Building Defects Library

The Building Defects Library lists the most common building defects for Certifiers, Councils and other relevant industry members. By making these available in one place it will help quicken the drafting of formal communication to rectify defects.

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Key information

Through our building audits it became apparent that a small selection of defect types was responsible for a large proportion of the defects we’re finding. The defects library has the most common defects from our building site audits and the relevant standards they are not compliant with.

It is intended to help you draft formal communications (for example, a Written Direction Notice) regarding common defects.
For each defect shown, the library includes the relevant National Construction Code (NCC).

What is the Building Defects Library?

The Building Defects Library is used by building professionals with a working knowledge of the National Construction Code (NCC), the Australian Standards and general construction.

We have included a selection of common defects we are finding in our building site audits. We have grouped the defects together with the relevant NCC and Australian Standards. It is intended to help building professionals draft formal communications more quickly as all the references can be found in the library.

How to use the library?

The library is split into the five building elements as defined in the Design and Building Practitioner (DBP) Act.

These elements are:

Waterproofing
Fire Safety
Structure
Building Enclosure
Services

Within each building element are the individual defects, and in each defect there is a reference to the applicable NCC and/or applicable standards. Some defects have an additional information section to provide commentary or further information. The library is written in such a way that the contents of each defect can be read in isolation.

When writing formal communications in relation to a building you have inspected, consider using this as a tool to help you identify the defect you have seen and the relevant standards it needs to comply with to be rectified in a compliant manner.

The Building Defects Library is available in both PDF and XML formats.

Building Commission NSW assumes no responsibility or liability for any damage, loss, or expense arising from reliance on the information provided in any version of the building defects library.

The Building Defects Library contains materials that are published for specific purposes and that are protected by copyright. Users must not copy, reproduce, publish, adapt, communicate to the public, or utilise for purposes other than a reference guide, the building defects library without the permission of Building Commission NSW, Standards Australia, or the copyright owner (as applicable).

The document (including the XML file version) distributed by Building Commission NSW is subject to copyright.

This document contains excerpts from the National Construction Code. The National Construction Code was provided by the Australian Building Codes Board © 2022 under the CC BY-ND 4.0 licence. Original content is hosted on the National Construction Code (NCC) website.

This document contains excerpts from documents published by Standards Australia Limited. The Australian Standards have been reproduced by Building Commission NSW, Department of Customer Service (ABN 81 913 830 179) with the permission of Standards Australia Limited under licence CLT0324bcn.

AS 3740:2021 Waterproofing of domestic wet areas
AS 4254.1-2012 Ductwork for air-handling systems in buildings, Part 1: Flexible duct
AS 4254.2-2012 Ductwork for air-handling systems in buildings, Part 2: Rigid duct
AS 4654.2-2012 Waterproofing membranes for external above-ground use, Part 2: Design and installation
AS 1288:2021 Glass in buildings - Selection and installation
AS 1379-2007 Specification and supply of concrete
AS 1682.2:2015 Fire, smoke and air dampers, Part 2: Installation
AS 1905.1:2015 Components for the protection of openings in fire-resistant walls, Part 1: Fire-resistant doorsets
AS 2047-2014 Windows and external glazed doors in buildings
AS 2419.1:2021 Fire hydrant installations, Part 1: System design, installation and commissioning
AS 3600:2018 Concrete structures
AS 3700:2018 Masonry Structures Users must not copy or reuse this work without the permission of Standards Australia or the copyright owner

Download the Building Defects Library

Building defects library cover, two staff in high-vis clothing having a discussion in front of an apartment construction site

Download the library for a quick reference to common defects and the relevant standards that apply to them.

Download Building Defects Library in PDF (PDF 738.52KB)

XML file format

We published an XML file version of the Building Defects Library in September 2024. This format intended to help customers with digital application of the library.

Download Building Defects Library in XML (ZIP 11.32KB)

Providing feedback

You can submit feedback to us via certifierstrategy@customerservice.nsw.gov.au.

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