Changes to the Assessment of Earthquake-Prone Buildings

The government recently announced its intention to introduce the Building (Earthquake-prone Building System Reform) Amendment Bill into Parliament soon. The proposed reform focuses on increasing the threshold and implementing strict criteria that must be met to condemn a building as earthquake-prone and uninhabitable.

The proposed new regime will only capture buildings that pose a genuine risk to human life in medium to high-risk zones. Consequently, the government believes that around 55% of earthquake-prone buildings (about 2,900 buildings) will be removed from the system.

We look forward to reading the draft bill once it is introduced into Parliament; it has implications for many building owners.

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