In March 2021, Christopher Kerin and Ross Taylor from Ross Taylor & Associates had a discussion with David Chandler, the NSW Building Commissioner, on the topic of residential development regulation reforms in NSW.

The two key pieces of legislation discussed were the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (NSW) and the Residential Apartment Building Compliance and Enforcement Act 2020 (NSW).

The reforms centre around tightening regulations and holding residential developers to higher standards, particularly with regard to high-rise buildings where a concerning number of building defects have become apparent in recent years. The conversation centred around the industry viewpoint of the reforms, the rating system and the stance that professional associations have taken as well as the new complaint system.