BPC/VBA Building Inspector Exam cheat sheet

Building legislation is hierarchical: Act, then regulations, then building code, then referenced standards, then ministerial guidelines; a lower tier cannot contradict a higher one.

Practitioner registration and endorsement obligations attach to individuals, not firms; a company holding a licence does not make its unregistered employees registered practitioners.

Statutory duty of care: a practitioner must carry out work with reasonable care and skill, comply with the Act and regulations, and not sign off work they did not supervise or inspect.

A building surveyor must not accept an appointment where a conflict of interest exists, including a financial interest in the building work being assessed.

Record-keeping obligations require retention of inspection records, certificates and determinations for the period prescribed by regulation; loss of records is itself a breach.

Notifiable conduct and disciplinary grounds typically include incompetence, negligence, fraud, and signing certificates without adequate inspection.

Privacy and information-sharing rules limit disclosure of client information except to regulators, insurers, or as required by law.

Delegation is limited: statutory functions such as issuing building permits cannot be delegated to unregistered or unauthorised persons.

A building permit is required before commencing building work unless a specific exemption applies (minor repairs, certain unroofed structures, maintenance).

The building surveyor is the statutory decision-maker for the permit; the role is independent of the builder and designer, and the surveyor must not be the designer or builder of the same work.

Permit application must include plans, specifications, allotment details, owner details, builder details, and evidence of required consents (planning, owner-builder, insurance).

The surveyor must be satisfied the proposed work will comply with the building code and relevant standards before issuing a permit.

Permit conditions can impose inspections, staging, or documentation requirements; breach of a condition is an offence.

Amendments to a permit require a variation application assessed by the same surveyor or a successor with access to the full file.

A permit lapses if work does not commence within the prescribed period (commonly 12 months) or is suspended beyond the prescribed period.

The surveyor must issue a certificate of final inspection or occupancy permit only after all mandatory inspections are complete and compliance is verified.

Mandatory inspection stages typically include: footing/foundation before pouring, slab before pouring, frame before cladding, waterproofing before tiling, and final inspection.

A mandatory inspection must be physically conducted before the next stage is covered or concealed; a 'desktop' sign-off without site attendance is not compliant.

The surveyor may require additional inspections beyond the mandatory set where risk, complexity, or non-compliance history warrants.

The builder must notify the surveyor at the prescribed stage; the surveyor must attend within the prescribed timeframe or the work may proceed only as permitted by regulation.

Inspection must verify compliance with the approved plans, the building code, and any permit conditions, and must be documented with date, stage, findings, and outcome.

If non-compliance is found, the surveyor issues a written direction; work must not proceed past the stage until rectification is verified.

Inspection of a stage does not relieve the builder of responsibility for work not yet inspected or for latent defects.

Provisional or staged occupancy may require separate inspections and certificates for each separable part.

Each inspection record must identify the site, permit number, stage, date, inspector, compliance outcome, and any directions issued.

Photographic or documentary evidence should be retained where compliance is marginal or a direction is issued.

The surveyor's file must be complete enough for a successor surveyor to continue oversight without re-inspecting completed stages.

Site oversight includes monitoring that work matches approved plans and that no unauthorised variations or concealment occur between inspections.

Records of non-compliance and rectification must be closed out with a follow-up inspection record, not simply annotated.

Notices, directions and certificates must be served in the manner prescribed (in person, post, or electronic) and proof of service retained.

Records are discoverable in disciplinary and civil proceedings; incomplete records undermine the surveyor's position.

Audit trails should link each certificate issued to the underlying inspection records that support it.

The building code sets performance requirements; deemed-to-satisfy provisions are one way to comply, but alternative solutions require evidence of equivalence.

Referenced standards (e.g., structural, fire, energy, waterproofing) are incorporated by reference and are enforceable as part of the code.

Enforcement tools include directions to rectify, stop-work orders, infringement notices, building orders, and prosecution.

A building order can require demolition, rectification, or completion of work, and non-compliance can lead to the regulator completing the work and recovering costs.

The regulator may suspend or cancel a practitioner's registration for serious or repeated non-compliance.

Occupancy permits or certificates of final inspection must not be issued where essential safety measures are not in place.

Essential safety measures must be maintained for the life of the building; maintenance schedules and records are enforceable obligations.

Appeals against enforcement decisions generally lie to a review body or court within a prescribed time; late appeals may be refused.

Domestic building insurance is generally required for domestic building work above a prescribed contract value, taken out by the builder before work commences.

The insurer's liability is typically triggered by death, disappearance, insolvency, or failure of the builder to complete or rectify.

Cover has limits: a maximum amount per dwelling, exclusions for owner-supplied materials, and non-structural exclusions may apply.

The owner must be given a certificate of insurance and the policy wording before work begins; failure is a breach by the builder.

Consumer protection includes statutory warranties (workmanship, materials, fitness for purpose, compliance with law) that survive completion.

Defects liability periods distinguish structural defects (longer) from non-structural defects (shorter); claims must be lodged within the prescribed period.

Dispute resolution typically requires an internal complaint, then a regulator or dispute resolution body, before litigation.

Domestic building contracts must be in writing, contain prescribed disclosures, and include a cooling-off period where required.