Compliance Schedules & Building Warrant of Fitness

A Compliance Schedule is a document issued by a Council for buildings containing specified systems. The Compliance Schedule states the specified systems, their performance standards and includes the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures needed to keep them in good working order. 

More information on Compliance Schedules can be found here

Specified Systems help ensure a building is safe and healthy for people to enter, occupy or work in. Some examples of specified systems include fire alarms, automatic doors, sprinklers and lifts as well as a number of others.

Buildings that contain certain safety and essential systems, known as Specified Systems, need a Compliance Schedule.

They require ongoing inspection, maintenance and reporting based on procedures to ensure they function as required. If they fail to operate properly, they have the potential to affect health or life safety.

More information on specified systems can be found on Build Waikato

These include ensuring: 

• the Compliance Schedule is available for inspection 
• they meet the inspection requirements by engaging an independent qualified person(s) (IQP) approved by the Council to inspect certain specified systems 
• that any necessary maintenance of the specified systems occurs 
• an annual Building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF) is provided to the Council by the expiry date  
• All records pertaining to Specified System inspection and testing for two years are kept and available for inspection on the premises

More information on specified systems, compliance schedules and BWOFs can be found here.

An amendment to a Compliance Schedule may be required for several reasons during the life of the building including: 

• a change in ownership or building details 
• a change to the Building Act or regulations 
• to add, alter or delete a Specified System  
• to ensure that the Specified Systems stated in the Compliance Schedule are performing to the performance standards for that system 

Any addition, alteration or removal of a Specified System must be made under a building consent. When applying for consent, you'll be required to submit the appropriate forms for all Specified Systems present in the building.  These can be found on the Build Waikato Website.  These details need to be supplied to the Council specifically on the Compliance Schedule these forms.   

A Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF) is a written statement issued annually to the Council, a copy of which is also publicly displayed in the building.

The BWOF is a declaration by the building owner, or the building owner’s agent, that all the specified systems in the building have been inspected, maintained and reported in accordance with the compliance schedule for a period of 12 months prior to the issue date.

The warrant of fitness for a building must be prepared in accordance with the prescribed form (Form 12) in the Building (Forms) Regulations 2004.

More information on BWOFs can be found here

IQP (independent qualified person) are system specialists.

An IQP is a person approved by the Council to inspect certain Compliance Schedule items and ensure they meet performance standards. ‘Independent’ means the person (or firm) has no financial interest in the building they are auditing.

A list of approved IQP's is available by searching the register available on the Build Waikato website.

The Building Act 2004 requires the Council to administer, monitor and enforce the BWOF system.  

Periodically, our Council will complete an audit of the Specified Systems in your building and the records kept by your IQP. A fee at the current rate may be applicable for the initial audit and any follow up audit as required.