A Registered Certifier assesses and determine applications for development approvals for building works prior to construction starting. They are regulated by NSW Fair Trading and can issue Construction, Complying Development and Occupation Certificates to certify that they are satisfied that a development meets the applicable legislative requirements.

A Principal Certifier is appointed prior to any works commencing and engaged to carry out mandatory inspections associated with a build during the construction process. They will ensure the structure is completed is accordance with the approved consent and plans as well as checking compliance against the Building Code of Australia (BCA) requirements during the build.
Upon completion of all mandatory inspection and final document provided (where applicable) an Occupation Certificate will be issued by the Principal Certifier.

All works where a Complying Development (CDC) or Development Application and Construction Certificate (DA/CC) have been issued and noted mandatory inspections are required will need a Principal Certifier (PC) allocated to complete mandatory inspections.  If a Principal Certifier (PC) is not legally nominated, the build will be deemed to be unauthorised work which at any stage council may ask you to stop work and obtain necessary certificates to continue the build.  Council also have the authority to impose fines in these situations.

Upon lodgement of your request for a Complying Development or Construction Certificate to New Home Certification Group you can nominate a PC at this stage by ticking the ‘Appointment of PC’ box on our application form. 

A mandatory inspection is an inspection that must be completed during the build process at the appropriate time for the Private Certifier to inspect to ensure the build is in accordance with state government legislation and Building code of Australia.  Upon completion of all satisfactory mandatory inspections the private certifier will issue an occupation certificate.

Mandatory inspections will be determined by the Private Certifier upon review and approval of the application.  The inspections required and how many will depend on the structure being build and material being used. Your approval will include a list of all mandatory inspections required.

You can email us at [email protected] or click on our ‘contact’ page and fill in relevant details.  You will need the address of the property; date inspection required and contact number when requesting an inspection.  If inspection is booked before 2pm you can have the inspection carried out the following day. NOTE: Specific times of when the inspection will be carried out cannot be given.

A missed inspection form will be required to be completed detailing the reason why inspection was not booked should any mandatory inspections be missed during construction.  The principal certifying authority will review and advise if any further information/document is needed to meet the requirements to pass inspection.  (Please raise with NHCG Staff for Missed Inspection form)

An Occupation Certificate is proof that the structure has been constructed legally and complies with all relevant state guidelines and the Building Code of Australia (BCA).  It is extremely important to be obtained as you are unable to occupy or use the development without it and if not obtained may impede on the ability to sell your existing property.

If all mandatory inspections have been carried out, required documentation provided, relevant conditions of consent addressed, and the structure is deemed safe to occupy/use a Partial Occupation Certificate can be issued by the Principal certifier.

A Final/Whole Occupation certificate must be issued on all jobs even if a Part/Interim Certificate has been issued.  The Interim/Part allows you to live/use the structure but notes there are still pending items to address.  NOTE: Final/Whole Occupation Certificate is needed to confirm all works have been completed and will be required when/if you choose to sell the property.

Upon completion of the satisfactory final inspection of your structure and receipt of any supporting documentation/certificates (if applicable) an occupation certificate will be issued automatically.  If an Interim/Part certificate is issued, the owner/applicant will have to contact New Home Certification Group when any pending items have been completed to make an application for a Whole occupation certificate which will involve booking in a final re-inspection to have occupation certificate issued.

A Development Application is an application for development that requires approval under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.  This application is submitted to your local council for assessment and approval.

All applications must be lodged via the NSW Planning portal www.planningportal.com.au. Download and complete our Application Form and provide relevant information, upon receipt of the Development Application approval from council. Once submitted through the portal it will automatically be submitted to the nominated certifier.

Approximate turnaround time for a Construction Certificate once all items received is 3-5 working days.

A Construction Certificate expires the same date as the Development Consent does. Work must commence before the expiry date of a construction certificate and has no date limit on completion of works.  However, your approval issued by New Home Certification Group Pty Ltd is only valid for 2 years from date of approval.  You must have completed the building works, had all mandatory inspections carried out and a Whole Occupation Certificate issued within this timeframe to avoid contract extension fees being applied.

Neighbour notification would have been completed during the Development Assessment Process whilst in council so no further notification is required for Construction Certificate. 

Before any works commence on site, you must review the conditions of the consent of the approval and nominate a Principal Certifier (if not already).  The applicant/owner must give both the Private Certifier and Council written notice 48 hours prior to work starting.

If you have obtained a Development Consent from Council, you will need a Construction Certificate before any works can commence (excluding Demolition Consent) on site.

The Construction Certificate gives you consent to build the proposal specified on the certificate issued. You will also need to nominate a Principal Certifier to carry out inspections and issue an occupation certificate. New Home Certification Group can provide all these services by selecting the relevant boxes on the application form.

Applications are assessed depending on the type of work being completed.  If you are looking for a cost, click on our ‘Request a Quote’ option and provide relevant details for a quote to be issued within 48 hours.

All applications must be lodged via the NSW Planning portal www.planningportal.com.au. Download and complete our Application Form and provide relevant information as per our CDC Checklist. Once submitted through the portal it will automatically be submitted to the nominated certifier.

Approximate turnaround time is 5-10 working days from the date all required information has been received.

A Complying Development Approval is a fast-tracked approval process compared to the Development Application/Construction Certificate process. It does, however, have very strict guidelines to comply with to be considered under Complying Development.  New dwellings, alterations & additions and swimming pools are some examples of what may be considered under Complying Development however it is best to refer to the State Environmental Planning Portal and Council Development Control plans to determine which option is best for your build.

Work must commence works within 5 years of the date the complying development certificate was issued and has no limit on completion of works. However, your approval issued by New Home Certification Group Pty Ltd is only valid for 2 years from date of approval.  You must have completed the building works, had all mandatory inspections carried out and a Whole Occupation Certificate issued within this timeframe to avoid contract extension fees being applied.

Neighbour notification is not required for any properties falling under Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla, or Bega Council area.

Before any works commence on site, you must review the conditions of the consent of the approval and nominate a Principal Certifier (if not already).  The applicant/owner must give both the Private Certifier and Council written notice 48 hours prior to work starting. 

The Complying Development Certificate gives you consent to build the proposal specified on the certificate issued.  You will also need to nominate a Principal Certifier to carry out inspections and issue an occupation certificate.  New Home Certification Group can provide all these services by selecting the relevant boxes on the application form.

Applications are assessed depending on the type of work being completed.  If you are looking for a cost, click on our ‘Request a Quote’ option and provide relevant details for a quote to be issued within 48 hours.

All pools capable of being filled with water to a depth greater the 300mm and are used for swimming, wading, paddling or any other human aquatic activity.  Whether they are temporary or long-term need approval under Section 7 of the Swimming Pools Act 1982 (NSW) and Swimming Pools Regulations 2008 (NSW).  They also need to be registered on the swimming pool register.

In most local councils in NSW a portable spa with a lockable hardcover does not require approval however it would still need to be registered on the swimming pool register to ensure there is a lockable cover and resuscitation chart. Please check your local government requirements.

If your proposed pool has a volume of more than 40,000 litres, you will need to organise a BASIX certificate to be provided with the application for assessment.

Depending on the type of pool you are constructing (concrete, fibreglass or aboveground) will depend on the required mandatory inspections needed.  When engaging a Principal Certifier, they can advise what inspections are needed and at what stage they are to take place.

Upon completion of the pool construction, you as the owner/applicant will need to register your pool through the NSW Government website at www.swimmingpoolregister.nsw.gov.au There are checklists on this site suitable to assist in obtaining a certificate.  All swimming pools are required to be added to this register.  Once your pool is registered you will receive a certificate to download which needs to be provided to the Private Certifier prior to issuing the occupation certificate.

A Complying Development Approval is a fast-tracked approval process compared to the Development Application/Construction Certificate process. It does however, have very strict guidelines to comply with in order to be considered under Complying Development.  It is best to refer to the State Environmental Planning Portal and Council Development Control plans to determine which option is best for your build.

If you are constructing a new pool and have had the required inspections throughout the build an occupation certificate will be issued upon completion of the final inspection. You should not be utilising the pool until this certificate is issued as the Occupation Certificate confirms all requirements have been met and pool and fencing comply with current legislation.

If you have had a pool completed and fence constructed prior to 1 May 2013 and you would like to confirm it complies, contact us directly and we can organise an inspection to confirm compliance and issue a Compliance Certificate.  If the fence is non-compliant, we can advise of the rectifications needed to be made for it to be compliant.

You can use the boundary fence as part of the pool fence if it is at least 1800mm in height measured from inside the pool area.  The gap from the bottom of the fence to the ground level can be no more than 100mm and if the fence has any vertical members then they need to be more than 100mm apart.

The house external wall can be used as part of a pool fence if any openable windows directly leading into the pool area have a locking device or security screen fixed to the house that prevents it opening more than 100mm.

Approximate turnaround time is 16 working days (assuming all required documentation is received) as Demolition Applications are subject to a 14-day neighbour notification period before an approval can be issued.

A Demolition Application can be approved under Complying Development in most cases so can be done directly through a Private Certifier negating the need to go through local council. If approved by a Private Certifier the documents are lodged to council within 48 hours of approval for their records.

Work must commence within 5 years of the date the complying development certificate is issued and has no limit on completion of works. However, your approval issued by New Home Certification Group Pty Ltd is only valid for 2 years from date of approval.  You must have completed the demolition works and provided us with both Demolition and Asbestos Clearance Certificates within this timeframe to avoid contract extension fees being applied.

A Section 10.7 Planning Certificate is issued by your local council and gives information on the development potential of a specific block of land including any planning restrictions that apply to the land as at the date of issue.  This includes the zoning of the property and state and local planning controls.

Upon receipt of the Demolition Approval the applicant/owner will need to give the Private Certifier and Council written notice 48 hours prior to work starting.  As the application has been approved under Complying Development, the applicant/owner must also give the neighbouring owners 7 days’ notice of the intention to start works (letters to give to neighbours will be included within your approved documents.

All neighbours within 20m of your property will be notified of the proposed demolition, however as the application is following NSW Housing Code guidelines the owner is unable to object or delay the approval of the application. Owners’ details will be given to all neighbours within 20m of the property to discuss the application should they wish; however, they cannot stop the application being approved if it is compliant with State guidelines.

Once all demolition works are complete and site is clear the owner/applicant must submit an asbestos clearance certificate issued by an independent licensed demolisher to the certifier for review.  The certifying company will then issue a letter confirming the required documentation has been received.

Any trees that need to be removed from your property will need separate approval from council if they are 8m or taller or are noted as a significant tree to your council area.  Please seek advice from council for further information as the Demolition Approval does not give approval for these trees to be removed.

A dilapidation report shows the condition of a property at any given point in time.  It records any existing damage and any aspects of the existing building that may be affected by the proposed demolition works.

If the demolition works are within 900mm of any wall or structure (either on your property or neighbour property) it is a requirement under the SEPP (Exempt and Complying Development Code) 2008 for a Dilapidation report to be completed and submitted to the Certifier and Council prior to any demolition works starting.