3 JULY 2019
A controversy has erupted in Sydney where residents evacuated from the cracked Mascot Towers have been left homeless and told they’ll have to foot the repair bill. Building defects in NSW are covered under manufacturer warranty for six years after construction. Following this, the burden of paying for all repairs falls to the owners. A controversy has erupted in Sydney where residents evacuated from the cracked Mascot Towers have been left homeless and told they’ll have to foot the repair bill. Building defects in NSW are covered under manufacturer warranty for six years after construction.
Following this, the burden of paying for all repairs falls to the owners. Mascot Towers was vacated on Friday night after engineers became increasingly concerned about cracks in the primary support structure and facade masonry. Those who own their apartments in the decade-old building will now be faced with a hefty bill, likely paid for with compulsory strata levies. Owner’s rights advocate Stephen Goddard told Sunrise that 80 per cent of all new residential strata constructed in NSW, Victoria and Queensland have defects. He wants to see more protections put in place for home owners.
“These people are part of an enormous victim pool. There has been a conspiracy of silence around this,” he said. “People have been their buildings quietly to try and protect their capital values, but Opal and Mascot are such significant threats to structural and life safety that there is no secret.” Meanwhile, the Owners Corporation and building manager will write to Premier Gladys Berejiklian to plead for “emergency assistance” for those left without anywhere to live while repairs take place.
> Watch the full story at 7news.com.au
7News digital staff