In the property development game, no person is an island. Every developer needs to work with a whole team of specialists across the lifetime of their project, with each advisor acting as an invaluable partner on the road to completion. These partners will include lawyers and conveyancers, whose job it is to ensure you’re complying with regulations, right through to accountants and financial advisers, who are there to help you minimise tax.
In this series, I want to introduce you to various members of your development team, and remove some of the uncertainty as to WHAT this person’s role actually is, and WHY you need them.
Let’s take a look at the Building Surveyor.
In Australia, a Building Surveyor is a professional who is tasked with ensuring a development is safe, energy efficient, accessible and livable. They have the authority to assess building plans and determine whether they comply with the law, with the Building Code of Australia and with any other requirements of the jurisdiction in which the development is based. As they are the ones responsible for issuing building permits, Building Surveyors can actually influence the design of a building too.
Throughout the lifetime of your project, a Building Surveyor will conduct inspections in order to ensure your development is being built as per plans and to regulations, and therefore they need to sign off each and every stage of construction. They can also conduct inspections for such things as compliance audits for insurance or dilapidation reports, and are in charge of monitoring the overall environmental impact of your project and ensuring building designs meet the needs of people with disabilities.
It’s worth noting too that only one Building Surveyor can be appointed to a project, and they are the one responsible for issuing the occupancy permit or certificate of final inspection. It goes without saying then, that their role within your development is VERY important.
Knowing where to start when developing a property, and who to call first, can be confusing, so let me help you make sense of it all. Get in touch today for a FREE consultation and let me help you get started building your development dream team.