LEGISLATIVE ROLE OF A VICTORIAN BUILDING SURVEYOR
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Victorian Building Surveyors are empowered by the legislation to check buildings and building works and to ensure buildings are safe, accessible and energy-efficient. We are empowered to:
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Assess and approve applications for building permits (if appropriate).
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Inspect buildings and building works.
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Assess and approve applications for occupancy permits or issue certificates of final inspection (if appropriate).
We can also enforce the requirements of the building legislation by:
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Giving directions to fix non-compliant building works;
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Giving building notices; and
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Issuing or removing building orders.
BUILDING PERMITS EXPLAINED
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A building permit is a legal document that is issued by a building surveyor for proposed building works to allow a construction process to commence. The intention of a building permit process is to ensure that building works comply with the Building Act 1993, Building Regulations 2018, National Construction Code 2019 (NCC) and relevant Australian Standards.
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​For more information about building permits for building works, please contact us or click here.
For more information about building permits for the demolition of buildings, please contact us or click here.
INSPECTION OF BUILDINGS & BUILDING WORKS
Part 12 of the Building Regulations 2018 prescribes the minimum mandatory inspections during the construction process and, it is at the discretion of a building surveyor appointed for the work if further inspections are required. The building Act empowers us to:
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Cause inspections on the mandatory notification stages and /or carry out inspections of building works to verify if the building works comply with the building permit, the Building Act 1993 and building regulations.
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Prepare a written record of building work inspected and document details of identifying non-compliant issues.
For more information about the inspection of building works, please contact us or click here.
ENFORCEMENT OF SAFETY & BUILDING STANDARDS
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If a mandatory inspection has been carried out and permitted works are not deemed to comply, then the appointed building surveyor of the work is empowered to:
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Give and enforce directions to fix non-compliant building work after an inspection of the building work.
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Cause a building notice to be served.
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Make a determination to cancel a building notice.
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Make a determination on issuing a building order.
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Inspect building work required by a building order.
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Make a determination on cancelling or amending a building order.
​For more information about the enforce safety and building standards please contact us or click here.
For more information about the directions to fix building work, please contact us or click here.
CERTIFICATES OF FINAL INSPECTION & OCCUPANCY PERMITS
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An occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection is required upon completion of building work undertaken in accordance with a building permit.
Before issuing an occupancy permit or a certificate of final inspection, we ensure all relevant items of compliance are resolved and a building is suitable for occupation.
For more information about the certificates of final inspection and occupancy permits, please contact us or click here.
DETERMINATION ON PROTECTION WORK
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Protection work is work to protect an adjoining property. It can be done on an adjoining property or on the building site where the building work is occurring, or both.
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We determine whether protection work is required as part of the assessment of a building permit or at any time during the construction phase when it becomes apparent that protection work may be required. In the process our building surveyor:
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Considers the matters set out in regulation 112 of the Building Regulations 2018.
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Determine that if the owner must carry out protection work.
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Make a determination under section 87 of the Building Act 1993. ​​​​
For more information about the protection work process, please contact us or click here.
DETERMINATION ON THE PROTECTION OF THE PUBLIC
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When assessing an application for a building permit, our building surveyor must consider possible risks to public safety arising from the proposed building work. The process is as follows:
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Assessment of the documentation in the building permit application and consider the extent of proposed building work and the risk the public may be exposed to as a result of that work.
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Determination if precautions are required, the applicant will need to provide the details of the type and method of precautions proposed.
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Assessment of the proposed precautions and if satisfied, approve the precautions.
For more information about the protection of the public, please contact us or click here.
EXEMPTION FROM, OR CONSENT TO PARTIAL COMPLIANCE WITH, REQUIREMENTS IN REGULATIONS
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We are authorised under regulation 229(2), 231(2), 233(3) and 234(2) of the Building Regulations 2018 to exempt or consent to partial compliance of a building/place of public entertainment/certain building work from requirements in the Regulation and grant exemption/consent accordingly.
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For more information about the exemption from, or consent to partial compliance with, requirements in regulations, please contact us.
THE DETERMINATION THAT COMBINED ALLOTMENT IS ONE ALLOTMENT
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The Building Act empowers a building surveyor to make a determination that combined allotment is one allotment. The process is as follows:
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Considering the matters set out in regulation 64(2) of the Building Regulations 2018.
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Issue a determination that combined allotment is one allotment
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For more information about the determination that combined allotment is one allotment, please contact us.
