As a building owner, you have lots of responsibilities that you must attend to. Taking care of your building will ensure the safety of yourself, your building and everyone in and around it. So, doing things like getting an official building warrant of fitness is crucial.
If you’ve never gotten a warrant of fitness before, or if yours is expiring soon and you need to renew it, you might be wondering how to do so. Specifically, how long will it take to get your new warrant of fitness?
Staying efficient and getting your warrant on time will help you reassure your building’s residents and staff and help you avoid the legal repercussions of neglecting your structure.
You can face penalties for displaying a falsified or expired warrant of fitness, so knowing about how long your warrant will take to process is very important.
A building warrant of fitness, or BWOF for short, is a building owner’s annual statement confirming the specified systems in the compliance schedule for their building have been maintained and checked for the previous 12 months, in accordance with the compliance schedule.. In other words, a BWOF helps prove that your structure is safe and fit for use.
You need to update your BWOF every twelve months. In order to renew it, you’ll have to prove that your building’s specified systems are up to code and that you follow your maintenance schedule. To do this, you’ll have to have your building inspected by professional building inspectors.
Hopefully, if you’ve made sure to take care of your building properly, your inspector will find no issues, and you’ll be able to apply for your new building warrant of fitness. But, if they do find problems, they’ll hopefully help you figure out the best ways to fix any issues they encounter.
Once you’ve had your building inspected and you have all of your required documents, then you can apply for your new BWOF.
After you’ve submitted your documents, how long it takes to process them might depend on your situation and location. However, in general, it typically takes around twenty working days for an application to fully process and be approved.
Of course, this time period doesn’t include the time it takes to get your building inspected and or fixed up to qualify for a new building warrant of fitness. You should always give yourself enough time to maintain your structure and send in your application to get your new BWOF before your old one expires.
As mentioned above, not displaying your BWOF, showing a falsified one or displaying an invalid one can get you into trouble. So, it’s best to start your new BWOF process before your old one expires to give yourself enough time to receive and display your new warrant.
It’s common for building owners to have plenty of questions when they need to renew their BWOF and get their building inspected. These questions and answers may help you understand this process more:
Does My Building Need A Building Warrant Of Fitness? Any building that has a compliance schedule is required to have a BWOF. Most commercial buildings and households with cable cars require a BWOF.
How Much Does It Cost To Renew My Warrant? Your renewal fee will depend on where you live, but it usually costs anywhere from $150 (remove to $300) NZD. The cost may depend on how many specified systems your structure has.
So, remember:
As you prepare to renew your BWOF, it’s essential that you get help from professional building inspectors to make sure that your building truly is safe and up to code - and, if you would like to work with the best, consider us at Compliance Consultants.
We help New Zealand building owners stay physically and legally safe by conducting professional building inspections. Our BWOF service will help you fully prepare to renew your old warrant.
Something that sets our service above the rest is that we always put your safety and satisfaction first. Once you start working with us, we are committed to doing the best that we can. For more information, please call us at 0800 325 435.
Don’t wait until your old BWOF expires; get your new one renewed and ready for display with our help at Compliance Consultants.