I am very passionate about the need for locks on windows but before I go into why please, please, please check the quote. In our block we halved the quote because a lot of the windows were not high enough from the ground, some were actually doors opening to balconies, and the bathroom windows were more than 1.7m above the floor. Having said this I will continue…
Before retiring I worked at Westmead Childrens and saw the results of way too many falls from balconies and windows. Many of these children who survived had acquired brain injuries due to the fall. The prognosis for these kids was never very good and the lives of their families as well as their own were changed forever mainly due to the ongoing expense of caring for a brain injured family member.The startlingly and sad fact was that most of the children did not live in the block but were visiting other people. I know this because Westmead did a report about it in around 2009.
This exposes the Owners Corporation to insurance claims via public liability. The insurance industry as well as the hospital started the agitation for windows locks resulting in the law change. It is to minimise the risk that the Owners Corporation should install window locks.