Owners of defective Opal Tower apartments suing state government

Owners of units at Opal Tower have filed a lawsuit against the NSW government.

Opal Tower in Sydney Olympic Park. Picture: AAP

Owners of units at Opal Tower have filed a lawsuit against the NSW government, after residents of the defective building were forced to flee the building over fears it could collapse.

Cracks started to appear in the $165 million skyscraper last Christmas Eve, and hundreds of residents were evacuated in the middle of the night. Many residents are still in temporary accommodation while their units remain uninhabitable.

Unit values have plummeted and insurance has skyrocketed from $80,000 to $2 million after structural cracks appeared in the building. Lawyers for the owners have filed documents against the NSW government and Sydney Olympic Park Authority, claiming the building was not designed and constructed with due care and skill, and was not reasonably fit for occupation, according to the ABC.

An expert report commissioned by the NSW government found a number of design and construction issues, including “non-compliance with national codes and standards”, had caused major damage on a number of levels.