Forum Replies Created
Hi Sean S,
as with most unapproved structures, they are built without having been certified by a qualified certifier or building inspector and therfore not signed of as being built to Building regulations and standards.
In saying that, if the structure collapsed or ripped apart from a storm and damaged other property or injured a person, you would have a very tough time proving to the insurance company that your unappreved structure was not to at fault, unless you stipulated on the insurance policy that there was unapproved structures to be covered. This is quite a concern, particurly if the stuctures look bodgy built or in need of repair to start with.
But first check if thestructures actually needed approval in the first place, but the structure you mention, this is unlikely.Of course, this does give you bargaining power to buy at a better price. Consider what it would cost you to get the structures approved and deduct that of your offer, making sure the agent relays the reason to the vendors for your lower offer.
food for thought, I hope it helps
PeterHi Land,
sorry for delay responding.
Unfortanately I am country NSW and not in contact with any Sydney builders on a regular basis to recommend anyone.good luck,
PeterHi Giulio, Luke,
yep Luke you are right, I did forget to mention the HIA and MBA options.
The catch here is you have to be a registerd member of these organisations to qualify for the course and here in NSW you can only qualify if you have a trade qualification, as the course is a "short cut course" its assumed there is previous knowledge and experince.
cheers
PeterHi Giulo,
Q 1, sorry Anny, in NSW, its one O/B permit issued every 5 years.If you sell an O/B property within 7 years you must provide Home warranty insurance for the sale contracts to be written up.
Q2. There is no such license title called "Master Builder". In NSW there is 3 licence classes, A, B, and C.
To quickly summarise:C Class licensed holders are able to build up to 2 storey buildings and small strata titled developments, dealing with spans of steel and concrete not over 7.5 meters.
B Class holders are able to build up to 3 storey and medium size developments.A class holders are unlimited in size, height and type. (similar I guess, to "master builder")
There are 2 Options to obtain these licences.
Opt.1, you must complete a TAFE or Uni Course of Advanced Diploma of Building (approx 4 years F/T) study.
You can opt out at stages of the course with Quals for "C" class ( equivalent to Cert 1V approx 2 yrs F/T) "B" class( 3 year's F/T) and so on, which then gives you the theoretical component of the Qualification.
The hiccup for some is, depends on what you plan doing with the Qual. If you plan on doing the physical on site work yourself you need to have at least 5 years on site practical experience to convince the Licensing authority that you have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform the required tasks involved to meet compliance.
The authorities will not just issue License to any body, just because they have obtained a Certificate 1V in Building and Construction.
Otherwise if you plan on being a sort of Project Supervisor and using your License Number on the development application , and therfore employing other people with the necessary skills to do the physical elements, due the lack of your site experience, this may allow the issuing authorities to allow you to proceed with your application.Please note though as part of the issuing of the license you have to provide evidence of all claims to meet the criteria for the issue of that License, including your status of financial security and also your ability to manage that aspect of the project/s.
Opt 2 is having minimum of 8 years on-site construction experience and then applying through TAFE or Industry Training Organisations (in your state) and sitting a rigorous exam set to meet the standards of that particular class of License.
The cost of applying for the exam is approx min$500-$600 depending on resits (2 allowed) etc.and still no guarantees you will be issued with a license by the authorities.
I hope I haven't waffled but it can be complicated, may I point out this information is relevant to NSW, but similar systems are in place in the other states..
cheers
peterthebuilder
