Combustible cladding rules in Australia after 2019: what changed and what it means for houses and apartments

Australia's combustible cladding reforms mainly target apartment and other multi-storey buildings, not ordinary detached houses. After the 2014 Lacrosse tower fire in Melbourne and the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, governments audited buildings for aluminium composite panels (ACP) with polyethylene cores and expanded polystyrene (EPS) systems, restricted their use on certain building classes, set up rectification programs such as Cladding Safety Victoria and NSW's Project Remediate, and strengthened building practitioner laws. If you own a house and are re-cladding it, the main rules you deal with are the National Construction Code requirements for houses, any bushfire attack level for your site and the fire separation rules near boundaries. If you own in an apartment building, your owners corporation deals with the building's cladding status and any rectification.

This guide is part of the roof replacement cost overview. It is general information; building fire safety is technical and you should rely on a fire engineer, building surveyor or your state regulator for decisions.

Timeline of the main reforms

Dates of the state product restrictions and the exact building classes they cover should be checked on the relevant state site, as the instruments have been amended over time.

What the NCC requires for external walls

The National Construction Code splits buildings into classes. Class 1 covers houses and townhouses, Class 2 covers apartment buildings, and Classes 3 to 9 cover other building types.

• Class 2 to 9 buildings of Type A or Type B construction (generally multi-storey) must have external walls, including cladding and attachments, that are non-combustible, unless an approved performance solution or a listed exemption applies.
• Class 1 houses are covered by NCC Volume Two and the Housing Provisions. There is no general non-combustibility requirement for house cladding, but external walls close to a boundary or another building must meet fire separation requirements, and houses in bushfire-prone areas must meet AS 3959 for their bushfire attack level.

That is why a timber weatherboard house is allowed, while the same material on a ten-storey apartment building generally is not.

What it means if you own an apartment

• Your owners corporation should know whether the building was audited and whether any combustible cladding was identified. Ask the strata manager for the audit outcome and any rectification order.
• In Victoria, Cladding Safety Victoria funded rectification for buildings it assessed as higher risk (more than 1,600 Class 2 buildings, according to vic.gov.au). Under the Cladding Safety Victoria Repeal Act 2026 that role moves to the Building and Plumbing Commission; check the BPC or vic.gov.au for where to apply now. In NSW, Project Remediate offered interest-free finance for eligible buildings.
• Some lenders and insurers ask about cladding when valuing or insuring a unit. Building insurance for the scheme is held by the owners corporation, and a cladding issue can affect premiums.
• Rectification costs, where not funded, can be raised through special levies. Read the strata minutes before buying.

What it means if you are re-cladding a house

For a house, the cladding decision is mostly about weatherproofing, durability, bushfire rating and cost. Practical checks:

1. Bushfire attack level. On bushfire-prone land, the cladding, sarking, gaps, vents and window frames must meet AS 3959 for your BAL. At higher BALs some materials, including some timber species, are restricted. See bushfire and wind requirements.
2. Boundary walls. Walls close to the boundary or to another building may need to be fire-resisting. Ask your surveyor or certifier.
3. Product evidence. Ask for the product's technical data and evidence of suitability, such as test reports or a CodeMark certificate where relevant. Do not rely on a sales description of "fire-rated".
4. Asbestos. Old fibro walls on pre-1990 houses may contain asbestos. Test before removal. See the asbestos roof guide.
5. Approvals. Re-cladding can need a building permit, particularly where the frame is altered or in heritage areas. See council approval.

For costs, see the wall cladding replacement guide and the cladding cost estimator.

Worked example: reading a cladding quote for a townhouse (illustrative)

A two-storey townhouse is part of a small Class 1 development. The owner wants to replace damaged panels on one wall with a similar-looking composite panel. Three questions decide the answer:

• Is the building Class 1 (house or townhouse) or Class 2 (apartment)? If units are stacked above each other, it is likely Class 2 and the stricter external wall rules apply.
• Is the wall within the distance from the boundary or neighbouring building that triggers fire separation requirements?
• Is the site bushfire-prone?

If the answers are Class 1, not near a boundary and not bushfire-prone, more products may be allowed. If any answer goes the other way, the owner should get advice from a building surveyor before ordering panels. An illustrative 30 m² wall at $120–$200 per m² plus $2,000 for scaffold and removal costs $5,600–$8,000, so the cost of a short surveyor consultation is small by comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Are all aluminium composite panels banned?

No. Restrictions focus on panels with high polyethylene content in certain building types. Panels with a fire-retardant or mineral core are a different product. What is allowed depends on the building class, the state rule and the evidence of suitability.

Does my house insurance ask about cladding?

Some insurers ask about wall materials when quoting home building insurance. Answer accurately; under the Insurance Contracts Act you must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation.

Can I get government funding to replace cladding on my house?

The rectification programs were aimed at high-risk multi-storey residential buildings, not detached houses. Check the state program's eligibility rules.

Who certifies that cladding is compliant?

For work needing a building permit, the building surveyor or certifier assesses compliance. Ask for the documentation at the end of the job.

Sources

• Australian Building Codes Board — National Construction Code external wall and Housing Provisions
• Building and Plumbing Commission Victoria — Victorian building regulation and cladding information
• NSW Government building and renovating — NSW cladding information, Project Remediate and the Building Products (Safety) Act
• Queensland Building and Construction Commission — Queensland combustible cladding guidance
• Standards Australia — AS 3959 construction in bushfire-prone areas