Licensed Building Practitioners
Licensed Building Practitioners Scheme (LBP's)
Building (Definition of Restricted Building Work) Order 2011
The LBP scheme is one of the changes in the Building Act 2004 to encourage better building design and construction.
The licensed building practitioners (LBP) scheme promotes, recognises and supports professional skills and behaviour in the building construction industry.
The Department of Building and Housing (the Department) administers the scheme.
From 1 March 2012 critical building work that is known as Restricted Building Work, must be supervised or carried out by an LBP (Licensed Building Practitioner).
If you are building, this affects YOU...
Consumers and building practitioners are affected, visit Licensed Building Practritioner on the DBH website for more information.
See also the brochure "Build it Right" - provided courtesy of the Department of Building and Housing
The critical factors affecting the building industry are:
- the requirement to employ the services of a licensed building practitioner from 1 March 2012 to either complete, or supervise, restricted building work (see below).
- the requirement to provide a Certificate of Work (available 1 March 2012) at building consent application.
- the names of all licensed building practitioners must be supplied to Council BEFORE construction begins. Please note: you will NOT be able to book an inspection until this list has been supplied to Council.
- the requirement to provide a Record of Work (available 1 March 2012) from each of the licensed building practitioners involved in the construction, when the project is complete.
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Restricted Building Work
From 1 March 2012, only LBPs will be allowed to carry out or supervise 'restricted building work' (design work that is critical to the integrity of a building).
Therefore, a consent application that involves restricted building work will need to include the names of LBP's carrying out or supervising that work.
See section 45(1)(e) of the Building Act
The Government will detail restricted building work before 2012, but it is likely to include the design and construction of a house or small-medium sized apartments:
primary structure (e.g., foundations and framing) - to ensure the building can withstand vertical and horizontal loads.
external envelope (e.g., roofing and cladding) - to ensure the building is weathertight.
fire safety systems (e.g., sprinklers, fire alarms) - to ensure people are adequately protected from the dangers of smoke and fire.
Appropriately licensed LBPs will be responsible for plans and specifications used in a consent application for restricted building work. See section 45(2)-(4) of the Building Act.
For more information about Restricted Building Work, visit the DBH website.
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Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP)
A person recorded in the register of LBPs because they have satisfied the Registrar of LBPs that they meet the standards for their licence class. See section 286 of the Building Act
There are seven license classes in the LBP scheme:
- Design
- Site
- Bricklaying and Blocklaying
- Carpentry
- External Plastering
- Foundations
- Roofing
You can apply to be licensed in more than one licence class but you must be able to demonstrate that you are competent in each class you apply for. See licensing publications on the DBH website for more details.
The competencies for the licence classes were developed by industry working groups. They represent the skills and knowledge that a competent person with sound experience in the building construction industry should be able to demonstrate.
The LBP scheme is for competent individuals. Companies and commercial entities cannot be licensed, but the people they employ or subcontract can apply to be licensed.
If your work is covered by one of the licence classes, this is your opportunity to have your skills and experience formally recognised. Visit get licensed.
To check if your builder / contractor are currently licensed under the LBP scheme, we recommend you search the Public Register by their name.
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Owner Builder guidance on restricted building work
Home Owners permitted to complete restricted building work
Building Act 2004: Subpart 4A: 90B Meaning of owner-builder
Building Act 2004: Subpart 4A: 90C Meaning of relevant interest
Following on from the recently introduced Government regulations that defined and set rules on restricted building work the Building Act has been amended to allow home owners to complete restricted building work as an “owner-builder” These changes took effect from 12 March 2012
You are an Owner-Builder if you:
- Live in or are going to live in the home (includes a bach or holiday home)
- Carry out the Restricted Building Work to your own home yourself, or with the help of your unpaid friends and family members, and
- Have not, under the Owner-Builder Exemption, carried out Restricted Building Work to any other home within the previous 3 years.
DIY work
Most DIY work is usually minor repair, maintenance or alteration work and doesn’t fall within the category of Restricted Building Work. For this work nothing has changed and home owners can continue to do this work as they always have.
Restricted Building Work is work that requires a building consent and relates to the primary structure of your home, or affects its weathertightness. Building work that is in the Restricted Building Work category must only be done by or under the supervision of Licensed Building Practitioners, unless you are using the Owner-Builder Exemption. If you are a suitably skilled owner-builder and meet the criteria above, you can carry out this work but if you have any doubts you are recommended to hire Licensed Building Practitioners to do this critical building work. Applications for this type of work is to be done on Form 2, Form 2B, Form 2C
An Owner-Builder is responsible for ensuring that Restricted Building Work carried out under the Owner-Builder Exemption complies with the building consent and the relevant plans and specifications.
Help with your DIY work
As the Owner-Builder family members or friends can help you with the Restricted Building Work to your home as long as you are not paying them to help you.
Future buyers will have access to information that shows the building work was carried out by the owner rather than a Licensed Building Practitioner.
Using the Owner-Builder Exemption
Building Act 2004: Subpart 4A: 90D Owner Builder Exemption
Before you can use the Owner-Builder exemption you need to complete a Form 2B showing you meet the owner-builder criteria.
The statutory declaration form has to be witnessed and signed by a Justice of the Peace or someone else authorised by law do so. This form needs to be given to your local council with your application for a building consent, or before the construction Restricted Building Work on your home starts.
It is an offence under the Crimes Act 1961 to give false information in a Statutory Declaration, and it is also an offence under the Building Act 2004 to give false information.
Visit www.builditright.govt.nz or contact your local council for more information on the Owner-Builder Exemption.
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