Introduction
Body corporates need to register as design practitioners or building practitioners under legislation to:
- make compliance declarations for class 2, 3, or 9c buildings or buildings with a class 2, 3, or 9c part
- lodge regulated designs on the NSW Planning Portal for class 2, 3, or 9c buildings or buildings with a class 2, 3, or 9c part.
Class 2 buildings are residential apartment buildings. They’re typically multi-unit, multi-storey buildings where people live above and below each other.
You must be the director or public officer of a body corporate to apply for this registration.
Note: If your company is already registered as a building practitioner under the DBP Act and working on class 2 buildings, you do not need to reapply. Your building practitioner registration will automatically allow you to work on class 3 and 9c from 3 July 2023.
Registration classes include:
- design practitioner – body corporate
- building practitioner – body corporate
- principal design practitioner – body corporate.
You can register for 1, 3 or 5 years. Fees are applicable.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, you (and each member of the body corporate) need to:
- be aged 18 or over
- be a director or public officer of a body corporate
- have a current National Police Check certificate that is valid for 4 months when you submit your application (Name and Date of Birth Check only).
What you need
- a MyServiceNSW Account
- you can create one when you start your application
- you may need details from 2 identity documents (such as Australian driver licence, Medicare card, passport)
- a current ASIC extract listing all directors of the body corporate
- a signed and completed declaration form – PDF for each director of the body corporate, other than the applicant
- National Police Check certificates that are valid for 4 months when you submit your application for each director of the body corporate (Name and Date of Birth Check only)
- the body corporate’s details
- contact details for each director of the body corporate
- your contact details
- a current credit card for payment.
In addition, for:
- design practitioner – body corporate, you need:
- an employee who’s registered as a design practitioner in the appropriate class(es)
- building practitioner – body corporate, you need:
- a contractor licence to do general building work under the Home Building Act 1989
- an individual who’s registered as a building practitioner in the general class or body corporate nominee class.
- principal design practitioner – body corporate, you need:
- an employee registered as a principal design practitioner – general class.
How to apply
- Check the eligibility criteria for the registration type you want to apply for.
- Gather director declaration forms and other documents such as National Police Check certificates for all other directors
- Select the ‘Apply online’ button.
Note: You can save and resume your application, but if you have not submitted it within 60 days, any details you’ve entered will be deleted. - Log in, or create your MyServiceNSW Account.
- Select and verify your 2 identity documents.
- Enter your contact details.
- Confirm your role in the body corporate.
- Enter the details of the body corporate.
- Enter contact details for other directors of the body corporate.
- Select the registration types and classes you’re applying for.
- Select the duration of your registration.
- Answer all questions in the digital form including your suitability to perform the work and your background.
- Upload all director declaration forms and other supporting documents.
- Review your answers and give consent to process the application.
- Enter your payment details.
- Select ‘Submit’.
Privacy
To apply for design or building practitioner registration for a body corporate with NSW Fair Trading, you’ll need to create or log in with a MyServiceNSW Account.
By logging in you consent to sharing your name and email address in your MyServiceNSW Account with NSW Fair Trading, a division of the Department of Customer Service.
The Design and building practitioner registration for a body corporate – privacy collection notice explains how your personal information will be handled once it is shared by Service NSW.
More information
When you apply for registration, you’ll:
- need to wait for your application for registration to be assessed and approved before you can declare or lodge designs for the body corporate
- be contacted by NSW Fair Trading if further information is needed
- be notified about the result of your application within 28 days of submitting it (unless placed on hold, pending further information)
- receive your registration ID if approved.