CB Building and resource consents
A lot of renovation work requires a building consent before you start.
A lot of renovation work requires a building consent before you start.
A lot of renovation work requires a building consent before you start. We look at the type of work which requires consent and also when you are likely to need resource consent.
Getting a building consent is the owner’s responsibility.
To find out whether you need a building consent for your renovation project, check with your building consent authority first. Don’t ignore this step as it may be discovered at a later date, for example when you decide to sell.
Under the Building Act 2004, building work (relevant to alterations and renovations) which requires consent includes:
If your prospective purchasers discover from the council files that work has been carried out without consent (this applies to houses built since 1993), they will have no way of knowing if the house is safe. You can apply to the council for a certificate of acceptance which can be issued for work that was done without a building consent. A certificate of acceptance certifies the building work that can be inspected as compliant with the Building Code.
You may be required to get resource consent, for example, if you are adding a room and the foundations require major earthworks, or if the new room will be closer to the boundary than allowed in the district plan. This should have been sorted at the time your plans were being drawn. Some councils check every building consent application to see if any resource consents are required.
Anthony discovered that getting resource consent was not necessarily the end of the story. He wanted to build a garage on a back-section and needed resource consent due to local planning requirements.
The resource consent was approved, but with a condition stating that all storage, unloading and re-loading of equipment had to take place within the site boundaries. This has caused major problems, because access to the back section is via a right of way, and the neighbours are objecting to its use to transport the materials and equipment. Anthony has found he is unable to build the garage and is seeking legal advice.
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