He whakamana whare Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF)

About the Annual Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF)

A Building Warrant of Fitness (BWOF) audit is an inspection by your local council.

This audit makes sure a building owner is legally maintaining safety systems like:

fire alarms
sprinklers
lifts
emergency lighting.

What you need to do

As a building owner you must:

engage an Independent Qualified Person (IQP) to inspect and certify that the procedures of the specified systems Systems in buildings that are vital to the safe use of the building, e.g. fire safety systems, lifts and ventilation systems. have been completed
ensure a copy of the BWOF certificate is supplied to us on or before the date it is due to expire
supply us with copies of all IQP certificates of compliance and related recommendations
ensure the BWOF certificate is on display in a public area of the building where it can be seen by building users.

You may need to supply a BWOF even if you:

renovate or refurbish the building in part or in full
have vacant tenancies or a vacant building
have decommissioned specified systems
have taken out a consent.

BWOF form

We do not issue the BWOF (Form 12). The building owner or an agent should complete this form and submit it to us.

Form 12A: Certificate of compliance with inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures should be completed by an IQP.

What to do if there are missed inspections, reporting and maintenance procedures

When a BWOF cannot be supplied because of missed inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures, the building owner should:

issue a BWOF Report and Declaration (B-RaD)
include all form 12As for the specified systems where no procedures have been missed
submit a Specified System Report and Declaration (S-RaD) issued by an IQP for each specified system where procedures were missed.

To download the required documents, visit the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's (MBIE) Building Performance website.

How to submit your BWOF

Online

Submit

BWOF online submission guide

Review our online guide for help submitting your BWOF.

Digital BWOF guide

PDF download 2 MB

If you are unable to apply online

Email regsupportbwof@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for help if:

you cannot apply for a BWOF renewal online
you cannot provide digital copies of your BWOF and IQP certificates.

A document handling charge will be applied per application for any documents our staff must scan into our system.

Service	Fee
Document handling charge – scanning of plans or documents into digital consent system (per submission)	$105

What happens if you do not display a BWOF

You need to display a BWOF so that people using your building know that:

all the systems in the building are functional and operating effectively
there is no risk to their health and safety.

If you do not display a BWOF, or display a false one, you can get a fine of up to $20,000.

If your BWOF has expired, you may be prosecuted.

Building Warrant of Fitness fees

Service	Fee
Building Warrant of Fitness audit – Base fee (not refundable, additional charges may apply)	$222
Annual renewal – Fixed fee (not refundable, no additional charges)	$267

Detailed guidance on your responsibilities relating to building warrants of fitness

AC1806 Compliance schedules and building WOFs guidance document

PDF download 165 KB

Inspections and on-site BWOF audits

Each year we conduct BWOF inspections and audits on randomly selected buildings.

You may be contacted if:

it has been more than five years since your building was last audited
a BWOF renewal is overdue or where there is a history of BWOF renewals being supplied late
a building has had no building work done for an extended period of time
the BWOF and compliance schedule have not been reviewed for an extended period
your building is being investigated as a dangerous building.

Note: this is not an exhaustive list.

The owner is liable to pay for the inspection.

For more information, visit the MBIE website.

Why we audit and what we assess

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment law

All councils in New Zealand must carry out audits under Section 111 of the Building Act 2004.

Public safety

We make sure building safety systems work and people can exit the building safely.

Compliance

We confirm that the building owner meets Building Act obligations.

System maintenance

We check that all safety systems are being maintained as required.

Accountability

We make sure IQPs (Independent Qualified Persons) are following their legal responsibilities.

What happens during an audit

We check that:

the BWOF is current and publicly displayed
all inspection and maintenance records are up to date.
records for the last two years are available (onsite or online).

We walk through the building checking:

passive fire protection (like fire-rated walls and doors and fire-stopping materials)
escape routes
final exits
safety systems.

How often we do audits

High risk (sleeping activity such as apartments, hostel, boarding houses, motel, hotel)	Medium risk (assembly areas like schools, public venues)	Low risk (industrial buildings like offices, warehouses and restaurants)
Annually	Every three years	Every five years

How often we do audits can change depending on the results and the decision of the BWOF Audit Team Leader.

When we will notify you

Most audits are booked ahead of time. Random audits can happen if:

No BWOF has been submitted
The BWOF or compliance schedule has not been checked in a long time

Fire and Emergency New Zealand or another external agency raises concerns.