Do You Know The Status of Your BWOF?

Your commercial property must comply with current New Zealand legislation. Ensuring that you are meeting these requirements is not only better for your building, but it's better for your investment. Each month we will be breaking down the steps in our Commercial Property Health Check so that you can ensure the safety of your investment. This month, we will be covering BWOFs.

What is a BWOF?

‍A building warrant of fitness (BWOF) is an annual certificate which confirms that the inspection, maintenance, and reporting for specified systems within a building have been properly carried out following the compliance schedule. A compliance schedule is an inventory of specified systems in a building and lists the performance standards that must be met for each system.

This includes:

- Inspection, testing, reporting, and maintenance

- The frequency of inspections

- Who should perform these inspections

It is the owner's responsibility to issue this document and clearly display it on the building. This is an annual requirement and must be done to coincide with the date the compliance schedule was issued.Each year, Auckland Council conducts BWOF inspections and audits on randomly selected buildings.

You could also be subject to an audit if:

- Your previous audit was more than five years ago

- You have a history of late BWOF renewals, or your BWOF is overdue

- There has been no building work for an extended period of time

- Your BWOF and compliance schedule have not been reviewed recently

- The building is currently under investigation for being dangerous

When is it applicable?

‍A BWOF and compliance schedule are only applicable to specified systems within a building. Some examples of these systems are:

- Automatic or manual emergency systems (i.e., fire alarms, emergency lights)

- Automatic or revolving doors

- Lifts, escalators, or travelators

You can find the full list of systems here. These systems must be inspected by an Independent Qualified Person (IQP), a building specialist identified by the council.

Repercussions

‍Regardless of whether or not your building is tenanted, you, as the building owner, are still responsible for issuing a BWOF. Neglecting to do so or failing to follow the guidelines can result in hefty fees.

As the owner of a building, you are liable for fees carrying up to a maximum of $20,000 for:

- Failure to obtain compliance schedule (you may also be fined $2,000 for every day you don't have one)

- Failure to provide the council with a current BWOF

- Failure to display BWOF

- Displaying a false BWOF

The council can also issue instant fines for any of the above offences, ranging from $250-$1,000. Along with these fines, you also compromise your insurance cover by not having an up to date BWOF. Keeping up with compliance schedules and BWOFs, along with everything else that goes into maintaining a commercial property, can often overwhelm your schedule. And since there are so many other responsibilities that also carry hefty fines, you want to make sure your building is in experienced and capable hands. The team at Azure are well informed on all the important legislation and can ensure that your building complies with its BWOF and all other necessary requirements. Get in contact with us today to discuss your property.