Occupancy Permit
Do I need an Occupancy Permit or a Certificate of Final Inspection?
Before making your move on whether or not you need Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection, it is important to understand what these really mean. An Occupancy Permit, also called an Occupation Certificate refers to a certificate issued to you to show that your building is satisfactory and that approved to be suitable for habitation from a safety and health perspective. According to the Building Act of 1993, it is mandatory that an Occupancy Permit be issued for a new building before it can be occupied. It is important to note that there are consequences of building without a permit and it is also a grave offence to occupy a new house without obtaining an Occupancy Permit.
Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection: which do I need?
Occupancy permit will be issued to you after completing your renovation or building works. This is usually done after an inspection of the works by a certified building surveyor. An application for Occupancy Permit should be directed to a building surveyor that is responsible for the provision of building permits in Victoria. It is important to mention that public entertainment cannot be established in specific buildings or temporary structure without the occupancy permit expressly stating permission to use the building for entertainment. To know if you need Occupancy Permit or Certificate of Final Inspection, you need to check your building permit. Your building permit indicates whether you need a Certificate of Final Inspection or an Occupancy Permit.
Occupancy Permits are usually issued for:
- New buildings, and
- Change of Use of building.
Certificates of Final Inspection on the other hand are issued for:
- Slight modifications or an extension to an already existing house
- Outbuildings that need building permits such as verandas, carports, decks, garages, and sheds
There are some other building works that Occupancy permits are not needed for. Such building projects include:
- Building work that a building surveyor in Victoria regard as minor work
- Building that the surveyor believes does not affect the appropriateness of the building for occupation
- Buildings within a single occupancy unit in a Class two or three building
- Class ten building or a modification to a Class 1A building
It is crucial to understand that an Occupancy permit also indicates conditions under which a particular building can be used. In addition to this, the permit also states clearly the maximum number of people that can occupy the house as well as the necessary safety measure that must be put in place.
So when can an Occupancy Permit be issued?
Before you can be issued the occupancy permit, it will be verified that your building is suitable for occupation from health and safety perspective. Secondly, you will be required to lodge a completed building Permit application with a Melbourne building surveyor who issued your building permit. Finally, you will need to pay the building permit cost, lodgement or approval fees.
It is important to reiterate the fact that an occupancy permit will not be issued for your structure if the building is unsuitable for occupation. Some of the features of the house that will be checked during the final inspection before the issuance of occupancy permit include:
- Sanitary and cooking facilities
- Handrails
- Smoke alarms
- Water supply
- Balustrades and
- Safety glass
What you need to get an Occupancy Permit?
Stokes Safety is your choice for a building safety audit specialist in Australia. You can trust us to help you with your building approvals and advice at different stages of the process. When you use our service, you may be required to provide the statements or certificates from different practitioners that are engaged in the building project so as to confirm that the structure is suitable for occupation. We may also request that you provide certificates from the plumber and electrician for instance to show that the smoke alarms are operational, and that the power is correctly connected. We will also check to see that the sewer, water, and storm-water have all been connected.
It is important to emphasise that if a building permit indicates that an occupancy permit is needed for a building, then no one should occupy the building until a certified ______ building surveyor has inspected the building and issued an occupancy permit. Doing otherwise, is a legal offence.
