COMPLIANCE
Compliance – Eden Pacific NZ Ltd
Safe and Sanitary – 3rd Party Report – Unauthorised Works
For work carried out before 1 July 1992
If you identify that building work has been completed without the appropriate building approval you will need to employ a private building consultant (Eden Pacific Building Consultants NZ Ltd) to prepare a Safe and Sanitary Report on the unapproved work.
Building work carried out without the required approvals from your Local Authority can prove to be quite an ordeal when coming to sell your property. In order to satisfy the prospective purchaser that the works have been carried out to relevant standards, a Safe and Sanitary report is usually requested, this is then forwarded to Council in order for them to place it on the property file enabling them to update the LIM.
Whether the work was undertaken by you or a previous owner, or before or after the introduction of The Building Act 1991, unless Council has a record of the construction it is deemed to be unauthorised.
Most Territorial Authorities will accept a written report from an independent Building Consultant giving a full description of the works in question (some Councils require plans), method of construction, fire rating or any other relevant Building Code issues.
Once Council has accepted the report they will acknowledge it on any future LIM report thus enabling your transaction to progress.
Eden Pacific Building Consultants Safe and Sanitary Inspection
We will undertake a visual Safe and Sanitary inspection on the unauthorized works and compile a comprehensive written report complete with digital photographs that can be emailed to you .
If the area is in a safe and sanitary condition then the client can lodge the report produced with local council, if the area is not found to be in a safe and sanitary condition then recommendations will be provided on the best way forward and how to bring the area to a compliant standard.
Council will inspect the Safe and Sanitary Report once lodged by client and, if accepted, the report will be held on the property’s file. A letter acknowledging acceptance of the report will be issued; this will show up on a LIM amongst the building consents and permits.
We recommend checking with local council in regards to their current fees for lodgement proccess, see more info here.
(please see our links page for council contact details).
Certificate of Acceptance
A COA is a far more formal process, time consuming and costly. There is no difference in the amount of information and detail required by a council as if you were applying for a building consent in the first instant.
Generally it is necessary to supply with the application a set of scale drawn plans, specification, product technical literature, producer statements (if Applicable) photographs and a report on the work by a suitably qualified building consultant. This report must provide supporting evidence that the building work complies with the appropriate sections of the NZ Building Code.
This is a more costly exercise and also more time consuming. There is a down side to this process and that is if the council cannot approve and issue the COA then the council must issue a Notice to Fix which is a formal notice under the Building Act 2004 requiring the works to be removed or remedial works to be undertaken. You can read about COA at http://www.dbh.govt.nz/bofficials-certificates-of-acceptance .
Eden Pacific can assist you with these matters.
Eden Pacific can arrange a site visit to assess and compile a report for submission to council.
NB Lodgement is up to you as the client to lodge unless otherwise specified (additional fees will apply if you would like Eden Pacific to lodge for you – please enquire); a copy of the report and associated plans will be required by Council.
We recommend you check with Council as to any associated lodging fees that may apply and or any additional information that may be required with your application.
For more information please feel free to contact us – we will be happy to assist you.