A Building Consent may be issued subject to conditions and regular inspections of work as it progresses. When you are issued your Building Consent you will be given a form noting any required inspections that are to occur.
When you are ready for an inspection Council requires at least one working day’s notice. The inspections are part of ensuring that the building work complies with the Building Consent and are an important step that should not be missed.
Once you begin building, an official from the Building Consent Authority will inspect your project regularly to ensure the work meets the appropriate standards and the consented plans and specifications.
The inspection requirements for your project will be specified in your Building Consent, but typically they will cover the foundations, framing and insulation, plumbing, drainage, cladding and flashings, and the finished building.
Without regular inspections there may not be enough information for assurance that the work has been done to the appropriate standard on record to issue a Code Compliance Certificate at the end of the project. By the time you finish the project it is likely to be too late, eg. the framing can no longer be checked without removing all the interior linings.
Builders and installers usually arrange inspections relevant to their work, but property owners are ultimately responsible. Usually at least one day’s notice is required to arrange an inspection. You should check that your builder or installer is doing this.
If any of your building work is not approved, you or your builder will be asked to rectify it, and in the more serious cases issued a Notice to Fix detailing what must be done and by when.
Generally, gas and electrical work is not inspected. Any work of this nature must be done by a registered licensed tradesman and on completion they will give you a signed Energy Work Certificate. You will need the Energy Work Certificates to get a Code Compliance Certificate.
Typically inspections may include the following stages in the construction process:
- Foundations
- Framing
- Cladding and Flashings
- Pre-lining
- Plumbing
- Drainage
- Finished building
For more information, or to book an inspection, please contact our Building Team on (09) 237 1340 or e-mail us.
Certification
Code of Compliance Certificates
A Code Compliance Certificate is issued after the final inspection of the finished building project if all the work and related documentation is approved. A Code Compliance Certificate confirms that the Building Consent Authority is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the completed project meets the appropriate standards and the consented plans and specifications.
Code Compliance Certificates are important. When you sell your property, a Code Compliance Certificate shows the buyer that the building or renovations were done properly. If you build a house or unit for the purpose of selling it immediately (ie. act as a residential property developer) the Building Act prohibits you from selling the property without a Code Compliance Certificate.
Because a Code Compliance Certificate is issued after the final inspection if the building has been built in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, it is important that if you think you are going to change your plans in any way during the project, you advise the Building Consent Authority and get approval for the amendment first.
In addition to having completed the building work correctly, to get a Code Compliance Certificate you will need to supply all the relevant Energy Work Certificates, producer statements, etc., and ensure that any outstanding fees and development contributions have been paid.
An application for a Code Compliance Certificate is compulsory and the responsibility of the home owner. Where you have not submitted an application for a Code Compliance Certificate within two years from the date the Building Consent was issued, the Building Consent Authority will follow this up with a letter to you (unless you have agreed an extension with the Building Consent Authority, which you would normally do at the time of your Building Consent application.)
The Building Act says the application must be considered within 20 working days, however to meet that time limit there are certain time limits on re-inspection where work is found on the final inspection not to be completed or does not comply, and where the necessary documentation has not been provided.
Where work is found not to be complete or not to comply, you have seven days to complete or fix the work and ask for a re-inspection. If you do not do that within the seven days, your application for a Code Compliance Certificate will be refused.
Where the documentation is incomplete or inadequate, the application can be suspended for up to 28 days. If you do not supply the documentation within that time, then your application for a Code Compliance Certificate will be refused.
If your application for a Code Compliance Certificate has been refused, you are entitled to re-apply for it within a period of two years from the date that the Building Consent that authorised the work was issued. There will be another fee to pay for this and it is treated as a completely new application.
To avoid these hassles, you are well advised to make sure that all the work is totally complete and in accordance with the plans and specifications authorised by the Building Consent, and provide the Building Consent Authority with all the relevant documentation at the outset when making the application. By doing this, you will make the process a lot easier.
Certificate for Public Use
A Certificate for Public Use is a new provision under the Building Act 2004. Once you have a building consent you may decide that you would like to certify that the building, or parts of the building, is safe to be used by members of the public while the building is taking place.
A Certificate for Public Use can only be used after building consent has been issued and before a CCC has been used. If you would like to learn more about applying for a Certificate for Public Use, please contact Franklin District Council’s Building team on 09 237 1340 or e-mail us.
Certificate of Acceptance
To learn more about this please visit the section 'Unapproved Building Work'