New private building consent authority launches

A new private building consent service has launched, promising to cut waiting times and costs with faster approvals for "low-risk" house-building projects.

Building Consent Approvals will become the country's first independent residential building consent authority (BCA).

Operating nationally, it promises to soon be able to issue consents within 10 working days for eligible residential projects.

The privately-owned company has been accredited and registered as an independent Building Consent Authority and reviewed by International Accreditation New Zealand to ensure compliance with Building Act regulations.

It has been assessed against the same legislation as all council BCAs.

The new service was launched in Selwyn this morning.

Building Consent Approvals chair Tony Sewell said the service will focus on "low-risk residential housing, notably single-storey homes, rather than large or complex buildings".

"With BCA focused on low-risk residential housing, it will take the pressure off local body workloads so they can concentrate on commercial, retail, apartment buildings and more complex, higher risk projects," he said in a media release.

"Our goal is to make the building consent process faster, easier and cheaper. Our approach will support the rapid delivery of quality homes, particularly in high-growth areas like Selwyn and Christchurch, where housing demand continues to surge."

The company said it had full civil liability coverage for its activities, providing assurance to homeowners, developers and councils.

"As a government-approved, accredited co-regulator, our role is to ensure building risk, quality and civil liability responsibilities are covered," Sewell said.

The Building Act has allowed for independent building consent authorities to enter the market since 2004, as an alternative service to what's provided by local councils.

It comes as Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, who was unable to attend today's launch due to weather, has pushed to accelerate building projects. Last month, the Government announced it would bring in a new scheme allowing trusted builders to sign off their own work, in addition to targets to tackle building inspection wait times.

"Making it easier and more affordable to build opens the door to homeownership for more Kiwis, gives families choice about where they live, and supports growth and job creation in the construction sector," he said in April.

"We can’t achieve this vision while the building consent system remains slow and overloaded. Even simple, single-storey homes must go through around 12 inspections before they’re finished, with costly delays when demand is high.

"When many Kiwis are locked out of the housing market, that’s simply not good enough."

Last month, the Government also said it would increase the size of granny flats, able to be built without consent, from 60 to 70 square metres.