Disturbing imagery in the West Australian newspapers last week of cracks in concrete flooring at the Iris Residential Shenton Quarter development has led to AAA issuing a note of warning to all current buyers.
Ms Reece said that she had already received numerous calls from buyers who were alarmed at the imagery and the potential risk.
“There are several key aspects of the construction process that will ensure that the building is deemed as structurally sound and concrete is definitely one of those,” Ms Reece said.
“When you witness the depth of the cracks in the concrete pad at Shenton Quarter then that is definitely deemed as a defect (based on the Guide to WA Standards and Tolerances).
“We have requested that DMIRS (WA Building Commission) undertake an inspection of the site, but due to lack of legislative support, they do not have authority to undertake this task and that is deeply disturbing.
“AAA has reached out to the developer directly in the absence of Government intervention and requested that they provide information about the cause of the cracking, their recommended rectification as well as the concrete strength testing results.
“Once we have this information then we will be seeking an independent building engineer to review and comment.”
Currently WA is the only State Nationally that does not mandate inspections during the construction phase.
To address this the AAA has been working on its own Apartment Audit and Assurance Accreditation Programme™ with an international working group, which covers critical elements within the apartment build including structural, fire installation and water proofing.
“Our 2023 research with 800 WA apartment owners shows that the level of defects identified in their buildings has increased from 60% in 2021 to now 70%,” Ms Reece said.
“This can be attributed to increases in construction costs and resulting cutting of corners as well as lack of skilled trades.
“The only way to provide our buyers with confidence, that they are not buying a dud, is to conduct an audit during construction and correct poor standards in real time.”
Any buyers of Shenton Quarter are recommended to contact AAA by emailing sam@waaa.net.au.
Samantha said that unless WA caught up with the rest of the Nation, then buyer confidence in the apartment sector would plummet beyond return.
“WA is at the perfect point in time to implement additional processes and systems so that apartment buyers are protected and the apartment sector can flourish and thrive over the next 10 plus years and we are actively working with Government to address this.”
To read the West Australian article click here.
