A guide to the New Zealand Building Act and your responsibilities as a home owner

Often I am asked by a prospective client “Do I need a building consent?” The answer is often yes. Sure there are structures that can be built without consent - but these are limited in scope and size. What I often find is that clients are oblivious of their responsibilities as a Homeowner.  If you are trying to save money on a building project, my advice is “cutting corners to avoid paying building consent fees is not the place to look”.

New Zealand Building Act 2004 is the defining document that sets out your responsibilities in law. It is not an exciting subject but a very important document when you come to build / alter or maintain your house.  The law states that all building work must comply with the building code whether building consent is required or not. As the Homeowner:

• You are responsible for determining if a building consent is required or if it is exempt from consent.
• You are responsible for getting the building consent.
• You are responsible for engaging the correct consultants & tradesmen to complete the building work.

Employing the services of an Architect or Engineer is the best start to ensuring that you fulfil your obligations to the Act. Good advice at the start will save you money down the track.  

For more information following this link http://www.dbh.govt.nz/building-law-and-compliance