Permit to visit holiday homes
Holiday homeowners will be allowed to visit their properties to make sure they are fire ready.
From midnight on Wednesday, October 21, holiday homeowners will be allowed to visit their properties to make sure they are fire ready.
Owners living in Melbourne will be able to apply for written formal approval from Bass Coast Shire Council to visit the area.
Since the Premier announced the fire-ready changes, the council has received over 2000 calls from non-resident ratepayers, wanting to know when they can come and check on their properties.
Details posted today on Bass Coast Shire's website said the eligibility for the permit applies to higher risk properties that are partially or wholly within bushfire prone areas, or had an overlay for bushfires or floods.
Owners can check the overlays on the property and apply for a travel exemption permit online.
The website also states that owners of vacant blocks or properties without houses are not able to camp or stay in caravans. Owners can not visit local businesses to purchase supplies, tools or equipment.
There is a 72 hour limit on visits, with vacant land owners and tenanted properties only allowed 24 hours to complete the work. However, owners can visit more than once, but must apply for additional permits.
Council advised anyone unable to travel to Bass Coast to maintain their property could look online for “local slashing and gardening businesses that provide grass cutting services”.
What's changed?
Normally the council, in conjunction with the CFA would issue Fire Prevention Notices to property owners, compelling them to clean up around their property.
This year, due to the Covid restrictions, the process has been reversed.
Owners wanting to check their property will need to provide relevant details to the council, including the type of work needed and the date of the visit, to be issued a permit.
Any resident of metropolitan Melbourne visiting their regional properties will be required to comply with the restrictions in place in Melbourne. This includes not dining in at local cafes, hotels or restaurants.
Announcing the new permit process on the weekend, Premier Daniel Andrews warned residents of metropolitan Melbourne it was “not an invitation to use this as an opportunity to travel to regional Victoria”.
Residents who live in regional Victoria can travel to a second property, holiday home or business in regional Victoria to prepare it for an emergency.
Local councils will also continue to issue Fire Prevention Notices where it is deemed necessary to place an obligation on property owners. Residents issued with a Fire Prevention Notice are legally bound to oblige and can travel to their property to clean it up.
Details of the permit application process are available on the Bass Coast Shire Council website.
Visit vic.gov.au/fireactionweek2020 for a list of activities and online events happening throughout Victoria during Fire Action Week.
For more information on Fire Safety Essentials sessions, visit cfa.vic.gov.au/about/whats-on
