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Building Warrants of Fitness and compliance schedules

If you own or manage a building with specified systems, such as fire alarms, sprinkler systems, lifts or mechanical ventilation, you may have ongoing responsibilities under the Building Act 2004.

Buildings with specified systems generally require a compliance schedule. The compliance schedule sets out how these systems must be inspected and maintained to ensure they continue to operate effectively.

Building owners are responsible for ensuring the requirements of their compliance schedule are met and for providing Council with a Building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF) every 12 months.

For BWoF and Independent Qualified Person (IQP) enquiries or submissions, contact Council's Building Services team at BWOF@rangitikei.govt.nz.

What you need to know

A compliance schedule lists the specified systems in a building, the performance standards for those systems, and the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures required to keep them operating correctly.

For new buildings or alterations involving specified systems, information about the specified systems and their proposed inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures must be provided as part of the building consent application.

A compliance schedule is generally issued with the Code Compliance Certificate when the building work is completed.

If an existing building has specified systems but does not have a compliance schedule, the building owner should contact Council.

If changes are needed to an existing compliance schedule, the building owner can apply to Council for an amendment.

Specified systems are systems or features that contribute to the safety and operation of a building. They require ongoing inspection and maintenance to ensure they continue to perform as intended.

Examples include:

  • automatic fire sprinkler systems
  • fire alarms and other emergency warning systems
  • automatic or access-controlled doors
  • emergency lighting
  • lifts and escalators
  • mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning systems
  • backflow prevention devices
  • certain systems and features associated with means of escape from fire
  • cable cars.

There are 16 categories of specified systems prescribed under building legislation.

The specified systems that apply to an individual building are recorded on its compliance schedule.

When a compliance schedule is first issued, Council also issues a Compliance Schedule Statement.

The statement identifies the specified systems covered by the compliance schedule and where the compliance schedule is kept.

The building owner must publicly display the Compliance Schedule Statement in the building for the first 12 months. After 12 months, it is replaced by the building's first Building Warrant of Fitness.

Building owners must also keep records of inspections, maintenance and repairs for at least two years after they are issued.

A Building Warrant of Fitness is an annual declaration by the building owner, or their agent, confirming that the building's specified systems have been inspected, maintained and reported on in accordance with the compliance schedule during the previous 12 months.

Building owners must:

  • ensure the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures in the compliance schedule are completed
  • engage appropriately qualified Independent Qualified Persons (IQPs) where required
  • obtain Form 12A certificates confirming the required procedures have been completed
  • provide Council with a BWoF and the required Form 12A certificates every 12 months
  • publicly display the current BWoF in the building
  • keep the compliance schedule at the location stated on the BWoF.

Council sends building owners a reminder approximately one month before the BWoF is due.

A fee applies when lodging a BWoF with Council.

An Independent Qualified Person (IQP) is a person or company approved to inspect, maintain and report on particular specified systems.

Your compliance schedule identifies the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures required for each specified system. Some procedures must be completed by an IQP, who can issue a Form 12A when the requirements for the relevant specified system have been fully complied with.

You can use the Central IQP Register to find an IQP approved for the specified systems in your building.

A compliance schedule may need to be amended if specified systems are added, altered or removed, or if changes are needed to their inspection, maintenance or reporting procedures.

Building owners can apply to Council to amend a compliance schedule using the appropriate application form.

Send your completed BWoF, Form 12A certificates and any associated documentation to:

BWOF@rangitikei.govt.nz

If you're unsure about your building's compliance schedule, specified systems or BWoF requirements, contact Council's Building Services team on 0800 422 522.