Rapid building assessments – Placard placement
When an emergency event occurs, the Civil Defence Emergency Management and Council’s Building Team work together to coordinate building assessors to conduct rapid building assessments across the district. These assessments are undertaken to determine if buildings are safe to occupy and if they pose a safety risk to others.
These initial assessments are rapid, taking about 20 minutes. They can sometimes be completed by an Assessor from outside the building, without needing to enter.
Following a rapid building assessment, a building will receive either a white, yellow or red placard. In cases where an Assessor identifies land stability issues which present a moderate to high risk to the building and its occupants, Council has engaged a Geotechnical Engineer to undertake a further rapid building assessment to ensure an appropriate placard is assigned.
The placards are a legal instruction. Only authorised officials can place, change, remove or advise on removing them. White placards are an exception that are noted as “closed” after 21 days after they are issued and can then be removed by the owner.
If your property has a placard, you should have received a letter or email from Council confirming the current placard status. If you have not received a letter yet, please contact our Customer Services Team on (07 868 0200) or email bcorfs@tcdc.govt.nz with your name, email address, phone number and we will send a status letter.
This letter can be used as an official document to provide evidence of the status of your address to any interested parties including banks, insurance companies and the Police. Following any placard status changes, you will receive an updated Status Letter.
What happens next?
Rapid building assessments are an initial safety check. Your home, workplace or property may need a further building assessment and may require remedial work to be undertaken by a suitably qualified professional to ensure it is safe to enter, safe to occupy and does not risk the safety of others.
How your building will be safety checked after a disaster
This link covers information on:
- Responsibilities of homeowners and building owners
- Disputes, determinations and appeals
- Insurance and Claims
- New Zealand Claims Resolution Service (NZCRS)
Getting a placard changed or removed
In the first instance contact both Council and your insurer. You must not remove or change a yellow or red placard yourself.
Council will tell you what steps will need to be taken to have a placard changed or removed, while your insurer will be able to provide information regarding what professionals and inspections will need to be organised (e.g., geotechnical or structural engineers, licensed building practitioners).
Council will need evidence about the structural status, or habitable condition of the building after any repair work, recommended by the homeowner's insurer, is completed.
Where a designation under the Building Act is in place, the ‘responsible person’ (Council) has the power to proactively direct a building owner to provide this evidence if needed to determine the risks posed by the building or whether to exercise any further building emergency management powers. Once an owner has the required evidence, please contact Council, who will reassess the placard status.
- Changing/removing a red placard
When repairing a building issued with a red placard, it is important that any work is done in liaison with the homeowner's insurer, Council and in conjunction with appropriate experts and professionals.
No one should enter the building unless authorised to do so. In order to begin the process of repair/remediation, the homeowner should first contact their insurer, who should arrange (or help to arrange) for more detailed engineering evaluations.
The homeowner will also need to work with Council to arrange authorised access for an appropriate professional so they can assess the damage (e.g. geotechnical or structural engineer, builder, drainlayer or plumber).
- Detailed Damage Evaluation (DDE)
In the case of a red placard, it is likely that a Detailed Damage Evaluation (DDE) will need to be undertaken. A DDE is usually performed by engineers who have been contracted by the insurer (although the homeowner can organise one themselves). A DDE may also be recommended for a yellow or white placard.
The engineer will provide advice on building usability and options to address any damage, e.g. repair or demolition.
A DDE should also describe what remedial actions are possible to be completed in order to recommend a change in placard status, including:
- whether the homeowner needs to apply for building/resource consent, or discretionary exemption from the requirement for building consent, for remedial works required in order to request a placard change; or
- whether to carry out other remedial works, for which consent is not required, that are required in order to request a placard change.
Owners may need to carry out urgent repairs during an emergency period when it is not possible to process building consent applications. These repairs often involve building work that in normal times would require a building consent. If there is urgent work that needs to be done, the homeowner should contact their insurer and Council before proceeding.
- Changing/removing a yellow placard
The process for getting a yellow placard removed is essentially the same as for a red placard. The homeowner should work with the insurer and Council to determine the repair work that is needed for the building to make it safe for occupancy, and to authorise access where it is restricted. A DDE may be required or recommended by your insurer.
- Changing/removing a white placard
Home and building owners need to leave white placards up until they are authorised to remove it. The status of these placards will automatically be noted as ‘closed’ from 21 days after they are issued and can then be removed by the owner.
Land Information Memorandums (LIMs)
Property owners should be aware that red, yellow, and white placards will be disclosed on future LIMs requested for the property. All placards issued are required to be noted on LIMs and will reflect the most current status, including after the placard has been closed.
Thames Coromandel District Council has a mandatory obligation under Section 44A of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 to disclose this information on LIMs.
The status of these placards will automatically be noted as ‘closed’ from 21 days after they are issued.