Important information for owners proposing renovations and repairs.
Permissions & Obligations
Planning Permission
Miami Towers falls within the Heritage Overlay, HH444 – Middle Park and Saint Kilda West precinct, under the provisions of the Port Philip Planning Scheme. A planning permit is required for any external alterations to the building.
Building Permission
It is unlikely that alterations to your apartment would require a building permit. However, if you are undertaking extensive alterations, you would be wise to seek a letter from a licensed building surveyor confirming their opinion that no permit was required.
Owners Corporation Permissions and Requirements
Section 4.2 the Owners Corporation Rules provides that the written approval of the Owners Corporation is required for renovations in a range of circumstances. Link to the Owners Corporation’s Renovations Application Form!
The OC is not so much concerned about the desirability of the renovations proposed, but rather the risk of unintended consequences in respect of issues such as the structural integrity of the building, changes to the exterior appearance of the building the implications of works on the plumbing and other services, damage to common property, hours of work, et cetera.
The risks foreseen by the Owners Corporation which led to the development of these rules are diverse. But an example is that in every apartment there is a shared grey water sewer riser associated with the kitchens of the apartments. There are four separate risers in the building. These risers are concealed within what is essentially part of a timber cupboard. Careless, uninformed demolition could have significant consequences for multiple apartments.
If you are contemplating a renovation, it is important that you become familiar with our Rules. Link to the Owners Corporation Rules!
Apartments and Asbestos
Apartment owners are responsible for the management of asbestos within an apartment, the Owners Corporation is responsible for the management of asbestos within common property. More recently, changes to tenancy laws have made it an obligation of owners to inform potential tenants about the presence of asbestos. Consumer Affairs Victoria Guide – Disclosure requirements before entering into a rental agreement.
Asbestos is not a major issue in our apartment building. Nevertheless, it is a building built in the 1960’s and there are asbestos containing materials present which need to be considered by residents and tradespeople working in the building.
In 2014 the OCC commissioned an asbestos audit of common property. Because the OCC was aware asbestos was also an issue for owners we tested common areas of concern within apartments, the vermiculite ceiling, the exterior fibrous cement wall cladding and the interior chipboard wall lining. Of these only the exterior fibrous cement cladding was found to contain asbestos.
Owners and residents should assume that:
- all fibrous cement sheeting used within an apartment (including the fibrous cement sheeting used on the exterior of the building below the windows) contains asbestos;
- the shared fibrous cement gas flue concealed within the structure of each apartment contains asbestos;
- the main entrance door to an apartment (lot) is a fire door and contains asbestos;
- any jute or hessian lagging around piping within the building’s service risers may contain asbestos; and
- other asbestos-containing materials may be present.
Workers undertaking renovations will on occasion need to access the services cupboard and other areas of common property, owners need to ensure that they are also informed about asbestos risks on common property. Link to information on Asbestos on Common Property!
Sections 1.5 and 4.3 of our Owners Corporation Rules deal with the management of asbestos within apartments.
Useful Information about an Old Building
The Owners Corporation has some early plans of the building (although limited structural information) and more recent information about the structure and services of the building derived from information gathered when renovations have been undertaken. Moreover, the OC is familiar with the numerous services to apartments that are delivered via common property, services such as water, gas, NBN, and television. Owners and their architects and builders are invited to contact the Owners Corporation via its Building Manager before planning for renovations and repairs, we may be able to provide you with useful insights.
Risks to be Managed by Renovators
Structural Integrity of the Lift Slab.
The architectural drawings which survive describe the 216 mm deep floor slabs dividing each level of the building as Lift Slabs, a reference to the unusual construction technique adopted for the building. There is no ceiling space for the distribution of services, the underside of the slab was sprayed with the vermiculite to become the ceiling of the apartment below, while the upper side is the floor of the apartment above.
There are no structural drawings surviving of the reinforced concrete lift slab, although it is understood that the lift slabs incorporate either pre-tensioned or post-tensioned cables, commonly used in in bridge design, to strengthen the overall structure. Within the bottom few centimetres of the lift slab there are hot water and cold-water pipes together with conduits for electrical, telephone, and television cables. These services are partly for the benefit of the apartment above. The surviving sketch plans indicate the location of the electrical conduits the location of other pipes and conduits is not known.
Owners within the building have successfully overlaid the vermiculite ceiling with plasterboard or some other form of ceiling treatment, but no such approach should be attempted without first discussing it with the OC. Penetrating the hot water supply to the apartment above would be time-consuming, expensive to rectify and involve unhelpful conflicts with insurers, damaging the structural integrity of the floor slab would be catastrophic.
The Building’s Fire Detector System
Among the buildings inbuilt fire protection systems are smoke detectors located within the lift lobbies on each floor. These smoked detectors are linked directly to the fire brigade. If the fire brigade is called out to a false alarm, the call-out costs are very expensive.
Apartment renovations present a high risk of setting off a false alarm. Trades which are notorious for false alarms include plasterers and carpet layers. Renovators who wish to avoid the significant cost of false alarms should ensure that their builder liaises with the OCs Building Manager to ensure that the detectors are temporarily disabled as required. The issue is not just the potential financial loss to the renovator, it is also of vital importance to protecting the safety of the other residents on the same floor.