In anticipation of the official announcement from Auckland Council, we would like to advise that Auckland Council is currently in the process of auditing buildings through a consultancy company.
If your building(s) have specified systems installed which trigger a Building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF), auditors will be visiting your building(s) in the next few years. This is part of the process to ensure building owners are meeting the requirements under the Building Act 2004. Please note you will receive a letter from Auckland Council to advise a time frame for when your building will be audited.
The initial audit (IBA) will be a brief inspection (depending on the property) which will focus on the following:
- That your Building Warrant of Fitness is clearly visible in the foyer /public area of your building
- Accuracy and availability of inspection records in your Compliance Manual.
- That your Compliance Schedule is up to date with detailed descriptions of the specified systems.
- The Building Warrant of Fitness matches the Compliance Schedule onsite
If, upon initial inspection, any of the above items are not in order, they will have reasonable grounds to further progress the audit. Please be aware that Auckland Council will charge for further investigations. Unfortunately we haven’t been advised what these charges will be, we can only advise that costing is dependent on the size of the building and time spent.
It is highly likely the auditor will recommend a Compliance Schedule Audit (CSA), also at an additional cost. This will be to update your Compliance Schedule to include specific information of the specified systems installed in your building(s). Auckland Council will advise on a timeframe to give you the opportunity to provide information, or Auckland Council will conduct the CSA and on charge the costs.
Here are some handy links with more information on WOF fines and penalties and on building infringement fines for failing to comply with the Building Act 2004, as these could be part of the additional costs.
The Initial Audit (IBA) in detail
- Displaying your Building Warrant of Fitness
As per Section 108 of the Building Act 2004, the building owner must display a copy of the Building Warrant of Fitness in a public area. This will be the first thing the auditors check when walking into your building.
Please be aware that there is an infringement fine for failing to display the Building Warrant.
- Compliance Manual – 2 years worth of records
As per Section 110 of the Building Act 2004 two years worth of records are required to be kept. Records are kept in a Compliance Manual, which is kept on site, in an easily accessible area to council inspectors, IQP inspectors and technicians.
The Compliance Manual contains a detailed record of inspections and maintenance carried out by your service providers for each specified system.
The Compliance Manual also includes a copy of the BWOF, a copy of the Compliance Schedule, a copy of all 12A certificates and any action relating to remedial work.
Please check that you have two years worth of inspection records in your Compliance Manual.
An electronic copy of all records is acceptable as long as they are available to auditors while on site.
If you do not have a Compliance Manual you can contact Argest and we can arrange one for you. This will be at an additional cost.
- Compliance Schedule – Detailed, site specific, information for each specified system
It is the building owner’s responsibility to ensure the Compliance Schedule is correct and provide any information to Auckland Council. As per Section 103 of the Building Act amendment in 2012, your Compliance Schedule is required to have the following information:
- state and describe each of the specified systems covered by the compliance schedule, including a statement of the type and (if known) make of each specified system; and
- state the performance standards for the specified systems; and
- describe the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures to be followed by independently qualified persons or other persons in respect of the specified systems to ensure that those systems are capable of, and are, performing to the performance standards.
Please check your Compliance Schedule(s) to find out whether or not there is a detailed description of each specified system. If there is no specified system information, you will need to contact each of your service providers to obtain this information. The specified system information will then need to be provided to Auckland Council to update the Compliance Schedule(s). It is recommended you keep any correspondence to provide to the auditors if required.
Please contact Argest if you require any assistance with your Compliance Manual.
ANNUAL IQP REPORTS
Please be aware that if further investigation is required, the auditors will request a copy of the annual IQP reports from the service providers that maintain/inspect your specified systems.
This requirement is part of section 110 of the Building Act; however an accepted form and content has been unclear. We have received the Auckland Council approved Annual IQP report and will be sending to all service providers to complete with our 12A request.
FIRE REPORTS
Please be aware that most building requires a fire report. Please contact Argest and we can advise you if your building does require a fire report.
If your building does require a fire report, it is highly recommended you request a copy of your Property File from Auckland Council to find out if there is a Fire Report for your building(s). The Fire report will assist with finding out where the fire and smoke separation is located. If you do not have a fire report, it is recommended you contact a fire engineer to obtain one.
Argest can assist you by going through your Property File(s); however this will be at an additional cost.
