NEED BUILDING
CERTIFICATION FOR
WORK ALREADY BUILT?
WE
SIMPLIFY
COMPLEX
Uncertain if your buildings are legally approved? Have you already built without an approval?.
A Retrospective building approval is the solution you need. Our expert team will guide you through the process and get your build to compliance.
I NEED HELP WITH WORK THAT IS NOT APPROVED
A SIMPLE PROCESS
Book an inspection and our specialist will provide a report which outlines everything you need to achieve building compliance.
Once we have the go-ahead we will work with you to get the structural compliance.
Get your building approval and the security of knowing you no longer have illegal building work.
RETROSPECTIVE APPROVALS
INITIAL INSPECTION*
$850
This fee covers the initial building inspection and report outlining what is required to obtain the approval and the costs. If you decide to go ahead we will work with you to obtain Building Certification. There will be additional costs for the full building certification that will be outlined in the inspection report.
IS OBTAINING A RETROSPECTIVE BUILDING APPROVAL IMPORTANT?
YES, IT IS. You will have peace of mind knowing your structures meet the national construction code. Your insurance policy over the property may require all structures to be approved to be covered.
If your building has not been approved the chances are it will not be on your council records as an approved structure. This could pose a problem if you want to sell the property or if council do an investigation of your property.
There is no one size fits all answer with retrospective approvals and each job has to be reviewed individually.
To determine the best approach, we recommend our professional staff undertake a Preliminary Inspection to determine the extent of works required. Once we have undertaken the Preliminary Inspection we will provide you with a report and a quote to finalise the approval process. At this point you can determine the feasibility of obtaining the approval. If you decide to proceed with obtaining the approval this report will assist us in making the full building assessment and we will work with you to obtain what is required for the final building approval. We make it our mission to simplify complex and have vast experience in this specialised area of Building Certification.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you are not responsible for the initial building works you may not find out they are unapproved until you get a notice from your local council (called a show cause) or you try to sell your property. If you are aware that you have unapproved building works you should act to rectify the situation as it may impact the validity of your insurances. Find out more here.
Failure to obtain retrospective approval can result in legal consequences, fines, forced removal of the unapproved structure, difficulty in selling the property, and insurance issues.
Each job has to be priced individually as it depends on the complexity of the job, paperwork available and build. We will do an initial inspection which cost of $850 (plus travel if more than 30km or 1 hour from a Buildable Approvals office). Once we have inspected the property we will be able to determine a pathway to compliance and the costs involved. It is important to note that other professional services are likely to be required (such as an engineer and builder) and these services will also need to be factored into the price. Read our article on the steps to compliance here.
Before you even contact us we recommend you get a copy of the council records on the property (only the property owner can request these) and pull together as much information as you can on the building. Then get in touch to book the initial inspection.
You can download our applications checklists to see the information that we need to kick things off. Download Application Checklist Class 1 – for a habitable dwelling. Download Application Checklist Class 10a – for a non-habitable dwelling.
STILL HAVE A QUESTION
We believe in creating positive change both in the construction industry and the world that surrounds it. Why?
