Building compliance is primarily concerned with protecting the people who enter your building by ensuring the safety and essential systems operate as intended.As you probably know the compliance industry has a language all of its own. There are so many acronyms and specialist terms that we thought it wmay be helpful to share some, roughly in the order that you might encounter them over the life of a building.
Building Compliance Jargon
The Building Act 2004
The Building Act 2004 is the legislation that governs the building industry in New Zealand. Contained within the Building Act 2004 are the duties for building owners and managers.
The New Zealand Building Code
The building code gives guidance on how a building and its components must perform. It does not prescribe how the building must be designed or constructed.
Building Consent
A building consent is the formal approval to undertake building work.
Code Compliance Certificate (CCC)
A Code Compliance Certificate confirms that the completed work complies with the building consent.
Compliance Schedule
A Compliance Schedule lists the safety and essential systems in a building and the procedures to inspect report and maintain them.
Compliance Schedule Statement (CSS)
A Compliance Schedule Statement is issued as temporary public notification for the first 12 months after a building is completed. It is then replaced, providing compliance is met, by the first building warrant of fitness.
Form 12A
A 12A is a certificate issued for each safety or essential system. It states that the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures listed on the compliance schedule have been complied with for the previous 12 months.
Building Warrant of Fitness (Form 12)
A BWOF is issued after a 12A certificate has been collected for each safety and essential system listed on the Compliance Schedule. It states that the requirements of the compliance schedule have been met for the previous 12 months.
Certificate for public use (CPU)
A certificate of public use certifies that premises affected by building work are safe to be used by the public.
Notice to fix
A notice to fix is a statutory notice requiring a person to remedy a breach of the Building Act 2004.
Independent Qualified Person (IQP)
An IQP is a person approved to inspect certain compliance schedule items and to ensure that the necessary maintenance occurs. The “Independent” description means the person has no financial interest in the building, other than being contracted to undertake the work.
Building Consent Authority (BCA)
Territorial Authorities and councils are to become registered as Building Consent Authorities. BCAs will be responsible for the issuing of all consents, code compliance certificates, notices to fix and compliance schedules.
