Author: Holly B

Council will want to see that you have a building permit on most structures you add to your property. A building certifier assesses engineered plans that are supplied to us by the builder/owner. We work in opposition to council; however, we lodge all applications with them on your behalf so they have record of your approval.

There are a few stages your application will go through:

• First, we will need to gather all of the necessary information to lodge an application. This usually includes IDAS Form 1 and 2, an engagement form and your engineered plans. There can be additional paperwork required depending on what you are building 
• Next, we will assess the plans and determine if they require any code assessments or if we require any additional information. We will usually get back to you within five business days regarding this information.
• This leads us on to the next step, the approval. At this point we will issue you with a Development Permit and stamped plans. This is the point where construction can begin.
• You will need to read your Development Permit and get familiar with all of the inspections that are required on your particular building work. They will be listed on the permit.
• We will need 24 hours’ notice to book in an inspection for you. We will also require a Truss Reaction Report and Layout to be provided to us before any frame inspections are carried out. These are supplied to you by the truss company.

• Inspections are carried out to determine if the building work complies with building legislation. Our certifiers will let you know if you need to rectify anything or book a re-inspection.
• Once you get to your final inspection, you will want to have a look at your Development Permit again; this will let you know what certificates we’ll need to be provided to us at the end before your final certificate (Form 21) can be issued.
• Once all stages are passed including the final inspection and all certificates required are submitted to us, we will issue your final certificate. This also gets sent to council to let them know your job is completed and finalised.
• Your approval lasts, two years, so make sure you get all of your building work done within this time, or you may need to pay a renewal fee.

If you have any further questions about certification, please feel free to give us a call or send us an email.

A private certifier works independently from council. They can approve and inspect building work in the same manner as the local council. With every application you will need to fill out a Notice of Engagement Form. This is a written contract between you and the certifier. The owner always needs to sign, but the applicant can be your builder, your designer or the property owner themselves.

You may receive a Form 18 if you didn’t sign an engagement notice. These are just to notify the owner, that a private certifier has been engaged to carry out the certification of the project.

The Notice of Engagement is sent to the local council to notify them that you have engaged a private certifier to approve the new building work on your property.

Private certifiers are licensed through the Building and Construction Commission. They are required to act in the public interest and not to take action that could potentially compromise the health and safety of any person, amenity of their property or significantly conflict with the local council’s planning scheme.

Not sure if you should use council or a private certifier? Give us a call and we will let you know the benefits of using All Construction Approvals.