Earlier this year the Christchurch Council lost its accreditation as a building consent authority. It failed to meet criteria necessary for the accreditation. However the Council has continued to issue building consents and government has maintained the view that the loss of accreditation does not affect the ability of the Council to issue consents. This…
Most residential property developers use the NZS 3910 standard form of building contract. It’s used for infrastructure works for a subdivision or for building high-rise apartments. It’s used regardless of the procurement method e.g. traditional client-designed projects, design/build (with or without novated design consultants). NZS 3910 has just had a make-over. This should mean fewer special conditions…
Developers commonly become members of the body corporate committee, especially if units remain unsold or it is a staged development, so as to retain control. There has been a recent case (Guardian Retail Holdings Limited v Buddle Findlay High Court, 27 June 2013) considering body corporate committee member’s personal liability. The underlying issue was the…
We are seeing new structures and different property offerings. Now Government, Council, community organisations, iwi are all active in this space. The focus is mostly affordable housing – ironically being delivered via complex contract structures with multiple parties involved, probably adding cost to the development process. But the land is going into and out of…
It’s tricky – anticipating what the bank will want; especially if your plan is to change lenders once development funding is needed. It definitely involves wearing a banker’s hat. Balance that with matching the flexibility a residential property developer needs to manage unexpected changes, and the requirements of the contract to be something the market…