‘My home is covered in petrol’: Heartbroken homeowner burnt by cladding crisis

A Melbourne woman who bought a city apartment only one year ago has described the personal and financial toll of Victoria’s cladding crisis.

Blair Warren-Smith’s two-bedroom apartment was ticked off by authorities when she bought it, despite being covered in flammable cladding.

“A month ago was when we first received notice that we’re in a building in this state,” a devastated Ms Warren-Smith (pictured above) told Neil Mitchell.

“Basically our building is covered in petrol.”

Now she, along with the apartment block’s owners, have to wear the cost of to get it fixed.

Ms Warren-Smith expects to lose up to $80,000 on her $500,000 property.

“It’s very disheartening,” she said.

“There’s nothing you can do — you’re part of an owners corporation, they make decisions on your behalf, you’re given bill after bill after bill, of which I don’t have the money to pay.

“There’s no one doing anything for you; there’s nothing you can do, there’s nowhere for you to go.”

Built in 2013, Ms Warren-Smith’s building is one of 700 privately-owned buildings with cladding in Victoria.

The state government has not detailed the location of these homes for security purposes.

“There’s certainly a failure in the system,” Neil Mitchell said.

“If she’s bought it a year ago and it’s all been signed off as being fine, that’s a failure on the system.”

Flammable cladding have caused several dangerous fires in Melbourne in recent times, including an apartment building that caught fire on Spencer St (pictured above) in February this year.

Click PLAY for the full interview with Blair Warren-Smith