FAQS

A building surveyor is appointed under the Building Act to ensure construction projects comply with National Construction Code and relevant Australian Standards. Our responsibilities include reviewing plans, approving building permits, conducting mandatory on-site inspections, and issuing occupancy permits. Please note, it is not the role of the building surveyor to assess workmanship or quality of finishes during inspections.

Notification or advertising to owners of adjoining allotments is not required for a building application that is compliant to relevant planning schemes and siting provisions of the Building Regulations.

Privacy requirements prevent the disclosure of personal information, including building plans and other documents.

Regulation 84 governs the requirements for overlooking into adjoining allotments/buildings.

This applies only to any proposed habitable room window (as defined in the BCA) or raised open space, and the regulation aims to prevent direct overlooking into an existing adjoining habitable room window (living areas &/or bedrooms) or secluded private open space (SPOS) (normally your backyard). For a full explanation of how this is assessed to prevent overlooking into your property, please refer to page 22 in the attached PDF for the BPC Practice Note for Siting S101 (Click Here) However, there are some areas, typically new subdivisions, where Regulation 84 is overridden by a Title Restriction that varies these requirements.

Fence disputes are civil matters governed by the Fences Act 1968. Under Section 14, adjoining owners are jointly responsible for fence repairs, including accidental damage. Please note that the Relevant Building surveyor has no statutory authority in these matters.

For a single dwelling there are four mandatory inspection stages required.

Foundation (e.g. piers, pre slab, retaining wall holes etc)

Before Pouring Reinforced Concrete member (e.g. steel for slab, retaining wall core fill etc)

Framework

Final (e.g. occupancy permit)

Our Building Inspectors are all qualified and are registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission.  The inspectors perform all inspections in accordance with the relevant legislation including the Building Act, the Building Regulations, the Building Code of Australia, Australian Standards and manufacturers requirements.

There are many parts of the build that the RBS is not mandated to inspect such as waterproofing, plumbing and electrical.  As a result, we receive certification from the relevant trades prior to issuing the Occupancy Permit. Should you choose to use a private consultant to inspect your works, we strongly recommend you check their registration and qualifications on the Building and Plumbing Commissions. 

A record of inspection of building work is a statutory inspection report. Regulation 173 of the Building Regulations 2018 states a record of inspection must contain the following.

the date and time of the inspection;

the purpose of the inspection;

the building permit number of the permit relating to the building work;

the address of the building or land on which the building work is being carried out;

the name and registration number of the registered building practitioner who carried

out the inspection;

the stage of the building work inspected (if applicable);

the outcome of the inspection.

Under the Building Regulations, building surveyors are required to provide owners with written directions resulting from a failed inspection, not inspection approval reports. However, we believe you are entitled to this information and will provide them to you as a courtesy.

While DJM are happy to review the report, we can only make comment on items within our jurisdictional provisions of the Building Act 1993 and Building Regulations 2018. Generally, items picked up in these reports relate to workmanship or cosmetic items which are for you and your builder to address. If you choose to engage a private consultant, we strongly recommend selecting one who is registered practitioner with the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) to ensure they are backed by a complaint insurance policy. You can search for a consultant’s registration via the following link: https://bams.vba.vic.gov.au/bams/s/practitioner-search

These documents are introduced through the Council planning process for the sub-division.  If any of these documents have been included on your title or neighbour’s title and relate to a specific siting matter, they will over-ride that specific regulation contained in the Building Regulations.

If required to satisfy overlooking requirements, fence extensions must be installed prior to the Occupancy Permit being issued to ensure adjoining properties are protected.  Details of the required fencing or fence extensions can be found on the permit approved architectural plans. Please note that the extensions must be no more than 25% open – some off the shelf products don’t comply with this so please check with your builder before purchasing.

Inspections are requested by your builder. Some are time-specific while others can be completed at any time during the day. Our inspectors do not meet with owners on site to ensure inspections are completed with minimal distraction.

A dwelling building permit expires when works have not commenced within 12 months or completed within 24 months of the date the permit, which are listed on the building permit. The applicant and owner will receive an email notification 3 months prior to expiration of the permit. A written request can be made at this time to apply for a building permit extension.

A building application is assessed within 3-5 working days from the date of application. Once the items raised in the assessment have been reviewed, a building permit will be issued within approximately 48 hours.