NEW Protective Works changes to the Building Act
NEW Protective Works changes to the Building Act!
These changes were implemented in June and following is an outline of those changes. Including copies of the new ‘Approved Statement’ that an Owner needs to provide an adjoining property owner and Forms 6,7,8,9 which are new or have been amended.
Owner Builders and Builders need to be aware of these changes in their planning process prior to the granting of a Building Permit by a Registered Building Surveyor.
Protection work provides protection to adjoining property from damage due to building work. It includes but is not limited to:
- Underpinning of adjoining property footings, including vertical support, lateral support, protection against variation in earth pressures, ground anchors, and other means of support for the adjoining property.
- Shoring up of the adjoining property.
- Overhead protection for adjoining property.
- Other work designed to maintain the stability of adjoining property from damage from building work.
How do you know if protection work is required?
When making an application for a building permit for the proposed building work, the applicant (the building owner or agent of owner) is required to provide detailed information about the building work to the relevant building surveyor. The relevant building surveyor will then determine if protection work is required.
So once the Registered Building surveyor determines Adjoining Property Protection is required, the process commences.
The ‘Approved Statement’ VBA approved, is to be supplied to the Adjoining Property Owner(s). Please read the attached copy of the ‘Approved Statement’ as it lays out the process in detail what is required to be followed.
Also attached are copies of Form 6,7,8,9. Which are new or have been amended which relate to the process required before the Registered Building Surveyor can approve the Building Permit.
These changes are all part of the new 2018 Building Regulations that relate to Part 7 of the Building Act 1993.
Also, insurance is required to protect the adjoining property in the event of a claim.
Buildsafe Insurance has been offering Owner Builder Construction and Public Liability Insurance with Adjoining Property protection cover for over 30 years. As Victoria is unique, in that the cover must protect the adjoining property for a period of 12 months after completion of the work as well. No other state has this requirement.
Be aware of this extra requirement and contact Buildsafe to organise your policy.
