Building Warrants of Fitness

Building Overview

Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF)

A building warrant of fitness (BWoF) is a building owner’s annual statement confirming the specified systems in the compliance schedule for their building have been maintained and checked for the previous 12 months, in accordance with the compliance schedule.

A building warrant of fitness (Form 12) is a statement from the building owner confirming that the inspection and maintenance required (stated in the compliance schedule) for that building has complied for the previous 12 months.

Some important requirements in the Building Act 2004 include:

  • the building owner must provide the territorial authority with copies of Form 12A certificates from independent qualified persons (IQPs), including any recommendations they make
  • the territorial authority must consider any recommendation to amend a compliance schedule made by an IQP and where necessary make any changes to the compliance schedule after giving the owner an opportunity to provide comments
  • the territorial authority must retain copies of the Form 12A certificates
  • territorial authorities are required to administer and enforce the BWoF system and can charge a fee for undertaking a BWoF inspection/audit.

Once a building is completed, Council will issue building owners a compliance schedule covering the maintenance, inspection and reporting requirements for any specified systems in the building. The compliance schedule exists while there are specified systems in the building.

Each year on the anniversary of the compliance schedule being issued building owners will need to supply the Council with a Building Warrant of Fitness.  Once all the correct information is received and processed, an invoice for the Administration Charges related to the documentation will be sent to the owner by Council.

Important: The owner pays their own charge for their use of an Independent Qualified Person to inspect the building.

The owner must supply Council with:

The building owner must publicly display the building warrant of fitness on the premises.

Learn more about the building warrant of fitness regime