Restricted Building Work (RBW) will be introduced on 1st March 2012.

1. What

   Is your residential work “Restricted Building Work”

   If your residential building work is structural or if it affects the weathertightness of the building, the work may be “Restricted Building Work”. This means you MUST employ a Licensed Building Practitioner(s) (LBP) to design and carry out that work. They must either DO or SUPERVISE this work.

2. Who

   Licensed Building Practitioners (LBPs) are here right now

   They include designers, carpenters, roofers, external plasterers, bricklayers, site and foundations licensed in the Government’s LBP scheme.

   Registered architects and chartered professional engineers are automatically treated as Design LBPs. Licensed or certified plumbers or gasfitters are automatically treated as licensed in Brick and Blocklaying, External Plastering and Roofing. They are treated as LBPs in these classes but must only complete Restricted Building Work that they have the competency to do.

3. When

   The following changes come into effect on 1 March 2012 BUT

   If you are in the planning or design phase and your application for building consent MAY NOT be lodged before this date – make sure the people you plan to employ are LBPs.

For more information on RBW and LBP visit the website of the Department of Building and Housing (DBH) (NZ Building Code & Building Act 2004 plus information) www.dbh.govt.nz/lbp

Owner-builder Exemption

Owner-Builders are able to carry out Restricted Building Work on their own home. For information visit http://www.dbh.govt.nz/builditright-homeowners-owner-exemptions.