Learn about building warrants of fitness (BWoF) and ensure your building meets safety regulations.
A building warrant of fitness (BWoF) is an annual statement that states that the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures for the specified systems (such as sprinkler and fire alarm systems) as listed on the compliance schedule(external link) have been fully complied with during the previous 12 months.
To ensure compliance with the Building Act, it is essential to fully comply with the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures outlined on your compliance schedule.
As an Independent Qualified Person (IQP), you are required under section 108(3)(d) of the Building Act 2004(external link) to inform the Council of any necessary amendments to a compliance schedule.
If you need to make changes to your compliance schedule, you can apply for an amendment at any time. Simply complete and submit an application for amendment to the compliance schedule (Form 11) - Form B-031 [DOCX, 388 KB], also available as a PDF [PDF, 673 KB].
To view/download your building's current compliance schedule, you can use our spatial map(external link). Search by address or click on a dot on the map to locate the relevant compliance schedule.
As a building owner, you need to display your building warrant of fitness so that people using your building know that all the specified systems in the building are functional and working effectively, without any risk to their health and safety.
As a building owner you have to:
- Engage an independent qualified person (IQP) to undertake the inspection maintenance and reporting procedures as required by the compliance schedule.
- On each anniversary, supply Council with a building warrant of fitness stating the procedures have been complied with during the previous 12 months and attach the certificates of compliance (Form 12A) from the IQPs.
- Display a copy of the building warrant of fitness within the public area of the building.
- Obtain annual written reports relating to the inspection, maintenance, and reporting procedures of the compliance schedule signed by each IQP or other person who carried out 1 or more procedures and keep those reports, together with the compliance schedule, for a period of 2 years.
You may get a fine if you don't display a current building warrant of fitness.
More detailed guidance on your responsibilities relating to Managing your building warrant of fitness for buildings with specified systems(external link) is available on the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment website.
To display a Building Warrant of Fitness (Form 12), the building owner and their agents must complete all the inspection, maintenance and reporting (IMR) procedures listed on the building's compliance schedule for the previous 12 months. If the IMR procedures have been missed, a valid Building Warrant of Fitness (Form 12) will not be able to be supplied or displayed.
We follow MBIE's guidance and will consider the submission of a:
We will send you an annual reminder. The reminder letter includes information on completing the building warrant of fitness renewal form:
- B-470 Building Warrant of Fitness - Form 12 [DOCX, 25 KB]
The owner must sign the building warrant of fitness form. A copy must be displayed in a public area of the building, another copy must be sent to the Council, with all required Form 12A certificates issued by the IQPs.
If a building consent requires a new compliance schedule, or amended compliance schedule, to be issued as a result of building work, a fixed fee is charged with the issue of the building consent.
There is a different fee for when a building owner applies for an amendment to a compliance schedule outside the building consent process.
There is also an annual administration fee for processing the building warrant of fitness. This is comprised of a base fee and an additional fee per specified system. We have also introduced a new fee for building warrants of fitness site audits following a failed audit.
Refer to the building consents fee schedule for related fees.