avoid the pitfalls

When planning an office move or refurbishment you need to be aware of the approval process that governs the industry. There are many aspects to the approval process for a fit out, and a set sequence by which they need to be considered. If you get this wrong you will not be allowed

to move in and your business will be without a home.

10 Things You Need to Know about Statutory Approvals

1. In order to gain approval for a fit out you need the landlord and the local council to approve the scheme. This means they need to approve your plans.
2. Before embarking on the approvals you first need to establish whether the building in question has any unusual qualities. For example ,does it requires a change of use order or is it listed on the Heritage register. These ambiguities will throw up additional challenges which you will need to seek relevant advice for.
3. The two essential approvals that are required for every fit out are a) Development Application (DA) and b) Construction Certificate (CC). If there are no ambiguities with the building, these two approvals can be combined into a joint application – Combined Development Certificate (CDC).
4. A CDC can be obtained either directly from the council or through a Private Certifying Authority (PCA). Often PCA’s are used as they will take care of all the paperwork on your behalf, making the process quicker.
5. The first step is to develop and approve your fit out plans. These will then need to be approved by the landlord who will need to sign the CDC paperwork to certify that they approve the work to their building.
6. The plans will need to be drawn up with all Australian Standards satisfied (disabled aspects, escape distances, corridor widths, fire services, air conditioning, egress and access, bathrooms etc), in order to achieve compliance. Often the landlord will insist that air conditioning, electrical, fire and hydraulics engineering drawings are prepared, before they approve your plans. Ask the landlord what level of detail they need in advance to avoid unnecessary delays.
7. Once the landlord has approved your plans the Private Certifier or the Council will accept the CDC application. When the application is submitted, it will carry a levy fee which
will need to be paid by you. This levy is called the Long Service Levy and is expressed as a % of the likely anticipated construction costs.
8. Assuming the plans are compliant, the landlord has approved them and the fee has been paid, the PCA or the Council
will then issue the CDC approval. Once approval is issued construction can commence
9. Upon completion of the construction period, all major contractors engaged on the project will need to certify their work. These certificates are sent to the PCA / Council for review.
10. The PCA or the Council will then visit the completed site and check that the construction matches the approved plans.
If this is the case an Occupation Certificate will be issued to grant access. Often an interim Occupation Certificate is issued if a project completion is staged. Without an Occupation Certificate your business cannot occupy the building.