Have your Say: Vic Government’s Building Reforms for Safer Apartments

In a major move to restore consumer confidence in Victoria’s building industry, the state government is rolling out significant reforms to ensure apartments and other residential buildings are constructed safely and maintained properly.

The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) has unveiled two key changes that will transform how apartment buildings are constructed and documented in Victoria, putting the focus squarely on consumer protection and building quality.

What’s Changing?

The reforms, developed following recommendations from an Expert Panel review of Victoria’s building legislation, introduce:

1. Mandatory Building Manuals – A comprehensive document containing essential information about a building’s design, construction, and maintenance requirements.
2. Additional Mandatory Inspections – Two new inspection points during construction focused on the building frame (before internal plastering) and waterproofing.

These changes aim to address persistent issues in apartment construction, reduce non-compliant building work, and provide better information to apartment owners and residents.

The Building Manual Explained

Currently, there’s no requirement for residential buildings in Victoria to have a building manual. This creates an information gap that can lead to maintenance issues and difficulties identifying building defects.

The new building manual will:

• Be prepared by the builder or occupancy permit applicant
• Contain critical documentation including building permits, compliance certificates, inspection reports, and maintenance requirements
• Need to be updated annually by the building owner or owners corporation
• Be accessible to emergency services, councils, building practitioners, and owners

A copy will also be filed with the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) within 28 days of issuing the occupancy permit.

The DTP has recommended implementing building manuals for Class 1b (small residential buildings for short-term accommodation), Class 2 (apartment buildings), and Class 3 (hotels, hostels, student accommodation) buildings to ensure consistent safety and maintenance standards across multi-residential buildings.

New Inspection Points Target Common Defects

Currently, builders must notify building surveyors at five mandatory stages during construction. The two new inspection points will focus on:

1. Pre-lining inspection – Examining the internal framework before it’s covered by walls
2. Waterproofing inspection – Checking waterproofing work in wet areas

These inspections target two areas where defects are common and expensive to fix once covered up. The DTP has recommended that building surveyors have flexibility to determine the timing, scope and focus of these inspections to address the highest risks in each building.

What This Means for Apartment Buyers and Owners

For Victorian apartment buyers and owners, these reforms will:

• Provide better access to important building information
• Help identify defects earlier in the construction process
• Support proper maintenance of buildings over their lifetime
• Make it easier to understand a building’s construction history when buying

While there will be some additional costs for builders and building surveyors, the DTP’s analysis shows the benefits of improved building compliance outweigh these costs.

When Will Changes Take Effect?

The Victorian Government is currently seeking feedback from building practitioners, apartment owners, residents, industry stakeholders and the general public on these proposals. This feedback will inform the final decision on implementing these reforms.

For more information or to provide feedback, visit engage.vic.gov.au/new-building-regulations-for-apartments.

Key Takeaways

• The Victorian Government is introducing building manuals and additional mandatory inspections to improve apartment building quality
• Building manuals will collect critical information about a building’s design, construction and maintenance requirements
• New inspections will focus on internal framing and waterproofing before they’re covered up
• These changes aim to protect consumers by reducing building defects and supporting better maintenance
• The reforms are part of a broader program to strengthen Victoria’s building system

You can read more about the proposed building manual and mandatory inspections here.