Certifying Solutions

07/12/2024

👷‍♂️🎄☀️ *Holiday Closure Notice* 👷‍♀️🎄☀️

Our office will be closed from *Monday, 23 December*, and we’ll reopen on *Monday, 13 January*.

We’d like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday ✨

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to working with you in 2025 🌟

16/05/2024

🏗️ Big News for NSW Homeowners! 🏡

🔍 1. Enhanced Construction Oversight: Say hello to stricter standards and better quality homes! The Building Commissioner’s got new powers to keep an eye on your build, ensuring everything’s up to scratch from the ground up.

🔗 2. Supply Chain Responsibility: Every step of your home’s construction, from design to installation, now comes with a promise of safety and compliance. Rest easy knowing your future home is built to last!

🕵️‍♂️ 3. Inspections Anytime, Anywhere: Attention builders! Inspections can pop up anytime to check on the quality of your work. Homeowners, this means more protection for your dream home under construction.

🌱 4. Eco-Friendly Building Standards: Embrace greener living with new reforms that slash energy use by 20%! Not only will your home be cooler, but your power bills will be too!

These updates are all about elevating the quality and safety of residential buildings in NSW. It’s a win for homeowners building new or renovating - you’re guaranteed a home that’s safe, sound, and sustainable!

12/05/2024

Know a certifiers role and what their responsibilities are and are not

11/05/2024

🌹 Our office will be closed on Anzac Day as we pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice of our ANZAC heroes. Lest we forget their bravery and resilience. 🕊️✨

11/05/2024

Ready to renovate? 🛠️ The NSW Planning Portal offers a quick approval pathway for home renovations. Check the standards, get approved fast, and start creating your dream home! 🏡💫

https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/development-and-assessment/planning-approval-pathways/complying-development/home-renovation

11/05/2024

🏡 Good neighbours make great developments! 🌟 Keep them in the loop with pre-approval and pre-construction notifications. Transparency builds trust! 🤝

https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/development-and-assessment/planning-approval-pathways/complying-development/what-tell-your-neighbours

11/05/2024

Do you share a passion in ensuring buildings meet compliance with code? Join our team as an A3/A4 Certifier to help drive those higher standards

14/04/2022

We are closed for the Easter break and will be back on Tuesday 🐰

Wishing our clients an enjoyable long weekend!

(Note: picture taken yesterday eve, although it is never too early!) 🍷

27/09/2021

From today, Monday 27 September, all construction sites in Greater Sydney, including the Blue Mountains and Wollongong, can resume with 100% of workers on site adhering to 1 person per 4 square metres. This includes sites in the LGAs of concern.

If you live in or are temporarily staying in a LGA of concern, you must not enter a construction site in Greater Sydney unless you have:
• had 2 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or
• had 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 21 days ago or
• had 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine within the past 21 days and you have been tested for COVID-19 in the past 72 hours (3 days) or
• evidence of a medical exemption and you have been tested for COVID-19 in the past 72 hours

More info: https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/construction-rules-and-restrictions

26/08/2021

This little legend is out helping people that are less fortunate - please dig deep to assist the more than 116,000 homeless through these difficult times. https://my.fundraise.vinniesnsw.org.au/vinnies-school-sleepouts/zara-rushford
#2021

14/08/2021

As of 5pm today, masks must be worn when working outdoors for all of NSW 👇🏼👇🏼

To protect the people of NSW from the evolving COVID-19 outbreak, new restrictions will be introduced for all of regional NSW, effective from 5pm tonight until 12.01am Sunday 22 August 2021.

Following updated health advice from NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant, stay-at-home orders will apply to all people who live in regional NSW.

This means the whole of New South Wales will be under stay at home restrictions from 5pm today.

This new order will replace any existing orders in regional NSW.

Everyone must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to leave. They also cannot have visitors in their home from outside their household, including family and friends.

People still can have one visitor at one time to fulfil carers' responsibilities or provide care or assistance, or for compassionate reasons, including where two people are in a relationship but do not live together.

All hospitality venues must be closed to the public, including pubs, restaurants and cafes, except for takeaway.

Retail premises are required to close except for:
• supermarkets and grocery shops,
• shops that predominantly sell food or drinks eg butchers, bakeries, fruit shops and delicatessens, but does not include restaurants or cafes.
• chemists and pharmacies,
• kiosks
• shops that predominately sell office supplies, pet supplies, newspapers, magazines and stationery, alcohol, maternity and baby supplies, medical or pharmaceutical supplies
• food and drink premises, but only to sell takeaway
• cellar door premises, but only to sell takeaway
• hardware and building supplies
• landscaping material supplies
• rural supplies
• timber yards
• garden centres and plant nurseries,
• vehicle hire premises, not including the premises at which vehicles are sold,
• shops that predominately carry out mobile phone repairs.

Service stations, banks, post offices, laundromats and drycleaners can remain open.

Anyone who leaves their home must carry a mask with them at all times. They must be worn when working outdoors, by all school staff, by all people in outdoor markets, outdoor shopping strips, and in an outdoor queues waiting for products such as coffee and food.

Every employer across NSW must require their employees to work from home unless it is not reasonably practicable.

It is a reasonable excuse to leave your home for work – but only if it is not practicable to work from home.

There will be a one-day ‘grace period’ for planned weddings and funerals in the regional areas that have not already been subject to a lockdown. Those events may go ahead until 12.01am on Monday 16 August 2021, but only with guests from areas that have not already been subject to a lockdown. From Monday, small funerals and memorial services of 10 persons only (excluding the persons conducting the service) will be permitted.

NSW Health urges people to continue to present for testing with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms.

There are more than 440 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week. To find your nearest testing clinic, visit our website

Special rules remain in place for the affected local government areas in Greater Sydney.

For further information, please see nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules.

12/08/2021

Vaccinations are now mandatory for construction workers coming from certain local government areas👇🏼

🚧 If you’re a construction worker, tradesperson or apprentice aged 16 and over and you live in the LGAs or suburbs listed below, you are not allowed to enter a construction site in Greater Sydney unless you have had a COVID-19 vaccine 🚧

We have 8,000 priority vaccination appointments available this Sunday 15 August.

LGAs & suburbs:

📍Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Parramatta Local Government Areas and the suburbs of Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.

Those aged 16-39 years who live in the above LGAs or suburbs will get the Pfizer vaccine and those aged 40 years and over will get the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Booking details**:

16-39 years
South Western Sydney Vaccination Centre: https://bit.ly/3fYEKIL

40+ years
Sydney Olympic Park: https://bit.ly/3AAx8Em
Walk-in Prairiewood Vaccination Clinic (194-222 Restwell Road)

You must not attend your vaccination appointment if you have any COVID-19 symptoms. Please get tested and self-isolate until you receive a negative test result. You should also not attend if you are a close contact.

** We have had a big response to Tradie Sunday!
For those 18+, we still have some appointments available for the AstraZeneca vaccine. You can either book for Sydney Olympic Park, or walk-in at Prairiewood Vaccination Clinic (194-222 Restwell Rd).

09/08/2021

For the latest updates and rules that apply to construction sites in relation to Covid, please go to https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/construction-rules-and-restrictions

Different rules apply to construction sites depending on whether they are located in regional NSW, including Armidale, Newcastle and the Hunter, Greater Sydney or in a local government area of concern. You must follow the rules for each area.

13/07/2021

Dear clients

The NSW Government has today announced further COVID rules that may apply to people carrying out construction work.

From 12:01am on Wednesday 14 July 2021, the following applies:

**For people that live in the Fairfield local government area

Anybody living or staying in the Fairfield local government area but working outside this area must have a COVID-19 test once every 72 hours (3 days) in order to be allowed to enter a workplace/worksite.

**For people that live in Greater Sydney and must travel 50km or more outside Greater Sydney

Anybody living or staying in Greater Sydney including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour must have a COVID-19 test in the 7 days before working in a location that is 50km or more outside Greater Sydney.

Click on the link below for more information.

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20210713_03.aspx

We ask that property owners, builders and other contractors on site make themselves aware of the new requirements and ascertain whether or not these new restrictions affect them.

The Certifying Solutions offices in Sydney and Newcastle are temporarily closed during this time however we are continuing to operate with staff working from home and are closely monitoring the situation as it develops.

In order to facilitate the final sign off on your projects, final inspections will recommence on Monday 19th July, and will continue to be undertaken on Mondays until advised otherwise.

When booking your final inspection (phone through to our office, or email [email protected]), please advise on access requirements (if you have an alarm, key box code, etc), and arrange for the site to be vacant for the duration of the inspection.

Mandatory critical stage inspections will continue as per our previous update.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we manoeuvre our way through this situation.

12/07/2021

02/07/2021

Industry update - as of 1 July 2021, all application lodgements must now be made via the NSW Planning Portal - https://pp.planningportal.nsw.gov.au they can no longer be accepted directly via email or hard copies. As the client you will need to register and create an account, upload documents and then allocate the project to the required certifier. If there are any issues with this please direct your queries to the planning portal directly and they will assist.

#2021

28/06/2021

Dear clients

We have been made aware that a lot of trades on site are travelling from Sydney. Due to the current lockdowns and restrictions, the following measures have been put in place until further notice:

- Critical stage inspections will go ahead, however our Certifiers will be maintaining a social distance from all people on site, wearing a face mask and sanitising in between each inspection

- It is our preference that nobody is onsite during inspections. If this is not possible, all people on site will need to be wearing a mask and keeping a social distance from our Certifiers

- If anyone on site is showing symptoms or has been ill then we will need to reschedule the inspection

- If anyone on site has been in a COVID hotspot/red zone or returned from overseas within the last 14 days we will need to reschedule the inspection

- Final inspections will not be undertaken until the lockdown has been lifted

This is for the broader community and our clients health and safety, the safety of the other tenants of our Newcastle Office and our staff.

We ask that all builders / trades etc on site be mindful of the safety of each other and our staff as we do not want our Certifiers to be put in a difficult position having to ask trades to adhere to the restrictions issued as per the NSW Public Health Order.

If anybody on site is not following the above when our Certifiers are present, the inspection will be cancelled, inspection fee charged and the inspection will need to be rebooked. We take these matters seriously and will not put peoples health and safety at risk.

We are fortunate enough to be able to continue to work through this difficult time, so please lets everyone do our part in order to keep this going.

Thank you to the people who have already been making an effort in this regard, we appreciate you working with us in order to keep your builds progressing forwards.

If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to raise it with us, everyone’s health and safety is our main priority.

28/05/2021

Challenge Accepted - it’s the annual AAC conference and learning all of the knowledges.
#2021