NSW has changed home building laws to classify unsafe external wall cladding as a major defect, requiring builders to pay for rectification work.

Anyone who buys a unit or townhouse with unsafe external cladding can now make the responsible builder repair it for up to six years after the building is completed.

The state’s home building laws provide safeguards to owners of new properties with major defects.

Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean says this is the latest in a series of reforms regarding the use of cladding.

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rose Webb recently called for public submissions on a possible ban on certain cladding types.

At the end of last year, the Victorian Building Authority was dealt a blow when the Supreme Court of Victoria decided the regulator does not have power to order builders to fix apartment blocks after residents have moved in.