Apartment owners continue to struggle to get redress for building defects. The new Building Defects Scheme requires developers to lodge a two per cent bond of the contract price to be used to fix apartment defects identified an independent building inspector.

But a new government bill will force owners’ corporations to negotiate with the developer on the amount of bond released in a drawn out process of multiple consultants, reports and inspections followed by government intervention – not unlike litigation. Labor, the Greens and other independents supported my amendment to base release of the bond on a costed scope of works by the independent building inspector but the government blocked it. The house did pass my amendment to get the scheme reviewed in five years so we can address problems. My speech is HERE.