Proper building compliance is absolutely essential to not only fitting New Zealand’s building code regulations but also to ensure that your building is safe for people to be in. While some building compliance issues may be hard to spot, and some people may think that if the issues are minor, then they aren’t a big deal, problems that may seem small at first could grow and become a huge dilemma in the future.
Hopefully, you and anyone else who owns a building are already aware of New Zealand’s building code regulations and have made efforts into making sure your building is safe and compliant.
However, what happens if you miss something and your building is not up to compliance? If building compliance IQP determines that your building is unsafe, what steps can you take to fix the issue?
Building schedule compliance’s purpose is to make sure that buildings in New Zealand fit the correct regulations. Your building compliance schedule lists all the features that require regular checks to ensure they are maintained and provide the safety systems needed to protect people and property. This is to ensure the safety of everyone in and around the building. However, minor issues that do not seem like big problems may end up being significant problems in the future and could end up causing severe harm to people - all from a situation that could have been corrected earlier before disaster struck.
For example, one factor of building compliance that all structures should comply with is the rule that buildings must have an adequate means of escaping a fire. This means that fire exits must always be clear of obstacles and be able to be easily accessed by inhabitants of the building at all times. If a building owner neglects to abide by these rules and blocks their fire exits, it could lead to trouble. If, unfortunately, a fire does break out in the building, then people may not be able to get through the fire exits in time, and they may end up suffering injuries - or worse.
So, naturally, building compliance inspectors checks making sure that your building is up to code is essential to preventing disastrous events in the future. If an inspector examines a structure and everything is within regulations, of course, everything will be fine. However, what happens when they find issues that need to be dealt with?
If there is a problem with your building compliance, then you could be issued a notice or a fine. This can happen if your warrant of fitness is incorrect, your compliance schedule is not being followed correctly, or you have any other problems according to the Building Act or Regulations.
Should any of these instances happen, you will be given a notice to fix, which is a warning to resolve any building code issues you may have. If you fail to correct the problems that the notice specified, you may face a fine of up to $200,000, with an additional $20,000 for every day that the issue remains unsolved.
Furthermore, an immediate fine of $1,000 can also be given if a notice to fix is not abided by.
Clearly, making sure that your building’s compliance is up to code should be one of your highest priorities as a building owner. Those hefty fines could seriously set you back, and an unsafe building may lead to injuries.
So, how do you make sure that your building fits New Zealand’s regulations? Fortunately, there are fantastic companies that will help you ensure that your facility is within limitations and is safe - like us here at Compliance Consultants. We offer excellent building inspection services that will check your structure is in good condition.
While you should regularly have your building checked to identify any problems that may need fixing, we particularly recommend that you have a building compliance inspection conducted if your building has specified systems.
Specified systems are any element of a building’s structure that has the potential to cause injury to the people within the building if the system fails in some way. These systems may include fire suppression systems, automated doors or windows, lifts or more.
Do you want to have your building inspected to make sure that it is safe and complies? If you do, Compliance Consultants is here to help you out! We offer New Zealand building owners high quality services that will ensure compliance.
If you would like to speak to us about arranging a building inspection for your building, please get in touch with us through our contact page or by calling our team at 0800 325 435. We are one of New Zealand’s top authorities on building warrant of fitness systems, and we are confident that we can help you out.
Find problems, fix issues and avoid Council issues with Compliance Consultants!