The Dunedin City Council will start carrying out regular on-site compliance audits of buildings that have a building warrant of fitness.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) recently performed a technical review on the Dunedin City Council (DCC). The purpose of the review was to monitor and assess the performance in some of the territorial authority (TA) functions - amending compliance schedules, enforcement of the building warrant of fitness (BWoF) system which includes on-site audits, notices to fix and infringement notices.

There were a number of positives that came out of the review and a number of opportunities for improvement and it was recommended the DCC employ additional staff to carry out on-site BWoF audits  as part of its enforcement.

The BWoF audit regime should be seen as a positive for building owners and independently qualified persons alike, as it cements the expectations and requirements under the Building Act 2004 and ensures that all buildings are being treated equally.

To address this recommendation, the DCC recently employed Compliance Officer Cory Barnes to perform on-site BWoF audits.

If you have any queries about the audit process please don’t hesitate to contact the building warrant of fitness team on 03 477 4000 or email bwof.contact@dcc.govt.nz