Owners unaware of need for building warrants of fitness

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 592, 27 June 1995, Page 4

Owners unaware of need for building warrants of fitness

Owners of many buildings in the Ruapehu District seem unaware of their obligations with regard to new building compliance certificates under the National Building Act 1991 and that concerns the Ruapehu District Council. "Compliance Schedules should have been issued and completed by 1 July 1994. However, many building owners are unaware of the Building Act and its requirements," council regulatory manager Nicole Middleton told the council at their last meeting. She said despite national advertising campaigns people were still largely unaware of their obligations. "From a commercial perspecti ve there are many reasons why a building owner would want a Compliance Schedule. Without one they could put their insurance policy at risk. It also seems to be the trend with mortgage companies to include these as loan conditions," she stated in her report to the council. A Compliance Schedule issued under Section 44 of the Building Act is a document listing the procedures for inspection, testing and maintenance of features designed to protect the health and/or safety of building occupants. This places the responsibility for ensuring that these procedures are carried out on the building owner. These Compliance Schedules apply to buildings with special systems and fire prevention requirements such as lifts, sprinkler systems, heating and ventilating systems, emergency lighting and warning systems, and access and facilities for the disabled, explained Mrs Middleton. She said these procedures must be carried out by an "independent qualified person". The Ruapehu District Council has issued 254 Compliance Schedules since 20 March 1994 for hospital, school, office and accommodation buildings. "We also have on record 55 buildings that require inspection toascertain whether Compliance Schedules are needed." Mrs Middleton said inspections have proved to be quite time consuming to process, and there is no provision in the Act for the council to charge for cost recovery. She said while the council can charge $22.50 for a compliance schedule, it can't charge for looking at existing buildings. Schools hit As an example, she said compliance schedules were issued to five schools in the district. Their agent produced five warrants of fitness — documents which are produced yearly stating that all items within the Compliance Schedule have been complied with. The council building control officer visited and found that none of the five schools comply. "A great deal of time has been spent inspecting, educating school staff, following up with their agent, etc." Said Mrs Middleton. "The only way we could recover any costs would be to mount a prosecution as all fines imposed under the Building Act are payable to theTerritorial Authority." Cr Ellen Gould (who is principal of Ohakune Primary School) said schools did not previously have to comply with the codes and that "all of a sudden they have one more enormous task". She said staff and Boards of Trustees had received no training on how to handle the task. Mrs Middleton said the govemment had allocated money for education regarding the Act but that this had been cancelled. "We're finding it is the teachers and caretakers who are doing the job but that they are not trained for it." Cr Joe Murphy asked about ski lodges on Ruapehu — whether they were complying, to which Mrs Middleton replied that, yes, in the main they were. She said many lodges had people "very clued up" on it.