If you’re a building owner in New Zealand, then it’s absolutely essential that you understand what a building warrant of fitness is. You’ll need to get your building’s BWOF renewed every year, and if you fail to, you could face serious penalties.
You must understand how to prepare for, fill out and submit your BWOF forms every year. With the right help, completing your BWOF will be easy and straightforward.
This informative blog will go through the essential steps that every New Zealand building owner should know about. Here, you can learn about the following:
What is a building warrant of fitness? A BWOF is a document that tells your building’s residents, staff and guests that your building’s specified systems are operational so that it's fit to live and work in. It’s legal proof that your structure’s specified systems have been correctly inspected and maintained. It’s also an official document that you are legally required to have and renew annually.
Your completed, official BWOF should be prominently displayed in a public area of your building so that it can be easily seen by anyone who needs to see it. If you fail to do this or display an expired or falsified one, you could face the consequences.
A BWOF is proof that your building is safe. So, you can see why it’s so important to have it in a practical and legal sense.
Your building warrant of fitness is very important, so how do you properly prepare its application?
First of all, it’s vital that you keep an eye on your current BWOF and make sure you start the renewal process in a timely manner. You most likely won’t receive your new BWOF immediately, so you should always start the process before your old one expires. As stated before, if you display an expired BWOF, you could face legal trouble and fines.
Please make sure you are staying on top of your building’s required legal documents. When you do, you should follow these steps for your BWOF:
1. Have Your Building Inspected By An Independent Qualified Person. You will need to engage an independent qualified person, or IQP, who can officially inspect your building’s specified systems. An official building inspector will examine your building’s systems to see if they are running smoothly and safe to use in order to complete your building warrant of fitness application.
2. Address And Resolve Any Issues With Your Building’s Specified Systems. If your independent qualified person finds any issues, you’ll need to have them correctly resolved as soon as possible. Your IQP may help you find the best ways to fix any problems you have.
3. Maintain Your Compliance Schedule. Your compliance schedule is a document that lists all of your building’s specified systems and how they need to be maintained. If any changes are made to your building, you’ll need to update your compliance schedule to reflect the changes made.
For example, if you add something like a new lift or emergency sprinkler system to your building, you’ll have to add it and its maintenance requirements to your compliance schedule.
4. Complete The Right Documents. There are certain forms that you’ll need to complete for your building warrant of fitness every year. These forms include a Form 12 and Form 12A’s. This step should be very straightforward if you know your building’s details and have it inspected and maintained correctly.
5. Submit Your Completed Forms And Pay Any Required Fines. Once everything is completed, all that’s left to do is submit the correct documentation to the right people. To whom you send your application and forms will depend on where your building is located.
You will most likely be able to conveniently submit your application online. Although, you may also be able to physically take it to the right place or mail it in. You must also pay a fee when submitting your forms.
Your building warrant of fitness fees may range anywhere from around $100 to $300, depending on your situation.
Your BWOF is a very important document you’re required by law to have, so be sure to submit your application correctly and on time. Need some assistance with your building’s compliance? Speak to us at Compliance Consultants today.
We have plenty of experience with New Zealand’s building requirements regarding BWOFs, fire safety and more, and we’re confident that we can help you with whatever you are dealing with. To get in touch, visit our site’s contact page or call our friendly team at 0800 325 435.
Ensure that your building is up to code with Compliance Consultants.