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Thousands of new high-rise buildings are at risk of cracking like Sydney's Opal and Mascot Towers, an expert has warned. 

Residents of 122 apartments in Mascot Towers, inner-south Sydney, were evacuated after concerns were raised about the structural integrity of their building on Friday evening. 

Cracks in the basement of the decade-old building had widened in the lead up to the last minute evacuation, with many pointing blame at the newly built and unoccupied building next door. 

The cracks at Mascot Tower followed the Christmas Eve evacuation of Opal Tower in Sydney Olympic Park after residents heard 'cracking noises'.   

Residents of 122 apartments in Mascot Towers (pictured), inner-south Sydney, were evacuated after concerns were raised about the structural integrity of their building on Friday evening

Cracks in the basement of the decade-old building had widened in the lead up to the last minute evacuation, with many pointing blame at the newly built and unoccupied building next door

Property consultant Edwin Almedia suggested these cases were not coincidences but a reflection of a larger problem. 

'The issue is broader (than Opal and Mascot) and not only contained to high-rise development,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Low-set and basically new construction has a grey cloud over it – low quality, toxins, bad ventilation and very low quality imported materials used.

'More and more blocks will be evacuated and a lot should already have, been given the levels of mould and water penetration you find in a lot of apartment blocks.

'Not to mention emergency sprinkler systems not working.'

Mr Almedia said there were three main problems; the deregulation of building processes, using land not suitable for high rise apartments and a lack of builders liability. 

Property consultant Edwin Almedia suggested these cases were not coincidences but a reflection of a larger problem. 'More and more blocks will be evacuated and a lot should already have,' he said

At Mascot and Opal Towers the 'list goes on' with foundation issues, deterioration of the sub-basement areas, excavation around it, contamination deteriorating the foundations and low quality concrete, he said.  

'More at risk, one reason is the over-building in adjoining land,' he said.  

Mr Almedia is not surprised by problem-plagued Mascot Towers after standing at a complex next door five years ago to question the 'million dollar ghettos'. 

'Apartments sold for close to a million dollars and plus for the three bedroom penthouses but yet there's a lot of rectification work that needs to be done to these buildings and their only a few years old,' he said at the time.   

But speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Monday, Mr Almedia said: 'A large portion of buildings are beyond rectification.'

'These are just two of the thousands that are going to be evacuated in the future,' he told The Australian Financial Review. 

For the future Mr Almedia recommended greater accountability.

'Make builders and developers jointly accountable for at least seven years and hold back no less than 10 per cent of the value of the end sale in a Trust Account to be supervised/managed by a Government body,' he said. 

'Accountability and liability was deteriorated with Private Certification and changes in 2014-2015.'   

The cracks at Mascot Tower followed the Christmas Eve evacuation of Opal Tower in Sydney Olympic Park after residents heard 'cracking noises'

Residents at Mascot Towers were not provided alternative accommodation by their insurance when they were booted at about 9pm and most were forced to fork out money on hotels and Airbnbs. 

Others stayed with friends, slept in their cars or accepted the kindness of strangers by crashing on their floor.

On Monday morning, Alan Jones used his 2GB breakfast show to slam Ms Berejiklian's government and failure to look after the residents of Mascot Towers.

'Here are people buying properties which have been signed off and approved, now they can't live there and nor they can't sell them,' he said.

'If you can buy a dodgy toaster you can take it back.

'Apartment owners have nowhere to turn and no one to sue.'

Mr Jones said 'every politician in Sydney would be walking through the rubble throwing money at them' if they lost their homes in a bush fire.   

'But instead these people are sleeping in their cars, let down by appalling regulations,' he said. 

'How dare the government pretend this is not there problem.

'I'll be talking to Gladys on Wednesday, I expect you by Wednesday to tell me what your government is doing about Mascot Towers and Opal Towers.' 

Pictured: cracks at Sydney Olympic Park's Opal Tower last year

Residents at Mascot Towers were not provided alternative accommodation by their insurance when they were booted at about 9pm and most were forced to fork out money on hotels and Airbnbs

Some residents were allowed into the building on Saturday to get some of their belongings

Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Sunday the NSW Government 'will hold everybody to account' following the debacle.

'There was some speculation it could have been from things that happened in the near vicinity but we need to find out the cause before we know how to act,' she said. 

Ms Berejiklian was asked if her government would help the residents during their investigations and she responded: 'We're getting to the bottom of what happened'.  

'The NSW government will hold everybody to account, that's our role,' she said. 

NSW member for Heffron Ron Hoenig said it is a 'disgrace' that insurance companies are not helping residents but 'it's too early to point the finger'.

'You would have thought these insurance companies could at least put their hand up and help those who may have needed accommodation,' he told reporters on Saturday. 

'It's notoriously suspicious that a new building that's not even occupied next door and the building that's been up for 12 years all of a sudden has substantial cracks.'   

International students Leo (pictured right) and Belinda (pictured left) and their pet cat Early (pictured) were stranded in the cold with their luggage outside of their Mascot apartments, in Sydney's inner south, after 11pm on Friday

Residents were told they would be locked out of their apartments for a least one-week

Homeowners have learned the warranty on the building has expired, meaning they may be expected to foot the hefty bill to repair the faults via an increase in their strata fees. 

Current NSW law offers owners a six year warranty period after the completion of the development for building defects deemed out of their hands.

After that period, the onus falls on the owners.

Stephen Goddard, spokesman for the Owners Corporation Network, told the ABC the owners of apartments within Mascot Towers fell out of this warranty period almost four years ago.

'Consumers have nowhere to go in these sorts of situations, there's nobody for them to sue, there's nowhere for them to turn,' Mr Goddard said.

'People have more consumer protection buying a fridge than a million-dollar apartment.'  

Engineers Australia said Saturday's evacuation was further proof changes needed to be made to the building and construction sector.

National Manager for Public Affairs Jonathan Russell said: 'The evacuation of Opal Tower was a major wake-up call for NSW to get serious about reform.'

'It is time to finally implement the changes agreed by Council of Australian Governments in response to its inquiry into regulation of the sector.'

'NSW has been slow to move, but it is not too late if we start now.' 

Residents were told they would be locked out of their apartments for a least one-week. 

Pictured: Inside the Mascot Towers car park 

'It's notoriously suspicious that a new building that's not even occupied next door and the building that's been up for 12 years all of a sudden has substantial cracks,' NSW member for Heffron Ron Hoenig told reporters on Saturday

International students Leo and Belinda and their pet cat, named Early, were stranded in the cold with their luggage outside the apartments after 11pm on Friday.

'At nine o'clock, everyone should have left. But we had a cat at home so we were permitted to enter at eleven o'clock,' Leo told Daily Mail Australia.

'We got a phone call so we entered to save our cat. [Then] they just asked me to leave - we didn't give a place to go.'

Leo and Belinda stayed at a 'stranger's house' because their only friends, who are all students, did not have any room in their small apartments.

'We don't have a place to go. With a cat we can't go to a hotel,' Leo said..

Emergency services responded to the scene on Friday evening when residents were evacuated from the apartments

Mother-of-two Alicia told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday there was a lack of communication for residents. 

'We weren't told, we're still not being told anything,' she said. 'It's just really frustrating, we have to keep reading the news.'

'There's no communication whatsoever. I would really appreciate if they let us know what's going on.'

Alicia said the 'the whole building shook for a long time' when the new building next door was built last year.

Diner Express owner Justin Zheng said he had 'no idea' when he will be allowed inside his restaurant after businesses underneath were kicked out on Saturday morning.

'It's a big issue if there's a defect with the structural integrity because it's not going to be fixed over night,' he said.

'We don't know if its going to be a long term thing that will effect our business.'