Why get licensed?
The New Zealand Government licence building practitioners so that the New Zealand public can have confidence that LBPs working on their homes and buildings are competent, and that homes and buildings are designed and built right. Licensing promotes, recognises and supports professional skills and behaviour in the building industry.
Holding a licence allows you to carry out or supervise Restricted Building Work (RBW), which includes important and critical residential building work (including design work). If you are not licensed, you are not able to carry out RBW and it is an offence (with a fine of up to $50,000) for an unlicensed building practitioner to carry out RBW unless they or someone supervising their work is appropriately licensed.
Restricted Building Work has more information.
Aside from the right to carry out RBW, licensing also provides you with an ability to show the public and potential clients that you meet a minimum standard of competency in your licensed area. This allows those clients to have confidence in your knowledge and skill, and raises you above an unlicensed building practitioner. LBPs are listed on the Public Register, which is searchable from our website. This assists the public and clients in finding and contacting you for work they want to undertake.
As an LBP, you are provided with important updates relating to regulatory and technical changes in areas related to your work. You are also required to undertake skills maintenance to continue to promote and uplift your knowledge and skill. Overtime, these will help you stay current and up to speed with industry changes and make sure that you’re able to stay on the right side of your obligations.
LBPs have responsibilities, including accountability to the Building Practitioners Board and only working within your area of competence.