Suspensions – it is your choice

Codewords 100: April 2021

By Vanessa Moeniu, Investigator, Occupational Licensing, MBIE.

There are several types of licensed building practitioner (LBP) licensing suspension – voluntary, relicensing, or disciplinary. Voluntary suspensions are by choice, but relicensing or disciplinary suspension happens as a result of your actions as an LBP.

All suspensions appear on your public register page, the reason for the suspension is described including for disciplinary or relicensing reasons. Clients might steer away from you if you have a disciplinary or relicensing suspension history, so maintaining your current licence status can be very important to your reputation and future business.

Voluntary Suspension

You may choose to have your licence (or a class of licence) suspended for up to two years by completing the ‘Voluntary suspension of licence form’. You can end your voluntarily suspension at any time by completing the ‘Ending voluntary suspension of licence form’. You need to continue to maintain your skills while on a voluntary suspension.

These two forms can be found on the LBP website

Voluntary suspensions are shown on the public register, but are described as ‘at the request of the practitioner’, to separate them from suspensions placed on your licence by the Registrar or Building Practitioners Board.

Relicensing Suspension

Every year, the Registrar will make contact with you about a month prior to your licence ID card expiring to ensure that you wish to remain licensed.

You can renew your licence online, or contact the LBP licensing team. Your licence will be suspended if you do not respond, if you do not pay your yearly licensing fee or do not complete your skills maintenance (required every 2 years).

It is important to make contact with the LBP team and renew your licence (which can be done online) because if your licence is suspended you will be considered ‘non-licensed’. When you are ‘non-licensed’ you are not able to carry out Restricted Building Work (RBW) unless you’re supervised by a LBP, and you can’t supervise RBW. You also can’t tell people that you are an LBP.

Your suspension is required by law to be shown on the public register for 3 years. You cannot request to have your suspension history removed. A suspension can impact on your ability to get jobs as consumers check the public register regularly. .

Disciplinary Suspension

The Building Practitioners Board can suspend an LBP’s licence if an LBP commits a disciplinary offence under section 317 of the Building Act 2004.

A disciplinary suspension means you are ‘non-licensed’ and not able to carry out RBW unless you are supervised by a LBP. If your license is suspended by the board you can’t supervise RBW and you can’t tell people you are an LBP. Your suspension will also be shown on the public register for 3 years and may impact on your ability to get work.

Quiz

1. How long can you voluntarily suspend on your licence (or class of licence) for?
   1. Up to 6 months
   2. Up to 2 years
   3. As long as a piece of string
2. When can you uplift your voluntary suspension on your licence (or class of licence)?
   1. When the suspension period you selected has ended
   2. 2 years after your voluntary suspension started
   3. Anytime, but you can only voluntarily suspend your licence for 2 years
3. If your licence is suspended because you did not complete relicensing, what are you able to do?
   1. Only carry out RBW under the supervision of an LBP
   2. Supervise RBW as long as you’re not the person carrying it out
   3. Tell people that you’re an LBP
4. How long will a suspension stay on your public register profile?
   1. Until you request to have it removed
   2. 3 years
   3. 1 year