In April, the government announced new requirements for Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) requiring 80% of building inspections be carried out within three working days of the requested inspection date. This shift aims to reduce delays in the system, ensuring timely inspections while still offering flexibility in methods. Effective by late 2025, these requirements will be monitored as a part of the biennial BCA accreditation and in quarterly data reported to MBIE. While many BCAs already meet these targets during quieter periods, maintaining them during peak activity will require new tools – including an expanded use of remote inspections.
Rather than mandating remote inspections outright as previously considered, the government has signalled a strategic shift: every BCA should have the capability and readiness to conduct them. While many regions across the country are already conducting remote inspections, these recommendations are likely to see an increase in uptake and all those involved in the building consent process should be aware of what that may mean for them.
The Shift Towards Remote Inspections
Remote inspections aren’t new. Their uptake gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic and they have now become more common in regions where site accessibility is difficult or remote. Increasingly, they’re used to cut time and costs, ensure business continuity, and provide more flexible inspection options to building consent applicants.
Underpinning this shift is a simple reality: while traditional on-site inspections will always have a place, the ability to adapt, flex, and scale inspection services is now critical to system resilience. Remote inspections offer precisely that — and more.
How Remote Inspections Work
Remote inspections allow BCAs to carry out building inspections using digital tools, without being physically present on-site. While the methods vary, BCAs MUST ensure they still gather sufficient, high-quality evidence to confirm compliance with approved plans and the Building Code.
There are two main types:
- Live Stream
Here, the inspector guides the builder or site manager through a real-time video call, often using purpose-built technology. The inspector can direct the camera, ask for specific views, and capture digital images and recordings as a record of compliance. It mirrors an on-site inspection in pace and process and provides a time-stamped digital audit trail.
This method allows real-time recording of compliance and reasons for decisions, as an inspector would during an on-site inspection. While it relies on a good internet connection and trust and communication with the builder on site, this type of inspection is the most similar to an on-site inspection.
- Evidence-Based
With an evidence-based approach, the builder or site manager captures and submits photo or video evidence of the building work, either through a digital platform or via secure upload. This type of remote inspection is typically used with builders on simple projects where they have consistently demonstrated compliant work, for low-risk inspection types or for re-inspections where the non-compliances are minor and the inspector wants to prevent having to return to the site or halting work. This method offers greater scheduling flexibility and reduces the need for inspectors to travel to site.
Key Considerations for Effective Remote Inspections
For both types, builders must understand the remote inspection process and BCA expectations beforehand, including being familiar with any specific software used by the BCA. The BCA should also publish clear guidelines on the quality and level of evidence required ahead of time to ensure inspections do not have to be repeated.
As remote inspection use increases, BCAs will need to develop a strategy for adopting their remote inspection tools to ensure they are meeting the expectations and skills of the industry, and for ensuring they have reasonable grounds to deem that the building work is compliant and aligns with the approved building consent so that a Code Compliance Certificate can be issued.
Building Consent Authorities
BCAs must develop robust processes for remote inspections, adopting a risk-based approach when selecting what types of inspections can be carried out remotely. Factors to consider include:
- The type of remote inspection technology adopted (e.g. evidence-based, live stream, or a hybrid).
- The type of building or building work.
- Their specific region (considering its geographic size, features and building typologies).
- The capability and capacity of their team.
- The capability and capacity of the local building sector and the builder(s) on site
This may mean a hybrid approach to remote inspections where some inspections can be carried out remotely while others are carried out on-site, or a fully remote approach for low-risk building work, where the site is too remote to access, or limiting it to re-inspections only.
Crucially, these processes must ensure that the BCA is able to collect enough information to confidently confirm compliance of the building work. This safeguards the issuance of the Code Compliance Certificate and limits any potential liability risk to all parties involved.
Wider possible benefits to BCAs of increased remote inspection uptake include:
- Upskilling of building inspectors: Experienced staff can review digital evidence, supporting the upskilling of junior inspectors in the process and allowing specialist expertise to be leveraged when making compliance decisions.
- Enhanced documentation processes: Remote inspections promote better information recording, creating high quality, time-stamped and geo-located digital records, such as photos and videos, for use in decision making and for future reference, surpassing the often-lacking, documentation of past inspections practices where the recording of reasons for decisions have been insufficient.
- Sharing resources: BCAs can share resources, allowing inspectors from other BCAs to carry out inspections more easily in other regions, boosting capacity, and enabling the input of specialist expertise.
Builders
The main challenge for builders will be getting comfortable and adapting to the technology as well as knowing and understanding BCAs expectations for using it on site. Remote inspections require a more active role from builders in the inspection process and may require them to undertake BCA training or specialised guidance on their policies and procedures.
Builders should familiarise themselves with the BCA’s inspection checklists ahead of the inspection where they can, so that they understand what will need to be shown for each inspection. In a live-stream inspection, they’ll follow the same process as for an on-site inspection – being guided around the site by the inspector who will request the views that they need.
A strong internet connection onsite and good lighting are essential for a clear visual feed. Poor conditions may cause difficulty and delays. Builders should also have all necessary equipment on site required to complete the inspection, with pre-calibrated equipment such as a moisture meter or thermometer likely to be provided by the BCA in advance.
Benefits to builders and the building process include:
- Increased building knowledge: Builders report an enhanced understanding of BCA requirements, inspector checklists, building code requirements and the overall consenting process.
- More timely inspections: Expanded methods and tools allows BCAs to schedule inspections more efficiently, reducing delays in the construction process.
- Predictability and flexibility: Evidence-based remote inspections are builder-led and allow the builder to undertake the inspection at a time that suits them, so that they do not have to rely on the inspectors availability, do not have to schedule work around the inspector and do not have to halt work on site, increasing the overall efficiency of a project.
Homeowners
While homeowners are unlikely to be directly involved, they should be aware of when remote inspections are conducted as part of their building consent and understand the documentation processes involved. Your BCA will typically require that remote inspections are performed by a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) to ensure the person has the necessary knowledge and skills.
Records from remote inspections are critical evidence for demonstrating compliance of the building work and will support the homeowner in getting the Code Compliance Certificate. This evidence may also be required in the future if any defects are found. Homeowners should understand and feel confident in these processes; any doubts should be discussed with their builder and the BCA.
Effective nationwide implementation of remote inspections can elevate documentation standards, better educate on-site personnel, increase the efficiency of scheduling and booking inspections, and offer greater flexibility for different types of buildings and building projects in how compliance is confirmed. Clear guidance and well-communicated processes to mitigate risks will ensure that they can be implemented in a way that best suits the individual BCA, their local building sector and their community.