New online system for building permit applications commences 1 July

THE Victorian Building Authority is in the process of creating a new Building Activity Management System, a new online system for the application and issuing of building permits, commencing on 1 July 2019.

The introduction of BAMS corresponds with the recent changes to section 18AA of the Building Act 1993, which is to be effective as of the 1 July 2019.

The new changes being considered are:
• The relevant building surveyor, on accepting an application for a building permit, is required to apply to the VBA for a building permit number.
• The application must be in a form approved by the VBA, and include an estimate of the cost of building work and an estimate of the building permit levy, and payable include the prescribed information.
• The relevant building surveyor is able to consider an application for a building permit while waiting for the issuing of the building permit number by the VBA.
• The building permit levy is paid.
• Information required in the form is provided.
• Any information as required by the Building Regulations is provided.

These changes mean that from 1 July 2019, the VBA will issue a building permit number only to the relevant building surveyor and the subsequent building permit once.

As such, these changes mean that the relevant building surveyor is no longer able to issue a building permit without going through the above process.

It is extremely important that the information provided to the relevant building surveyor when lodging an application for a building permit is fully completely detailed and includes the prescribed information and cost of building work.

The Building Act does include prescribed time frames for the VBA to process an application for a building permit number; it is likely that this process may cause some delays for building permit applications to be issued by the relevant building surveyor.