Class 2 Building Practitioner

Your Vision Becoming  Reality

Class 2 Building Practitioner

HoverCo is a reputable class 2 building practitioner based in the heart of Sydney’s Northern Beaches that takes pride in our workmanship and strives to exceed our clients’ expectations.

Our mission is to achieve your dreams by building exceptional structures, establishing a quality standard, and being aware of reforms in the building industry set by the NSW Government and the Master Builders Association.

What are Class 2 Buildings?

Class 2 buildings are usually multi-storey, multi-unit apartment buildings where people live above or below each other.

Class 2 may also be a single storey attached dwelling where there is a common space below such as a carpark or basement.

A few examples according to the Design and Building Practitioners Act (D&BP Scheme):

Multi-residential apartment buildings

Apartment building with offices occupying some floors

What is the Design and Building Practitioners Scheme?

The Design and Building Practitioners Scheme (D&BP Scheme) consists of the D&BP Act, the D&BP Regulation, and the Ministerial Order 2021. It came into effect in July 2021 and adds an important layer to regulating the residential industry setting new obligations for professionals who work on Class 2 buildings in NSW to prevent building defects and further consequences.

Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020: https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2020-007#sec.1

Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2021: https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2021-0152

Building Classes Explained: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/trades-and-businesses/construction-and-trade-essentials/DBP-regulated-buildings

Steps Involved in a Class 2 Building Project

Who is involved in a Class 2 Building Project?

Design Practitioner: must be registered under the Design and Building Practitioner scheme to prepare and lodge regulated designs.Regulated designs are designs related to a building element or the development of a performance solution on a regulated Class 2 building. These designs must be lodged on the NSW Planning Portal before any building work relevant to the designs can start. The building practitioner or ‘appointed practitioner’ is responsible for lodging these designs and declarations. A certifier cannot issue a construction certificate or a complying development certificate for regulated work without declared designs by a registered design practitioner.

Class 2 Building Practitioner: is someone who agrees to do or oversee building work on a class 2 building.The building practitioner must be registered to carry out this function on a regulated class of building. The building practitioner is responsible for declaring that building work has been constructed in accordance with the declared designs and the work that otherwise complies with the Building Code of Australia.

The building compliance declaration and any as-built designs must be lodged on the NSW Planning Portal prior to the application for an occupation certificate.Building practitioners have obligations to lodge designs, make declarations and maintain their registration.

Registered certifiers: are public officials and independently provide oversight of building construction and subdivision work. They are registered and regulated by NSW Fair Trading. In addition to the certifier’s obligations under the Building and Development Certifiers Act 2018, the certifier must not issue a construction certificate or a complying development certificate for any stage of the project until they have reviewed all declared designs for building work covered by that certificate. Certifiers have certain responsibilities when working on regulated buildings under the Design and Building Practitioners scheme in NSW.

Class 2 Professional Engineer: are required to carry out professional engineering work on a class 2 building. This includes work in either civil, electrical, fire safety geotechnical, mechanical or structural engineering work.

Before Building Works Starts

Before starting any work on a Class 2 Building, a registered Design Practitioner must prepare designs and design compliance declarations for the building practitioner to lodge on the NSW Planning Portal.

Not all works conducted on a Class 2 Building must be registered e.g. a roofed structure over a balcony, deck, patio, or terrace, whether open or enclosed, unless the roofed structure is installed above the existing topmost roof of the building.

To simplify, any structural work should be registered.

Lodge Designs, Documents and Compliance Declarations

A registered design practitioner or a building practitioner should lodge the documents on the NSW Planning Portal.

A regulated design includes plans, specifications, and reports detailing the design prepared for building work (construction, alteration, addition, repair, renovation, or protective treatment of a Class 2 Building).

Ready to Start

After all regulated documents are lodged, the project is ready to start. 

NSW Planning Portal: https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au

D&BP Regulation 2021 (Division 3 – Building Work): https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2021-0152

Why you should choose HoverCo for your Class 2 building project

HoverCo is a reputable building company based in the heart of Sydney’s Northern Beaches. We are a registered Class 2 building practitioner that takes pride in our workmanship and strives to exceed our clients’ expectations.

We offer an extensive range of construction services alongside a vast network of highly-experienced, quality and licensed tradespeople. We specialise in beautiful kitchens, flawless bathrooms, windows, doors, renovations & extensions. We have an extensive history of work previously carried out on Class 2 building projects. We have an existing network of Class 2 certified professionals to carry out every aspect of a Class 2 project. Please fill out the form below and we will contact you to discuss your project.