New to owning a building? Your first AFSS
If you have just taken on an existing building, here is what the annual fire safety obligation means for you.
Work out what you have inherited
When you take over an existing occupied building, you inherit its ongoing fire safety obligation. Find the building's fire safety schedule and its most recent annual fire safety statement. The date on that statement tells you when the next one is due. If you cannot find either document, your council holds the lodgement record and can confirm the status.
Certificate or statement?
A fire safety certificate is a one-off issued at the end of new building work, before the building can be occupied. If your building is already occupied, that stage is behind it, and your obligation is the recurring annual fire safety statement, not a certificate. You only deal with a certificate if you carry out new building work that involves fire safety measures.
Set up the annual cycle
Put the AFSS due date in your calendar with a reminder three months ahead, which is when you should book the assessment. Engage an accredited practitioner (fire safety), have the measures assessed and any faults rectified, sign the owner's declaration, and lodge with the council and Fire and Rescue NSW. Once you have run the cycle once, it repeats on the same date every year.
Sources
- Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 (NSW).
- NSW Planning Portal, fire safety certification.
- Fire and Rescue NSW, annual fire safety statements.
This is general information, not legal or compliance advice. Confirm current requirements and figures with your council and the FPAA register.