Every street has them. Make sure yours isn't a surprise.
Unconsented decks, sleepouts, bathrooms, and garage conversions surface at the worst time — mid-sale, mid-refinance, or at claim time. BuildCert reads the documents you have and compiles an independent Compliance Information Report, so you can sort it out on your own terms.
Information only — BuildCert does not certify, approve, or lodge on your behalf. The determination always rests with you and your council.
Old work surfaces at the worst time.
Nobody plans for a buyer's lawyer spotting the gap in the LIM, or an insurer asking questions at claim time. The problem isn't that the work exists — it's that nobody has organised the information about it.
The deal stalls at due diligence
The buyer's lawyer compares the LIM to what's on the ground — and the sleepout isn't in it.
- Renegotiation, price reduction, or a collapsed sale
- Pressure to resolve in weeks, not months
- Every option is more expensive under deadline
Questions arrive with deadlines attached
Claims and refinancing both trigger a fresh look at what's consented.
- Claims on unconsented work can be declined
- Lenders may withhold or re-price against it
- Documented information is your strongest footing
Waiting doesn't make it go away
Unconsented work has no statute of limitations — the obligation stays with the property.
- Notices to fix can arrive years later
- A Certificate of Acceptance is the recognised pathway
- Approaching council prepared beats being caught out
Four steps. Fully self-serve. You stay in control.
No consultant booked, no opinion formed on your behalf. The software organises the information; every decision that follows is yours.
Tell us about it
The property, and the work you know (or suspect) isn't consented — a deck, a bathroom, a garage conversion.
Upload what you have
Old plans, a LIM, photos, invoices, certificates — whatever exists. Gaps are fine; finding them is the point.
The engine reads it
Clause by clause against the Building Code — including superseded editions, so older work is read against the Code of its day.
Your report & pathway
What's evidenced, what needs attention, what isn't documented — with references, ready for your next move.
Built on the deepest clause library in the country.
Every Building Code clause edition back to 1992, 1,991 MBIE determinations, and 9,600+ indexed resources — organised so your property is read against the right rules for its era.
The Code as it stood at the time
E2 External Moisture alone has been amended eleven times since 2004. Your report reads each item against the edition in force when the work was done.
Three states. No verdicts.
Each item lands in one of three informational states — paired with words, never colour alone. What you do with it stays your decision.
Findings you can act on directly
A live slice of a Compliance Information Report — clause, evidence trail, and state for every item.
Structure Pile fixings for the deck substructure are documented in the supplied invoice and photos.↳ ref: invoice-2019.pdf · site-photos 04, 07 Documented
Int. moisture Waterproofing membrane for the added bathroom shower is referenced but no producer statement located.↳ ref: reno-plan.pdf · p.2 — PS3 not found Attention
Safety from falling No barrier detail located for the deck edge above 1 metre fall height.↳ ref: not found in supplied documents Not evidenced
Walk into council prepared
A Certificate of Acceptance is the recognised pathway for unconsented work. The report organises what a CoA application draws on — the application, and the decision, remain yours and council's.
- What work was done, and roughly when — mapped to the Code of that era
- Which clauses the work engages, with the evidence you already hold
- The gaps worth closing before you apply — photos, statements, reports
- A referenced document you can hand to council, a lawyer, or a buyer's team
Every property, one standard
Run the same self-generated check across a portfolio — live jobs, listings, or a whole book of managed properties.
| Property | Items | Status mix |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Kauri Rd | 22 | 18 3 1 |
| 7B Marine Pde | 31 | 24 5 2 |
| 102 Gala St | 17 | 17 |
| 3/45 Rimu Ln | 26 | 19 4 3 |
Finding it now is the cheap version.
The same unconsented bathroom costs a different amount depending on when it surfaces — and who's holding the deadline.
You find it first
- Report maps what's evidenced and what isn't
- Close the gaps at your pace — photos, statements
- Approach council about a CoA prepared, not cornered
- Disclose with confidence when you do sell
The buyer's lawyer finds it
- Price renegotiation or a collapsed deal
- Rushed CoA under deadline pressure
- Possible remediation to current Code on someone else's timeline
- Weakest negotiating position you'll ever hold
The moment it clicks.
"We knew about the sleepout for fifteen years and just… didn't look at it. Having everything laid out clause by clause made ringing the council feel doable instead of terrifying."
"I hand the vendor a concrete next step instead of a shrug. It's changed the conversation at listing presentations."
"The bank asked about the garage conversion. Instead of panicking we sent the report, closed two gaps, and the refinance went through."
Illustrative scenarios while our beta runs — replaced with verified user feedback at launch.
What the engine reads against.
Independent means showing our sources. Crown-copyright material is read in full; copyrighted standards are cited by reference and never reproduced.
| Source | Depth | How it's used |
|---|---|---|
| NZ Building Code clauses A–HAcceptable Solutions & Verification Methods | Every edition, 1992 → today | Read in full — era-correct mapping to your work's date |
| MBIE determinationsHow clauses were interpreted in real disputes | 1,991 indexed | Read in full — precedent linked to relevant findings |
| Building Act 2004s40, s96–99 (CoA), Schedule 1 exemptions | Current + amendments | Read in full — pathway and exemption references |
| CodeMark & product appraisalsBRANZ appraisals, product certificates | 610+ indexed | Cited & linked — validity and scope flagged |
| NZS / ISO standardsNZS 3604, AS/NZS 3500 and others | 1,930+ indexed | Cited by number & edition — text not reproduced (copyright) |
What BuildCert is — and isn't.
Does BuildCert certify or approve my building?
No. BuildCert produces information only — what is and isn't evidenced against Building Code clauses. It's not a certificate, approval, or guarantee of any outcome.
Is BuildCert liable for my application?
No. The service is client-driven and independent. You generate the report, you decide how to use it, and the determination rests with you and your council.
Can I use this for old unconsented work?
Yes — it's the most common use. Supply what you have and the report reads it against the Code of its day, including superseded editions. Many owners use it to prepare a Certificate of Acceptance application.
Is a human reviewing my property?
No. The report is fully automated — software you direct. No BuildCert reviewer forms an opinion on your project, and we never contact your council.
Find out what your paperwork actually says.
We're onboarding early users at no charge while we test. You stay in control of your documents, the report, and every decision that follows.