Building Warrant of Fitness
The Building Act governs buildings across New Zealand including the standard of construction and maintenance. Under the Building Act, there are specified systems like an alarm or fire suppression system, lifts or mechanical ventilation. If your building has any of these then you need to obtain and display a Building warrant of fitness. This includes all premises that have commercial kitchens running ducted extraction systems.
Without a current Building Warrant of Fitness, you are liable to fines and your insurance may not be covered. More importantly without regular testing, you won’t know whether your building’s systems are safe and will work as they should.
Key information about Building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF)
What is a Building Warrant of Fitness?
A Building Warrant of Fitness is a statement that shows all specified systems listed in the compliance schedule have been properly maintained and checked. The compliance schedule lists all the specified systems present in the building. If your building is new then you’ll get a compliance schedule when the work is complete. After that warrants must be renewed annually.
Who decides which systems need to be checked?
The local authority is in charge of specifying which systems should be checked and how often they need to be checked.
Do I need to display the warrant of fitness record?
Yes. You’ll get a Form 12A (certificate of compliance with inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures) if your building passes the inspection. One copy needs to be displayed in your building in a place where it is visible to anyone entering the building. Another copy needs to be sent to the local authority.
Building Warrant of Fitness inspections must be done by an IQP like National Hood
In order to get your Form 12A, your inspection must be carried out by an Independent Qualified Person (IQP).
National Hood is a registered IQP and can carry out inspections for you when required. We specialise in ducted extraction systems cleaning for commercial kitchens. For extra peace of mind, we keep all reports and paperwork for seven years in case you need to access a copy.
Our team of expert commercial kitchen cleaners can also schedule regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure that your systems are always working as they should.
If you need to arrange a new Building Warrant of Fitness or yours is due for renewal, talk to National Hood about an inspection. Alternatively, contact us to discuss setting up a cleaning programme for your kitchen systems.