Garage without CCC

[epoh]

Hi

Would like to know the repercussions of a garage without CCC, and also, how much would it cost to get a Certificate of Acceptance for that?

Thanks!

[Ivan McIntosh]

The worst possible repercussion is an order to demolish, if the garage is unsafe. Other than that, the usual repercussion is that you can't sell the property without fixing it, unless the purchaser is desperate enough to accept the lack of a CCC (and their bank, if ever told about it, is still willing to loan them money).

A Certificate of Acceptance involves someone accredited by Council certifying that as far as they can tell the garage looks like it complies with the Building Code. However, they may instead come up with a list of things that need to be fixed before a Cert of Acceptance can be granted. For that reason it is impossible to tell what the cost might be....it depends on what the certifier finds.

You can't get a certificate of acceptance for work carried out prior to 1992, or where the owner obtained a building consent for the work....it is for unauthorised building work only, so check that aspect.

[TheLiberalLeft]

Out of interest, Ivan, what happens next if the work was pre-1992 OR the owner got a building consent but no CCC?

[epoh]

The worst possible repercussion is an order to demolish, if the garage is unsafe. Other than that, the usual repercussion is that you can't sell the property without fixing it, unless the purchaser is desperate enough to accept the lack of a CCC (and their bank, if ever told about it, is still willing to loan them money).

A Certificate of Acceptance involves someone accredited by Council certifying that as far as they can tell the garage looks like it complies with the Building Code. However, they may instead come up with a list of things that need to be fixed before a Cert of Acceptance can be granted. For that reason it is impossible to tell what the cost might be....it depends on what the certifier finds.

You can't get a certificate of acceptance for work carried out prior to 1992, or where the owner obtained a building consent for the work....it is for unauthorised building work only, so check that aspect.

Hi Ivan,

Thanks. In that case, it doesnt seem good to get the property albeit at a slightly lower price if the garage is without CCC? I checked and noticed that the property does have a couple of stuff without CCC due to plumbing and drainage issues etc. Would it be a hassle to get such properties? Thanks!

[Kolyan]

Out of interest, Ivan, what happens next if the work was pre-1992 OR the owner got a building consent but no CCC?

I have been through both situations recently:

- if the work was pre-1992 you call up one of the master builders registered with Council, they check the site and issue Safe and Sanitary report (provided the structure is safe). This reports gets filed on Council records. The cost for issuing S&S and filing is about $600-700.

- if there is a building consent but no CCC - Council inspector has to come and check that the job has been carried out in accordance with the consent (not sure how much is it). In some cases you can avoid this inspection if you can prove that the work has been carried out professionally by a registered builder.

[Ivan McIntosh]

Thanks Kolyan....I wasn't sure whether the council still allowed safe and sanitaries.

Epoh, you have to be careful that you have correctly priced the discount, using a professional certifier to check and advise whether it is going to be a problem. Either way you are somewhat taking risk on to yourself, so best negotiate in some leg room to make it potentially a win-win solution for you instead of just an un-recompensed risk. Or just avoid it, if the potential gain is not worth the risk.

Lack of CCCs can also scare off your bank...unless it's something fairly inconsequential like a shed or garage and they already have plenty of LVR legroom. They may want to see a report from a certifier/builder and a quote and timeframe to get the Certs Acceptance, or lower the LVR, or just not lend.

[clark22]

The Christchurch City Council operates as a Building Consent Authority (BCA), providing building owners and contractors building consents for work requiring approval and inspection under the Building Act 2004.