1. Against what safety is assessed
Here lies the most significant relief, and it often goes unnoticed. It concerns whether an audit is needed.
| Construction date | Safety assessed against | Additional condition |
|---|---|---|
| Before 01.01.2003 | the requirements in force at the time of construction | none |
| 01.01.2003 to 30.06.2015 | safety requirements | conformity with the detailed and comprehensive plan or with design conditions |
An old building is therefore not required to meet today's requirements. The additional condition in the second row is a planning matter rather than a technical one, and it can be harder to satisfy than the safety requirement itself, because construction work does not resolve it.
Establishing the construction date is the first task here too, as covered by the article on the four periods. The applicable regime follows from it.
2. When a building audit is carried out
An audit is not always carried out, and that is a financially significant clarification. The need depends on the type of building and the data.
The building design is taken as the basis for assessing the safety of a building. Where no building design exists, a building audit is carried out to assess safety.
The audit is therefore a substitute, not an addition: where a design exists, no audit is needed. The practical conclusion is that before commissioning an audit it is worth checking whether the building design exists anywhere, including in the municipal archive. That check is cheap and can save the entire cost of the audit.
3. What the audit replaces
The role of the audit in the procedure is clearly defined, and it is broader than safety. The audit also supplies data for the register.
| What the audit must make possible | Why |
|---|---|
| Replacing the building design in the permit or notice procedure | the procedure needs a base document |
| Entering the building's essential technical data in the building register | the register entry needs data |
| Where relevant, establishing conformity with the plan or design conditions | the additional condition of the second period |
The audit is therefore not only a safety assessment but also a data source for the register. A practical requirement follows: the audit must be detailed enough for the register entry to be possible, and this has to be stated when commissioning it.
4. What follows a positive result
The procedure does not end with the audit, and this is often assumed wrongly. The audit is one step, not the outcome.
Where the audit result is positive, the building meets the safety requirements and, where relevant, the plan or design conditions, and no further construction work is needed, an occupancy permit procedure must be initiated or an occupancy notice submitted. Which of the two applies is determined by the relevant annex to the Building Code.
As-built drawings must also be submitted, including the post-construction geodetic survey together with utility networks. The documents are submitted to the local authority electronically through the building register.
Legalisation therefore ends with the procedure for taking the building into use, which links this branch to the previous one. Only that gives the building its legal status.
5. Where the result is not positive
Two possible directions, whose difficulty differs considerably. One requires documents, the other also works.
Where further construction work is required, it must be carried out before the procedure continues; that is inconvenient but solvable. The ordinary procedure then follows.
Where the building does not conform to the plan, the question is a planning one rather than a technical one, and the solution may take longer. The second situation is harder precisely because construction work does not resolve it: here either the building or the planning basis has to change, and both take time.
Summary and four practical rules
The safety of a building erected before 1 January 2003 is assessed against the requirements in force at the time of construction, and a building erected later must in addition conform to the plan, which is a planning condition and therefore harder. An audit is carried out only where no building design exists, so searching the archive for the design can save the entire cost of the audit. The audit is not only a safety assessment but also a data source for the register entry, and the procedure ends with taking the building into use rather than with the audit.
Four rules: establish the construction date before commissioning anything, since it determines the requirements. Look for the building design before commissioning an audit, because the design replaces it. Commission the audit in enough detail for the register entry to be possible. Allow for legalisation ending with the occupancy procedure.
This article offers professional orientation as at the date of verification. It does not replace the assessment of the local authority.