When You Need a BCA Compliance Report

When you might need a building compliance assessment

A building compliance assessment can help when work was built without approval, when buying a property, or before renovating. Here are the common situations, and when another tool fits better.

A building compliance assessment, or BCA report, gives you a clear written picture of how an existing home or outbuilding compares with the building code. It is not needed on every project. It is most useful when there is doubt about what was built, or how. Here are the situations where owners most often ask for one.

Work was done without approval

An enclosed patio, a garage turned into a bedroom, a deck built by a previous owner. Unapproved work is common, and it often surfaces during a sale or a refinance.

The usual way to deal with it is a building information certificate (BIC) from council. When assessing a BIC, council can ask for building plans, specifications and certificates. The report records what was built, how it compares with the code and what may need fixing. That puts you in a better position before you apply. We can inspect and prepare that report to support your application.

Buying or selling a property

If it is unclear what approvals a property has, a report can help you understand the gaps before you commit. A purchaser who has signed a sale contract can also apply for a BIC, or have their lawyer or agent apply for them. Even so, knowing the likely issues early can shape negotiations and settlement timing.

Sellers sometimes commission a report first, so there are no surprises when a buyer starts asking questions about an old extension or outbuilding.

A compliance report is different from a pre-purchase pest and building inspection, which focuses on condition and defects. Some buyers get both.

You are planning alterations

Before designing an addition, it helps to know how the existing building performs. A report can flag issues the new work will have to deal with, such as:

smoke alarms that need upgrading or interconnecting
walls near a boundary that need fire separation
a garage conversion that does not meet the ceiling height or ventilation needed for a habitable room
stairs or balustrades that would not meet today's code

Knowing this early lets your designer plan for it, instead of finding out during the approval.

Someone has asked for one

Council, a lender or a solicitor may ask for a compliance report, often after unapproved work is found. A report gives them independent written findings to work from. Check exactly what they want covered, so the report gives them what they need.

When another tool fits better

New work. A report does not approve anything. New building work needs a complying development certificate or a development consent and construction certificate.
Work still under construction. For approved work in progress, your principal certifier inspects it under that approval.
Pools for sale or lease. Pool barriers have their own certificate of compliance process under NSW pool law (Swimming Pools Act 1992).
Apartments or commercial buildings. These fall outside Class 1 and 10 registration, so look for a certifier who holds the right category.

Getting started

Gather what you have: old plans, approvals, certificates and notes on changes made over time. Missing records are common, and the report will work with what is available.

See our BCA compliance reports page for how a report is scoped, or our building information certificate page if council is involved. Then request a quote.

Local help across NSW

CertifiBuild certifies Class 1 and Class 10 work in 39 council areas. Local rules on these council pages are a good place to start: Blue Mountains City Council, Wollondilly Shire Council, Penrith City Council, North Sydney Council, Camden Council, Willoughby City Council.

Suburb pages with local planning notes: Blaxland, Buxton, Cambridge Park, Cammeray, Catherine Field, Chatswood West, Chipping Norton, Clarendon, Clontarf, Concord. You can also browse every service area.