Building records
Body corporate, building manager, owner and fire-safety records may identify assessments, notices, rectification and outstanding actions.
External wall fire risk
Queensland combustible cladding.
Understand the records and specialist checks relevant to external wall cladding on apartments, commercial buildings and other higher-risk properties.
Buyer overview
Product identification and fire risk require specialist evidence.
Queensland’s Safer Buildings program identified private buildings that may have potentially combustible external wall cladding. Buyers of units and commercial property should review building-specific records rather than rely on visual appearance.
Product evidence
Laboratory reports, product documentation and expert assessment may be necessary to identify cladding composition and its use in the wall system.
Whole-wall risk
Fire performance depends on the complete wall assembly, cavity, insulation, fixings, fire stopping and building design—not the outer panel alone.
Inspection scope: A Premise inspection may record visible cladding and apparent damage. It does not identify product composition, assess fire engineering, audit fire safety compliance or certify the external wall system.
Practical checks
What buyers should ask for and verify.
Indicators requiring records checks
- Metal-faced composite panels or other lightweight facade panels on a multi-storey building.
- An Affected Private Building Notice displayed at the property.
- Body corporate minutes referring to cladding, fire engineering, insurance or rectification.
- Incomplete facade work, open joints, damaged panels or exposed insulation.
- Special levies, proposed remediation or unresolved insurance conditions.
- No available evidence explaining the cladding product and completed assessment process.
Recommended enquiries
- Request all Safer Buildings, cladding checklist and fire-safety assessment records.
- Obtain current body corporate records, committee minutes, budgets and special-levy information.
- Ask for fire-engineer reports, product test reports and completed rectification certification.
- Confirm the building’s current insurance position and any cladding-related exclusions.
- Use a registered fire engineer, building certifier and solicitor where documents are incomplete or adverse.
Limits of a visual inspection
A visual building inspection is not a cladding fire-risk assessment.
Panels may be inaccessible, unlabeled or part of a concealed wall assembly. Specialist assessment and documentary evidence are required.
Not confirmed
- Cladding material composition or combustibility.
- Compliance with the NCC or applicable approval.
- Fire spread, fire stopping or cavity-barrier performance.
- Completion of every regulatory or body corporate obligation.
- Future insurance availability, premiums or rectification cost.
When specialist input is appropriate
- Registered fire engineer for building fire-safety risk assessment.
- Building certifier for approval and certification evidence.
- Facade consultant for external wall system investigation.
- Solicitor, body corporate records inspector and insurer for transaction-specific advice.
The absence of a visible notice or obvious panel damage does not establish that cladding risk is absent or that the building completed every required process.
Official information
Authoritative sources and further reading.
Requirements can change and may depend on the building classification, approval date and work undertaken. Confirm current obligations with the relevant authority or appropriately licensed specialist.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions.
Can a building inspection identify combustible cladding?
No. The inspection may describe visible cladding, but product identification and fire-risk assessment require records and specialist investigation.
Who should provide cladding records for a unit building?
Start with the seller, body corporate, building manager and body corporate records. Specialist and regulatory records may also be relevant.
Does no visible notice mean the building is clear?
No. The absence of a visible notice is not proof that cladding is non-combustible or that all obligations and assessments are complete.
HouseWorthy packages
ONE PROPERTY
Best value
THREE PROPERTIES
Research the property before the physical inspection.
$29
Property Intelligence Report
Property, planning, environmental, utility and buyer due-diligence information with practical next checks.
View the $29 report$59
Buyer Shortlist
Three report credits to compare risks, advantages and next checks across different properties.
View the $59 shortlist
$50 Premise inspection offer: purchase an eligible HouseWorthy package, then book and complete a combined Premise building and timber pest inspection for the same property within 30 days. Supply the purchase email or Stripe receipt when booking. Conditions apply.
HouseWorthy is a property information service by Premise Inspections. It is not a building and timber pest inspection, valuation, engineering assessment, approval search, certification or guarantee.
Request an inspection quote
Provide the available property details and we will email an indicative quotation. Final pricing may vary with the property’s size, construction, age, condition, location and accessibility.
Premise Inspections
Independent building and timber pest inspections
Reports generally available within 24 hours
What happens next
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1
Receive your indicative quote We email the estimate using the property details supplied.
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2
Reply if you wish to proceed Provide the selling agent’s name and contact details.
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3
Confirm the booking We coordinate access and confirm the inspection arrangements.
Prefer to speak directly?
Call 1300 396 585
info@ppbi.com.au
Get the facts before you commit.
Request a clear written quote for your property inspection.