The Ultimate Guide for Getting Building Warrant of Fitness Taupo for Business Service

Terminologies that help you understand how to acquire a Building Warrant of Fitness

A building warrant of fitness is a certificate that shows the safety of a building for its occupants. It is the document you’ll usually find in the public area of any building – business or residential – showing the specified systems and their state of safety. It is valid for a period of twelve months, during which building owners or their agents should apply for another BWOF certificate before the expiration of the current one.

To fully understand how the process of acquiring a building warrant of fitness works, you should understand the terminologies used in describing the factors that influence your qualification for this certificate.

Specified Systems

Specified systems refer to features of a building that helps to ensure safety and comfort. They vary among buildings and require a level of maintenance and routine inspection to ensure their continued functionality.

These specialised systems include automatic and manual systems in a building that aids ventilation, aids escape from danger, alert building occupants of danger, control movement, or stop danger.

They include, but are not limited to:

• Emergency lighting systems
• Automatic fire suppression systems, such as sprinklers.
• Automatic windows and doors.
• Escalators, lifts, elevators, and travelators.
• Air conditioning systems
• Warning systems, such as fire alarms.
• Emergency power systems
• Smoke control systems

Independent Qualified Persons (IQP)

These are authorised people that inspect, maintain, and report the functionality and safety of a building’s specified systems. They are independent because they have no financial interest in your building, facilitating an unbiased report about your specified systems.

Compliance Schedule

A compliance schedule is a document showing all the specified systems in a building. It also contains information about how the specified systems are maintained to ensure good and safe working or living conditions for the occupants of that building.

It is usually provided by the territorial authority to the building owner or their agent.

Compliance Schedule Statement

A compliance schedule statement is a document given to a building owner or agent by the territorial authority. 

It contains a statement addressed to the public, showing that the specified systems contained in the building, and as listed in the compliance schedule, are in good working condition, making the building safe to work or live in.

The compliance schedule statement should be displayed in a public area of the building.

Building Consent

Building consent is authorisation given by a territorial authority to a prospective building owner, seeking approval for their proposed building.

A building consent is usually given when the building meets all the building codes of New Zealand.

Why is a Building Warrant of Fitness Important in Taupo?

A building warrant of fitness, also called BWOF, is an important requirement for business buildings in Taupo for the same reasons it is important in every other part of the nation.

A commercial building can accommodate different types of businesses, and promote entrepreneurial diversity if it has the necessary specified systems in place and certification of their functionality and safety.

Every business owner that is looking to be a tenant in your building will seek their and their customers’ safety before doing business with you. A building warrant of fitness gives them that assurance of safety that spurs their decision to be a tenant in your building.

Requirements for Getting a Building Warrant of Fitness Taupo

To get a building warrant of fitness, you need the following:

• A building consent
• A compliance schedule
• A compliance schedule statement
• A completed and signed form 12 and form 12A

Procedures for Applying for and Renewing a Building Warrant of Fitness Taupo

A building warrant of fitness is only available to buildings that have been completed for the past one or more years. Therefore, the process of acquiring a building warrant of fitness for a business building in Taupo goes as follows:

• Apply for building consent. Your next step depends on whether you get approval to build or not.
• If you get the building consent, apply for a compliance schedule. You’ll need to present a proposed inspection, maintenance, and reporting schedule to the territorial authority to get a compliance schedule.
• Once you get your compliance schedule, apply for a compliance schedule statement. Your compliance schedule statement should be displayed in your building’s public area.
• You should have an IQP come in to inspect and give a report on your specified systems no later than one month after getting your compliance schedule statement.
• Your territorial authority will send you a reminder, usually eleven months after you’ve gotten your compliance schedule statement, to renew your building warrant of fitness. If you’ve had one before, you’ll get a new one after you submit your form 12 and form 12A as provided by your IQP, and signed by you. If you’ve not had a BWOF, you’ll get one 12 months after you got your compliance schedule statement.

The safety of your business building is important to every territorial authority, including the Taupo District Council. Therefore, a building warrant of fitness for your business building in Taupo is a necessity.