– Commencement of Changes for Design & Building Practitioners –

In light of the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 taking affect mid June 2020, from 1 July 2021, design and building practitioners that carry out work on Class 2 buildings (under the BCA) are required to be registered under a new ‘Compliance Declaration Scheme’. The scheme means only registered practitioners can make compliance declarations of design or building work, and lodge documents through the NSW Planning Portal.

It is mandatory for practitioners to complete and pass two (2) online learning modules via the ‘Construct NSW Digital Learning Platform’ before registering. Those who apply for registration before 31 December 2021 will have the advantage to continue working whilst Fair Trading assesses the application. However, if registration is applied after 31 December 2021, any compliance declarations and lodgement of documents will have to cease until application is approved.

As Fire Safety Constructions’ work predominantly involves Class 2 residential buildings, our staff will register under the ‘Compliance Declaration Scheme’. We welcome reforms that are established to assure credibility and improve the compliance of buildings in the construction industry.