Building Warrant of Fitness in NZ

Building Warrant of Fitness

As a commercial property owner, ensuring that your tenants live in a safe environment should be your top priority. All systems in the building should be in good working condition. However, it is a sad fact that some property owners neglect this responsibility, putting the lives of those that use their buildings in danger. To avert such scenarios, every commercial property owner is required to have a building warranty of fitness.

Understanding the building warrant of fitness

A building warrant of fitness is a legal document that’s issued by building owners to certify that all the specified systems in the building are functioning correctly. The building warrant of fitness to be issued annually and displayed in places where the public can easily access it. This certificate is only issued after an independent qualified person inspects, carries out maintenance and compiles a report showing the condition of the specified systems in the building.                                                                         

It is important to note that some independent qualified persons only specialise in certain systems. Therefore, ensure that you work with one that’s experienced enough on the systems in your building. Your IQP will issue you with a form 12A that has to be presented with the building warrant of fitness to the local authority in charge of building compliance.

Finding Independent qualified personnel to work with is a very important step in the generation of a building warrant of fitness. The first step in finding the best IQP to help audit the specified systems in your building is to Consult Building Compliance Inspections. We are in a position to provide you with the list of all registered IQPs. You can go through the list to find an independent qualified person that’s best suited to inspect your building. If an IQP is not registered with this council, do not work with them.

Why is it important to work with a local IQP?

For your building compliance needs, it is advisable to work with a local IQP and here’s why:

       i. It is cheaper

By working with a building compliance expert that’s from your region, they don’t add transportation cost to their fee, which makes it cost-effective to work with them.

      ii. Good local knowledge

If there’s someone that can give you the best building compliance services, it is one that understands your locality well enough. A local IQP understands the compliance laws of your locality, and the geography of the area, which is an important factor when accessing the building.

    iii. They are well networked with local contractors

In some cases, during the inspection, your IQP may find areas that need to be repaired. With a local IQP, you won’t have to worry about getting a contractor to repair. This is because most of them are well networked with contractors from your region, and they can easily contact them to come and help with the work. Remember, a local contractor also has a better understanding of the code that governs how repair and maintenance are done on buildings within your locality.