Leaky Building Syndrome

The Liberal Government has commissioned an investigation to address “Leaky Building Syndrome” in Tasmanian buildings.

This is a problem which occurs when moisture gets into building fabric, such as the roof cavity or under floor space. This may then lead to fungal growth and structural deterioration in these areas. Ultimately this may cause occupant health issues.

A few damp spots in the roof space of buildings may not sound like a big problem, but it has already cost countries with similar climates to Tasmania, such as New Zealand, more than $10 billion. This problem was in the structure of New Zealand’s buildings and is more than the common problem of water on windows which occurs regularly in Tasmanian homes during winters.

There has been growing evidence of this structural problem existing in Tasmania and we are acting now to prevent it becoming an issue.

The Liberal Government is taking a three-tier approach to tackle this problem;

• The Department of justice has issued advice on house design to prevent condensation in Tasmanian homes.
• Training sessions with building designers will be run later this year and;
• We will provide a $56,000 grant to the University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture to investigate condensation in existing homes and research methods to overcome the problem.

The first two tranches will future proof buildings while the third is about addressing problems in current buildings.

The funding will be used to buy and install environmental measuring equipment in properties with known condensation problems.

This research will then form advice for owners and builders on possible causes of moisture and how to fix the problem.

The information that comes out of this study will build on our current knowledge and be used to inform the construction sector more broadly as well as being very pertinent to public buildings, such as schools and housing stock, into the future.

Currently only a small number of buildings have been identified as being affected. By acting now we will prevent this from becoming a significant and costly issue as it has in other countries.

The Liberal Government is backing our key industries including the building sector, which is worth $2 billion with the broader construction industry employing 17,500 Tasmanians.
Peter Gutwein, Minister for Planning and Local Government