Building Warrant of Fitness

Properties require a Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF) for systems like lifts and fire alarms.

Compliance schedules

A Compliance Schedule is the list of a building’s specified systems.

The schedule specifies:

• inspection, testing and maintenance procedures
• the frequency of required work and who should perform it.

When you apply for a building consent, you will need to supply details of these systems and features on the application form. You will be required to supply specific details of equipment location and details of proposed testing and maintenance procedures.

Once the systems have been confirmed, your Compliance Schedule will be issued with the Code Compliance Certificate.

If this is a new, not amended, Compliance Schedule, the Council will also issue you a Compliance Schedule Statement which provides details about the:

• building
• use of the building
• owner
• building systems covered by the Compliance Schedule.

Your first year

Display the Compliance Schedule Statement in a public place in the building.

Subsequent years

Every year after that you must:

• Issue a BWOF:
  To do this you must first make sure that all requirements of the Compliance Schedule have been satisfied. This will include inspections by an independently qualified person (IQP) for each of the system’s features.
• Display a copy of the BWOF:
  This must be displayed in a public place in the building.
• Send BWOF and IQP certificates to the Council:
  The original BWOF must be accompanied by all IQP certificates required by the Compliance Schedule, and the fee.

Inspections by the owner

 As well as inspections by IQPs, the owner must do regular inspections.

Documentation for audits

 Keep the following records for 2 years:

• inspections by independently qualified persons
• inspections by the owner
• the Compliance Schedule.

Compliance schedule amendment

Section 106 of the Building Act was amended in 2012 to make it clear when a building owner must apply to have their compliance schedule amended. This includes removing systems and features that are no longer listed as specified systems in the regulations and adding specified systems that are in the building but not on the compliance schedule. Building owners should apply for any amendments as soon as practicable, but in any case must do so before their next building warrant of fitness is due.

Requirements for content of a compliance schedule

It has been made clear that a compliance schedule is required to include a system description of each specified system which includes the performance standard it was installed by and the inspection maintenance and reporting procedures. For guidance on system descriptions see pages 14 and 17 of the Compliance Schedule Handbook.

Note: None of these changes require building owners to upgrade the systems in their building to a greater level of compliance than what they were originally installed to.

Compliance schedule template

To assist building owners and designers with their consent applications and compliance schedule amendments the Council has developed the following template. Simply fill in the building details, owner details and then complete/delete the systems sections to suit your situation. It is important that the compliance schedule reflects all of the specified systems accurately including a description of exactly where each system occurs in the building. Layout plans showing system locations are often the quickest and easiest way to depict system locations and will greatly assist your IQPs with their regular inspections. If system location descriptions are unclear the Council will require layout plans for clarity.