Keeping your property compliant and valuable requires understanding the importance of approved building plans. This comprehensive guide, brought to you by B-Plan Pro, architectural professionals in South Africa, delves into everything South African homeowners need to know about “Previously Approved Building Plans”, from owners responsibilities to retrieval methods and their significance beyond legal compliance.
Who Holds Onto Approved Building Plans?
There’s a common misconception that local municipalities are legally obligated to retain copies of approved building plans for properties within their jurisdiction. While this isn’t always the case, municipalities often do keep copies for their own reference and records. However, the ultimate responsibility for retaining these documents falls on the homeowner, the registered owner of the property.
Reasons Why Municipalities Might Not Actively Retain Copies
There are several reasons why municipalities might not prioritize actively retaining copies for homeowners:
- Administrative Burden: Storing vast amounts of building plans can create a significant administrative burden for local authorities, requiring dedicated space, personnel, and resources.
- Space Constraints: Physical storage of paper records is cumbersome and space-consuming, leading to logistical challenges for municipalities.
and then there is unforeseen circumstances and bad management like in the City of Tshwane Building Control Department
Unfortunately, the City of Tshwane Building Control Department experienced a fire at their previous office in the Munitoria building in 1997. This fire destroyed some records of approved building plans. While it was only a few years’ worth of records lost in the fire, other factors also contributed to missing plans. These factors included:
- Burst water and sewerage pipes damaging documents
- Electronic data that was not properly backed up and became corrupt
These are just some examples of how previously approved plans in Tshwane may have been lost.
Previously approved building plans
Previously Approved Building Plans provide proof of prior approval for existing structures on a property and are crucial for any renovations, alterations, or additions. With these plans, property owners ensure adherence to regulations and streamline the approval process for construction projects.
How to Access Copies of Approved Building Plans
While municipalities are not legally required to keep copies of previously approved building plans, it’s still worth checking with them to see if they might have yours on file by any chance. Here’s how you can approach this:
- Your Nearest Building Control Office: Head in person to your nearest building control office and request copies of your plans. While some municipalities offer online options, places like the City of Tshwane might not have them yet.
- Council Facilitator or Architectural Professional: Consider contacting a Council Facilitator or an architectural professional who works regularly with the council. Their experience navigating council procedures can make retrieving your plans the easiest and fastest option. Here at B-Plan Pro, we can also assist you with this process.
Important Note: Even if a council facilitator or professional can’t locate your plans through the municipality, their services will still incur a fee. This is because they’ll be putting in the effort to search and potentially explore alternative retrieval methods.
Safeguarding Your Building Plans for Peace of Mind
Once you have retrieved copies of your approved building plans, implementing a secure and organized storage system is crucial to ensure their accessibility and prevent loss:
- Digital Copies: Scan your building plans and store them securely on a cloud storage platform or a physical hard drive. This allows for easy access from any device with internet access and protects against potential damage or loss of the physical copies in case of unforeseen circumstances like fire, flood, or natural disasters.
- Physical Copies: Store the physical copies in a safe and dry location, ideally within a fireproof and waterproof document folder or filing cabinet. This redundancy ensures access even if your digital copies are compromised.
The Importance of Building Plans Beyond Ownership
Building plans hold significance beyond simply adhering to regulations and demonstrating compliance with the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act (Act 103 of 1977):
- Future Renovations and Additions: When planning future modifications or additions to your property, having readily available approved plans can streamline the approval process and ensure compliance with regulations. This can save you time, money, and potential frustration in navigating the approval process with the local authorities.
- Selling Your Property: Potential buyers and Banks often request copies of approved building plans for verification and peace of mind. As the seller, having them readily available can facilitate a smoother and more transparent sale process. It demonstrates transparency and builds trust with potential buyers, potentially increasing the appeal and marketability of your property.
- Insurance Purposes: Some insurance companies may require proof of approved building plans to ensure the structural integrity of the property and determine appropriate coverage. This could impact your ability to obtain or maintain insurance for your property in the absence of these crucial documents.
- Dispute Resolution: In case of any disputes or disagreements regarding the property’s construction or compliance with regulations, having approved plans readily available can provide valuable evidence and support your position when necessary
Taking Ownership of Your Building Plans
By understanding your responsibility as the homeowner and the available methods for obtaining them, even if municipalities keep copies for reference, you can ensure their accessibility for future needs and maintain peace of mind throughout your ownership journey. Remember, your building plans are valuable documents that serve various purposes beyond regulatory compliance. Taking ownership of their proper storage and accessibility promotes responsible property ownership, protects your investment, and facilitates a smoother experience when dealing with.
Disclaimer:
The content of this blog post aims to provide accurate information and educate the public, focusing specifically on properties in Pretoria within the jurisdiction of the City of Tshwane building control department. While we reference national building regulations, the interpretations and practices discussed are drawn from our experiences with the City of Tshwane building control department. Readers should be aware that municipal by-laws, town planning schemes, and other regulations and policies may vary between municipalities and are subject to change over time. Therefore, we recommend consulting with our team to verify the accuracy and currency of the information provided.
