Issue 73-NSW - July 2010

building & property Building Control System Matthew McNamara, Manager of Building Surveying, advises that some new clients of our Group don’t appear to fully understand the various roles and responsibilities between certifying authority, consent authority, accredited certifiers and principal certifying authority (HENDRY)   (more...)   NSW Fire Brigade Fees John Rigney, Director, reports that, from 1 July 2010, the NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB) have commenced charging fees for the provision of Initial Fire Safety Reports under Clause 144 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Regulation). This is in addition to the fees which have been charged by the Brigades for the past year for inspections and issuing of Final Fire Safety Reports under Clause 152 and EP&A Regulation. (HENDRY)   (more...)   Performance Standard for Bushfire Shelters Roman Cwyk, Senior Building Surveyor, advises that the ABCB has released a Performance Standard for the design and construction of private bushfire shelters.  The standard is known as “Performance Standards for Private Bushfire Shelters Part 1”.  Early use of the Standard will contribute to consideration for inclusion in BCA 2011.  (ABCB)   (more...)   Access Changes in Public Buildings Matthew McNamara, Manager Building Surveying, reports that the Australian Building Code Board is advising that essential seminars on access changes in public building is to occur around the country commencing in August. The Disability (Access to Premises Building) Standards (Premises Standards) (ABCB)   (more...)   Building Surveying Fees John Rigney, Director, advises that as building code complexity increases so will the time and effort to check and approve designs by the building surveyor.  (HENDRY)   (more...)   BCA Illustrated - Your Guide BCA Illustrated provides the BCA in both a downloadable Desktop Edition (no internet connection required) and an Online Edition with over 3000 illustrations, issues and explanations all exclusive to BCA Illustrated.  Printing or saving clauses and illustrations for clients or personal use are just some of the many features of BCA Illustrated. BCA 2010 is available at our updated website now.  (HENDRY)   (more...)   Don't Forget the Fire Brigades Roman Cwyk, Senior Building Surveyor,  advises that the NSW Fire Brigades expects parties involved in an Alternative Solution, for a new development or developments involving significant alterations, to consult with the Brigade’s Fire Safety Division (HENDRY)   (more...)   Housing Code Improvements Mathew McNamara, Manager Building Surveying, reports that a number of additions and improvements have been made to the NSW Housing Code. From 4 June 2010, applicants are able to undertake a wider range of projects as complying development. (HENDRY)   (more...)   safety measures & risk management Fire Safety Measure Schedules Adrian Righele, National Manager, advises the first most property owners know about essential safety measures is when they are nominated on a statutory document requiring the owner (and tenant in some states) to ensure the essential safety measures are inspected (EPS)   (more...)   Whole of Building Commissioning Greg Payne, our General Manager of Building Surveying, has written an article titled "Whole of Building Commissioning - A Building Surveyors Perspective", which was published in AIRAH's EcoLibrium magazine (EPS)   (more...)   Annual Fire Safety Statements Roman Cwyk, Senior Building Surveyor, is reminding building owners of their legal obligation, under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000, to supply an annual fire safety statement to Council and the Fire Commissioner (NSW Fire Brigades) and have the statement prominently displayed in the building. (EPS)   (more...)   Maintenance of Fire Systems and Equipment Adrian Righele, National Manager, reports that property managers must be aware of AS1851 – 2005 Maintenance of Fire Protection Systems and Equipment. Regulatory compliance requires adherence to this standard. An abstract of the standards contents is attached and should be viewed in context of leases and contracts. (SAI GLOBAL)   (more...)   Would You Like A Career With Us? Adrian Righele, our National Manager, advises Essential Property Services is experiencing further client growth and as a result we seek the services of a Safety Measures Manager for our Brisbane and Sydney offices.  If you are interested in a career with an innovative company, for Brisbane click here, for Sydney click here (EPS)   Life After Essential Service Inspections Bruce Chaplin, Director Facility Management Essentials, reports managing your essential safety measures (ESM) can be time consuming, difficult and can leave the Real Estate Agent and Property Manager exposed to fines and penalties. Undertaking the regular maintenance testing and inspections is only half of the job (fmXpert)   (more...)   Property & Facility Management Software fmXpert is a fully integrated Property and Facilities management system. Using the latest technology this system provides a simple user interface, web access, and mobile technology. Key features include Lease Management, Asset Management, Job Management, Document Management, many clients user fmXpert to monitor essential services.   (more...)

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