Seminar for Canberra Landlords

Amelior Insulation was recently invited to attend a seminar for Canberra landlords, hosted by Morrell Property, to speak about the ACT Government's New Minimum Ceiling Insulation Standard in the ACT.

Morrell Property is a Canberra based real estate agency. Their service offerings include on and off-market sales as well as all aspects of property management including tenant selection, rent collection and property maintenance.

The seminar was well attended by local property owners who were happy to be brought up to speed with the important changes which have been occurring in the property space.

In Amelior Insulation's presentation on the recent regulatory developments specific to ceiling insulation in rental properties, we briefly covered the following:

BACKGROUND REASONS FOR THE NEW SCHEME

Rising energy prices, climate change, a significant number of under-insulated homes, combined with the lessons of the previous Home Insulation Program (sometimes referred to as the "pink batts disaster" are all factors at play here. The ACT Government is clearly keen to address the first three issues, without creating any of the problems which many of us remember were associated with the previous scheme.

FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE SCHEME

The take home message here is that rental properties with a ceiling insulation R-Value of less than R2.0 will need to be upgraded to a minimum R5.0. New leases will need to comply with the new requirements within 9 months of a new lease being signed, and all other properties will need to be compliant by 30 November 2026. After that, properties being rented for the first time will need to be inspected and made compliant within 3 months.

We also explained the steps involved with organising the initial inspection, as well as reminding the attendees of the strict requirements surrounding electrical inspections which must be completed before the ceiling insulation installers can get to work.

Also represented at the seminar were representatives from Canberra Granny Flat Builders and Grady Strata and Facilities, who were also able to provide valuable insights to property owners and potential investors on recent changes to regulations affecting property owners.

After some light refreshments, we had opportunity to meet, greet and exchange knowledge with the other attendees before wrapping up a very informative and satisfactory evening.