After Completion

The house is finished, but the project is not. These steps make it legally occupiable, insurable, and sellable.

1. Compliance Certificate, then Occupation Certificate

This is two steps, not one, and there is a deadline between them that catches people out.

Section 19 of the Building Control Act 2012: "where a building has been erected after obtaining a permit, that building shall not be inhabited, used or occupied unless a compliance certificate has been issued by the local authority which issued the permit."

The sequence:

1. Inform the local authority when construction starts. A letter format is provided in the BLP Guide (page 60). This is an obligation, not a courtesy.
2. Inform the local authority when construction is complete (format at page 61 of the same guide).
3. Inspectors visit the site and check the building has been "completed within acceptable norms in line with approved plans".
4. The compliance certificate is issued — the guide states it "should be issued within 5 working days of the application".
5. Apply for the Occupation Certificate within 5 days of obtaining the compliance certificate, and before occupying or using the building.

🚨 You may not legally inhabit, use, or occupy the house until this is done. Plan your move-in date around it, and do not let a landlord's notice period or a lease ending force you into occupying early.

⚠️ Note the compliance certificate form in the guide is headed "for buildings above 150m²". Confirm with your own local authority what applies to a house below that area — practice varies between municipal and district councils.

⚠️ VERIFY — Fees for the compliance and occupation certificates are not stated in the BLP guide. Confirm current fees and the exact document list with the local authority that issued your BLP.

Also note: your BLP is only valid for 2 years from the date of issue (Section 18(1), Building Control Act 2012). If your build stalls, check the expiry — see Building and Land Use Permit (BLP).

This is where unauthorised changes come back to bite you. The inspection is explicitly against the approved plans. If the house as built differs — an extra room, a covered terrace, a reduced setback — the certificate can be refused until it is regularised. Regularising afterwards is far harder than getting a variation approved during the build. See Building and Land Use Permit (BLP) and Choosing a Contractor.

• Local authority informed at start of construction (letter format, BLP Guide p.60)
• Local authority informed at completion of construction (format, BLP Guide p.61)
• House as built matches the approved plans, or every deviation was formally approved during construction
• Site inspection passed and compliance certificate received
• Occupation Certificate applied for within 5 days of the compliance certificate
• Occupation Certificate received — before moving in
• BLP still within its 2-year validity, or extended
• Originals kept safely — you will need them to sell, refinance, or insure

2. Utility Connections

Most utilities require the BLP, and some require the Occupation Certificate.

• CEB electricity connected — see CEB — Electricity
• CWA water connected — see CWA — Water
• Wastewater: sewer connected or septic tank commissioned — see WMA — Wastewater
• Internet and telephone installed — see Internet and Telephone

3. Municipal / District Council Records

• Notify the local authority that the building is complete so the property records are updated
• Confirm whether any general rate or municipal tax applies to your property, and how it is assessed. VERIFY current rules with your local authority — obligations differ between municipal and district council areas, and between residential and commercial use.
• Confirm the arrangements for household refuse collection
• Confirm your official address / house number is registered

4. Insurance

• The contractor's construction insurance has ended — make sure your own cover starts the day it does, with no gap
• Home / fire insurance in place, at a sum insured that reflects the rebuild cost, not the land value
• If you have a loan, confirm the policy satisfies the bank's requirements — see Financing Your House
• Contents insurance if wanted

5. Claim Your Refunds and Grants

Do not leave money unclaimed. Several schemes are claimed after completion and have deadlines.

• VAT refund on construction of a residential building applied for — see Government Schemes, Refunds and Grants
• Home loan refund / repayment scheme claimed if eligible
• Roof slab or building materials grant finalised if applicable
• All invoices, receipts, and the contractor's VAT invoices kept — these claims are refused without documentary proof

⚠️ Scheme conditions, ceilings, and deadlines change with each annual Budget. Confirm what currently applies with the MRA before assuming eligibility.

6. Keep Your Project File

Keep everything together, and keep a digital backup. A future buyer, bank, or insurer will ask for it.

• Title deed
• Survey plan
• Approved architectural and structural drawings, including as-built revisions
• BLP and all clearances
• Occupation Certificate
• Contract, all variation orders, and all payment receipts
• Bill of Quantities and final account — see Costing and the Quantity Surveyor
• Site photographs, especially of reinforcement, conduits, and pipework before covering — see The Construction Phases
• Warranties, guarantees, and appliance manuals
• Utility connection references and account numbers
• Insurance policies
• Tax and refund claim records

7. The Defects Liability Period

For the agreed period after handover — commonly 6 to 12 months — the contractor must fix defects at their own cost.

• Snag list from The Construction Phases cleared
• Report new defects in writing as soon as they appear, before the period expires
• Watch for what only shows up over time: leaks in the first heavy rain, cracks in the first few months, damp patches, doors and windows sticking
• Retention released only after the period ends and all defects are fixed — see Choosing a Contractor

⚠️ Important Note

🚨 Do not release the retention early because the contractor asks nicely. The first cyclone season and the first heavy rains are the real test of the roof, the waterproofing, and the drainage. Wait them out.