Building Permits

A building permit is a document from a registered building surveyor that indicates that your documentation complies with the National Construction Code (NCC) and legislation prior to building work commencing.

What’s in your building permit?

After checking your plans are compliant, we issue a building permit. The permit outlines important information such as which mandatory building inspections are required and whether you need an occupancy permit. A copy of the permit is sent to the owner, the builder and the local council.

We check things like:

  • the building practitioner is licensed and insured
  • your smoke alarms are in the correct places
  • your setback (the position of your house) is correct according to your council’s guidelines
  • there are windows in appropriate places and that they’re not overlooking neighbours’ properties.

As the building surveyor, we also check all your property services information and make sure everything is in order. For example, if your house is in a bushfire or flood-prone area, we’ll will make sure your engineer and draftsman have accounted for that in their designs and that it fits into planning scheme requirements.

The date on the building permit is also important. Your build must start construction within 12 months of the permit being issued and be completed within 24 months of receiving the permit.

You need a building permit to start building

As long as the plans are compliant we are able to issue a building permit. The Building Act 1993 (the Act) says that all building work requires a building permit, unless it is exempt under the Regulations. This includes some minor alterations or repairs. If you’re not sure, contact your local council for advice as illegal building works can result in hefty fines.

What if there are problems?

If we do find any problems when we do our plan assessment, we advise you immediately. The items are listed on the online portal with the document they relate to so it’s easy to amend. Examples of common problems are the siting, for example the setback or position of the house. Also overlooking, for example if windows or balconies look into a neighbour’s house. Another smaller thing might be the position of smoke detectors.

We’ll guide you on making the changes or provide a different solution. That way you can resubmit the application quickly. We issue the permit once all the problems are fixed.

Our goal is to make sure your plans are all in order so that you can start building sooner.

Read about the benefits of our building surveying services in Melbourne or to use us as your surveyor, send us through a quick note and we’ll tailor a proposal for you.

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