Upstairs windows and the 125mm rule on new Rouse Hill homes
Why bedroom windows on a second storey need restricting, and how often it is missed at handover.
In short: Where a bedroom window is more than two metres above the ground outside, its opening must be limited or protected. On double storey homes, we keep finding windows that open wide.
The rule in plain terms
The National Construction Code limits how far a bedroom window can open where the floor is more than two metres above the surface below. The usual answer is a restrictor that stops the opening at 125mm, or a screen that cannot be pushed out.
Why it is missed
Restrictors are a small fitting installed late, often by a different trade. Some windows get them and others do not.
What we recorded
Upstairs bedroom windows without restrictors were listed on two separate Rouse Hill handovers in late 2025, one of them in the master bedroom.
Other safety items at handover
A balcony built without an overflow and a shower screen that was not secured were recorded on the same round of handovers. We put safety items at the top of the report.
Before the final claim
Restrictors are cheap and fast to fit. The builder should do it before you take the keys, not as warranty work.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Rouse Hill. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
