How long are the reports required for building consent valid for?

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Jase2985

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#217763 11-Jul-2017 16:31

we are getting a house designed at the moment with the intent to build in the next 2-3 years and i have a few questions regarding consents.

for a building consent you are required to provide document like, drainage plans, geotec reports, site plans etc. thats cool, my question is how long are those documents valid for in the eyes of the council (Auckland) when it comes to gaining building consent?

example: say i was got get a drainage report/plan now but not go to apply for a building consent for 2 years. would the drainage report still be valid for the building consent application?

i have emailed the council and asked but their response was rather vague on the phone call they gave me and im trying to get more clarification. they said 12 months and that its written in the building code or building act, but in my all be it uniformed look i couldn't really find anything relating to this.

does anyone know the answer to this or where i can better find information about this for the AUCKLAND council area.

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#1819674 11-Jul-2017 16:59

You would be best to speak to council about the exact time, as it may vary. But I thought a building had to be completed within 2 years these days of getting consent, but I could be wrong. In the old days there wasn't any time limit.

PhantomNVD

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#1819676 11-Jul-2017 17:02

Yup, in Franklin 3 years ago we had a 2 year completion requirement on our new house.

Jase2985

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#1819691 11-Jul-2017 17:08

im not asking how long a building consent is valid for, i know that already, its 12 months with the ability to extend it by another 12.

im asking how long the items that you require to GAIN the consent are valid for. the reports etc that you need to submit to gain the consent.

Fred99

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#1819873 11-Jul-2017 20:37

Jase2985:

example: say i was got get a drainage report/plan now but not go to apply for a building consent for 2 years. would the drainage report still be valid for the building consent application?

Why would you do that?

IIRC drainage plan, I should have paid $12 for - but in that case the plan was such rubbish the person on the council counter said she wouldn't charge me for it - and gave it to me for free.

If you're wanting a head start to see what gremlins might appear closer to building consent application time, then even if you did have to double-up then it's probably pocket change. Something to take to a plumber/drain layer perhaps and get and estimate as to whether it might cost $1,000 or $100,000, but you're probably best to wait until you get consents before looking for any fixed price quotes.

mattwnz

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#1819882 11-Jul-2017 20:49

Jase2985:
im not asking how long a building consent is valid for, i know that already, its 12 months with the ability to extend it by another 12.

im asking how long the items that you require to GAIN the consent are valid for. the reports etc that you need to submit to gain the consent.

The council will be able to tell you that, but I can't see why there would be any limit unless standards or regulations change in the meantime. However councils do usually require certain info such as titles, to be no more than 2 months old. But the council would need to be asked and make sure you get it in writing.

Jase2985

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#1819884 11-Jul-2017 20:51

why? im going to be out of the country for up to a year prior to us wanting to start, hence me wanting to know what i can get done now and what i have to wait for.

the current house on the section was built in 1956, i highly doubt the current drainage plan is still admissable, given there have been extentions, alterations and all kinds of other things done that didn't require council notification prior to the law change.

i have a friend doing extentions and he needed a geotech, survey, drainage and a couple of other inspections done because they were require as part of the building consent so they had to be done BEFORE applying. hes spent a bit of money on these inspections/reports, so i dont want to be getting one done only to have them say its not valid as it was done 14 month ago and they only allow 12 months or what ever it is.

hence the questions of how long if i were to get a geotech inspection, or a drainage report done etc etc, how long are they valid for before you are required to get another one done.

Jase2985

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#1819886 11-Jul-2017 20:54

mattwnz:
Jase2985:

im not asking how long a building consent is valid for, i know that already, its 12 months with the ability to extend it by another 12.

im asking how long the items that you require to GAIN the consent are valid for. the reports etc that you need to submit to gain the consent.

The council will be able to tell you that, but I can't see why there would be any limit unless standards or regulations change in the meantime. However councils do usually require certain info such as titles, to be no more than 2 months old. But the council would need to be asked and make sure you get it in writing.

i know the council can tell me this but the one call they have made to me has been very vauge, ie he has to ask someone else in the office and the way he answered didnt install me with confidence that it was an accurate answer. now they are avoiding me.

i was just seeing if someone on here knew anything more substantial than i have been able to find, ie a reference etc.

i will continue to try and get a proper answer from them but as you all know dealing with councils takes a lot of time.

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Fred99

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#1819905 11-Jul-2017 21:16

If you don't have building plans, then you can't guess what council may want as far as geotech goes, you don't know exactly where the drains etc are going, you're probably not going to want to do that stuff (consent application etc) yourself, your designer/architect probably have a damned good idea what council may spring on you.

Yeah - 1956 drainage plan is probably rubbish - like mine was. A piece of paper with some pencil scrawl and unreadable notes, but the location of mains etc were well marked.

What council might require for geotech is going to depend on what you're building - size, position, weight, materials, foundation type etc.

Survey to find boundary etc might be one thing useful, then by studying city plan / zoning, you'd have some idea of what's going to be needed to meet resource consent requirements.

if there's an existing house you're going to demolish, then if it didn't meet current zoning, you might be able to rebuild to that footprint using existing rights.

I think you may be best talking to a designer or architect now - rather than council.

mattwnz

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#1819906 11-Jul-2017 21:16

Councils can be very vague. Best probably to send them the documentation you have got and specifically ask them if it will be acceptable in say 2 years. If you can't get a straight answer ask to get it escalated to the CEO. That will usually get results. However they may say they can't answer it if standards or the building code changes

Fred99

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#1819909 11-Jul-2017 21:23

mattwnz: Councils can be very vague. Best probably to send them the documentation you have got and specifically ask them if it will be acceptable in say 2 years. If you can't get a straight answer ask to get it escalated to the CEO. That will usually get results. However they may say they can't answer it if standards or the building code changes

Which is 100% appropriate - how the hell could they know what the Green/NZ First coalition government regulations will be in 2019?

Jase2985

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#1819933 11-Jul-2017 21:32

Fred99:

If you don't have building plans, then you can't guess what council may want as far as geotech goes, you don't know exactly where the drains etc are going, you're probably not going to want to do that stuff (consent application etc) yourself, your designer/architect probably have a damned good idea what council may spring on you.

Yeah - 1956 drainage plan is probably rubbish - like mine was. A piece of paper with some pencil scrawl and unreadable notes, but the location of mains etc were well marked.

What council might require for geotech is going to depend on what you're building - size, position, weight, materials, foundation type etc.

Survey to find boundary etc might be one thing useful, then by studying city plan / zoning, you'd have some idea of what's going to be needed to meet resource consent requirements.

if there's an existing house you're going to demolish, then if it didn't meet current zoning, you might be able to rebuild to that footprint using existing rights.

I think you may be best talking to a designer or architect now - rather than council.

as i said house is being designed at the moment, in fact its pretty much done just sorting out the roof and then the windows but the floor plan is pretty much done.

my designer/architect currently processes Auckland council consents on behalf of Wellington city council as his day job, and hes not entirely sure what i need and he doesnt know how long things are valid for as its not his area. hes also happy enough to write up a consent but again we dont know exactly what the council is going to want and then back to the original question how long things are valid for.

i know where all the mains etc are, ive been pretty diligent in my research on what i think i need, and where things are, but it still doesn't answer the question im asking, how long are reports valid for.

Bung

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#1819962 11-Jul-2017 22:37

Fred99:
if there's an existing house you're going to demolish, then if it didn't meet current zoning, you might be able to rebuild to that footprint using existing rights.

Careful, any existing rights probably get cancelled if you demolish the building rather than modify it. That was the case at a section a friend has bought. The previous owner made the mistake of taking all the walls down at once and that triggered Resource Consent.

mattwnz

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#1819993 12-Jul-2017 01:00

Fred99:

mattwnz: Councils can be very vague. Best probably to send them the documentation you have got and specifically ask them if it will be acceptable in say 2 years. If you can't get a straight answer ask to get it escalated to the CEO. That will usually get results. However they may say they can't answer it if standards or the building code changes

Which is 100% appropriate - how the hell could they know what the Green/NZ First coalition government regulations will be in 2019?

Yeap, that is why they would need to come out and say why they couldn't answer it, rather than just be vague.

Fred99

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#1820007 12-Jul-2017 07:18

Bung:
Fred99:

if there's an existing house you're going to demolish, then if it didn't meet current zoning, you might be able to rebuild to that footprint using existing rights.

Careful, any existing rights probably get cancelled if you demolish the building rather than modify it. That was the case at a section a friend has bought. The previous owner made the mistake of taking all the walls down at once and that triggered Resource Consent.

Was a definite issue for rebuilds after the Chch quakes.
I think some extension was given to allow for demolition then rebuilding using existing rights - but it wasn't indefinite (IIRC was 12 months). Log burners were specifically excluded in rebuilt homes (ULE hadn't yet been approved).

Anyway, I wouldn't be bothering asking council and trying to "pre-assess" what they'd come up with for building or resource consent. If the place is being designed, then the designer or architect will have a far better understanding of what the process is likely to be WRT getting building consents and resource consent if needed. There's a 2 year window from granting of consent to getting code compliance - but extensions to this are possible. If I was in OP's position, I'd probably be exploring that route. Mainly for the reason that until consents are in place, as you can't know what RFIs council will come up with, so you can't accurately estimate cost for the build as design might need to change.

aucklander

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#1822128 13-Jul-2017 21:29

Auckland - Waitakere. From personal experience, CCTV inspection of the sewer pipe is valid for only 6 months and geotech report only 5 years. I did not expect the soil composition to change after 5 years... but this is when they expire ! I would not be surprised to hear the topographical survey has a "shell life" as well?...

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