she said.
“Council will write to relevant government agencies and will run a campaign to inform residents about their rights, let them know where they turn to report any risks and offer support in tackling these issues.
“We’ve seen the tragedies around the world occur because of shoddy construction and poor building materials. The time to act is now.”
At the 25 February meeting of council, Cr David Eden moved for an advocacy plan to be prepared that would include “improving protections for occupants of existing and new developments in relation to shoddy constructions and poor quality or hazardous materials that may pose a risk to the health and safety of occupants” and “advocating to other levels of government requesting a mandatory reporting scheme for owners, body corporates, property managers, developers and surveyors if they are aware of threats that may pose a risk to the health and safety of the occupants.”
Cr Eden said “hard working Australians who live in these properties need to be protected from rogue operators who are putting profit not people first.”
“Unknowing property owners aren’t to blame, but developers and surveyors who should know better need to be held to account,” he said.
A Victorian Building Authority audit revealed that 11 privately owned buildings in the Kingston municipality had been identified as having dangerous cladding (“Eleven building at cladding risk”, The News, 27/3/19).
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 17 April 2019