What to keep when your bathroom work did not need a consent
Exempt work gets no council inspection and no code compliance certificate, so the only record is the one you keep. Here is the checklist, and why a buyer's lawyer will ask for it.
By Bathroom Renovation NZ
Key takeaways
- Exempt work leaves no council paper trail: no inspections, no code compliance certificate, nothing on the property file unless you put it there.
- The work still had to comply with the Building Code, so the question a buyer asks is how you can show that it did.
- Keep the membrane photographs, the membrane product data and installation instructions, the plumber's details, and any electrical certificate of compliance.
- The EWRB publishes what documentation you should get from your electrician: keep it with the rest.
- Photographs are worth most when they are dated and show the product in shot.
When bathroom work is exempt under Schedule 1, no council inspects it and no code compliance certificate is issued, so there is nothing on the property file to prove it was done properly. Keep your own pack: dated photographs of the substrate and the membrane, the membrane product data sheet and installation instructions, the name and registration details of the plumber who did the sanitary plumbing, the electrician's certificate of compliance for any prescribed electrical work, and the fan specification.
Why this matters at all
Two reasons, and they arrive years apart. The first is insurance: if a wall gets wet, the question is what was behind the tiles and whether it was built to the standard. The second is selling. A buyer's lawyer looks at the property file, sees a bathroom that is obviously newer than the house and no consent for it, and asks. If the honest answer is “it was exempt under Schedule 1 clause 12, here is the membrane record”, the conversation is short. If the honest answer is “I do not know”, it is not.
The Building Act rule behind all of it is the one quoted in Determination 2024/054: building work must comply with the Building Code to the extent required whether or not consent is obtained. Exempt is not a lower standard, it is the same standard with nobody watching.
The checklist
| Record | Who provides it |
|---|---|
| Dated photos of framing and substrate once the linings were off | Your builder or bathroom crew |
| Photos of any rot or damage found, and of the repair | Your builder or bathroom crew |
| Dated photos of each membrane coat across the whole wet area | The applicator |
| The membrane product data sheet and installation instructions | The applicator or the manufacturer |
| A plan or sketch of the room with fixture positions | Your designer or builder |
| The plumber's name, business and PGDB registration details | Your plumber |
| Certificate of compliance for prescribed electrical work | Your electrician |
| Extractor fan make, model, duct diameter and flow rate | Your electrician or installer |
| Invoices identifying who did what and when | Everyone |
The EWRB publishes guidance for consumers on what documentation you should get from your electrician. Ask for it at the time, not a year later.
Lodging with the council
Councils will generally accept information onto a property file even where no consent was required, and some have a process for it. It is worth asking yours: a note on the file saying what was done, when, by whom, and under which Schedule 1 clause is a small thing to arrange now and a large thing to be missing at sale. We have not found a single national rule for this, so ask your own council what they accept and how.
If you are renting the place out
Add the ventilation record. Under the healthy homes ventilation standard, a bathroom fan installed after 1 July 2019 must have a minimum diameter including ducting of 120mm, or an exhaust capacity of at least 25 litres per second, and must vent outside. Tenancy Services advises landlords to get the fan diameter, ducting and flow rate in writing from the installer, so they can show compliance.
Our version of this
It is the last thing that happens on one of our jobs, and 10% of the contract price is released against it. Details are on how it works.
Questions
Do I get a code compliance certificate for exempt work?
No. A code compliance certificate follows a building consent. Exempt work has no consent, so there is no CCC and no council inspection record. The pack you keep is the substitute.
Will a buyer's lawyer actually ask?
Often, yes, because a visibly new bathroom with nothing on the property file is exactly the sort of thing conveyancing picks up. Having the answer ready in writing turns it into a non-event.
Does a plumber give me a certificate on exempt work?
Not necessarily. The PGDB describes self-certification as the route for work that needs a building consent: from 7 September 2026 an endorsed certifying plumber can self-certify eligible consented work, or you can have a building consent authority inspect it. For exempt work we have not found a published statement that a certificate of compliance is issued, so we say 'where self-certified' rather than promising you one. Always keep the plumber's name and registration details either way.
How long should I keep it?
As long as you own the house, and then hand it to the buyer. Digital copies cost nothing to keep.
What if the previous owner did the work and left no records?
Then you are where most people are. A moisture check around the shower and bath tells you something about the present condition, which is part of what the measure-and-design visit does, and a retile is what resets the record.
Sources
Published 16 September 2026, last updated 16 September 2026 by Bathroom Renovation NZ. Every figure and rule on this page is quoted from a source we read in full on the checked date. See our editorial policy.