An owners corporation committee receives a facade defect report. It is typically the first time most committee members have seen one. The report runs to thirty or forty pages, contains a hundred photos, and uses terminology most members have not encountered before. The natural question — “what are we supposed to do with this?” — has a specific answer.
Here is what a useful facade defect report should contain, and how to read it in the context of the decisions the committee will need to make.
The executive summary
A good defect report opens with a one-page summary that names the building’s three or four most important findings — the issues that drive both the rectification scope and the rectification cost. If you read no further than the executive summary, you should know what the building’s facade situation looks like and what level of action is being recommended.
If the executive summary buries the headline finding behind procedural language, or lists eighty defects without prioritisation, the report is not yet useful for decision-making. Ask the consultant to revise it before it goes to the committee.
The methodology section
The methodology section describes what was actually inspected and how. Look for:
- Which elevations were inspected (all four, or only the accessible ones)
- The access method used (rope access, EWP, or scaffold)
- Whether the inspection was visual-only or included physical sampling
- Any areas explicitly excluded from scope, and why
This matters because the report’s conclusions only apply to what was actually inspected. A report that inspected one elevation cannot tell you anything definitive about the other three. Knowing the scope of the inspection is knowing the scope of the answer.
The defect schedule
The defect schedule is the body of the report — a list of every defect identified, each with a photo reference, a description, and a severity classification. Each defect should be tagged to a specific location on the building (elevation, level, panel reference) so the committee and any subsequent contractor can find it on site.
Severity classifications vary by report, but the practical question to ask is: how does this severity translate to a timeframe for action? Some defects are immediate; some are within twelve months; some are routine maintenance to be folded into a five-year cycle. A report that gives severity without timeframes leaves the committee to guess.
The recommended actions
The recommended actions section translates findings into a course of action. A useful report does not just say “rectify combustible cladding” — it says what kind of rectification, sequenced how, with what professionals involved (engineer, registered building practitioner, access specialist).
If the recommended actions are vague, the committee cannot use the report to put a credible proposal to owners. Ask for specificity before the report goes to the meeting. A report that ends in “further investigation recommended” without saying what investigation, by whom, and for what cost is still a draft.
The visual evidence
A facade defect report without photo evidence is not a defect report — it is an opinion. Every defect identified in the schedule should have at least one photo, ideally a wide context shot plus a close-up. The photos serve two purposes: they let the committee see what the consultant saw, and they form the evidence base for any future insurance or regulatory engagement.
Using the report in committee
For a committee, the practical sequence is:
- Read the executive summary at the next meeting; agree on the level of action implied
- Take the recommended actions section to an indicative quote from a registered building practitioner
- Bring the cost back to the committee for resolution preparation
- Put a formal proposal — defect report attached — to owners at a general meeting or by ballot
A good defect report makes that sequence straightforward. A poor one makes it impossible. If the report you have received does not feel decision-ready, the answer is to engage with the consultant to improve it — not to push the committee through a decision on weak evidence.
If you have a defect report you want to talk through, or you need one commissioned, contact us.