Form 12A Explained

What is a Form 12A?

The Form 12A’s official name is the “certificate of compliance with inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures”. It’s a prescribed form under the Building (Forms) Amendment Regulations 2005, and only an IQP can issue it.

Each Form 12A relates to the specified systems listed on your building’s compliance schedule. Common examples include fire alarm and emergency warning systems, sprinklers, emergency lighting, lifts and automatic doors.

By signing a Form 12A, the IQP is confirming that every inspection, maintenance and reporting (IMR) procedure for that system has been fully complied with over the past 12 months. That’s not just a box-ticking exercise either – it’s an offence for an IQP to issue a Form 12A when those requirements haven’t been met.

A Form 12A can also include the IQP’s recommendations for amending your compliance schedule, for example if a system has been changed or a procedure no longer fits. These recommendations are attached to your BWOF, and the council must consider them.

Form 12 vs Form 12A: what’s the difference?

The two forms are easy to mix up, but they do different jobs. The Form 12 is your BWOF itself. The Form 12As are the evidence behind it.

Form 12 (BWOF)

• What it is: the building owner’s annual statement that specified systems have been maintained.
• Who completes it: the building owner or their agent.
• How many: one per building, per year.
• Where it goes: supplied to Auckland Council and publicly displayed in the building.

Form 12A (certificate of compliance)

• What it is: an IQP’s certificate that IMR procedures for a specified system were fully complied with.
• Who completes it: a registered IQP.
• How many: usually one per IQP, covering their specified systems.
• Where it goes: attached to the Form 12 when it’s supplied to council.

One point Auckland owners sometimes miss: Auckland Council does not issue your BWOF. The council’s BWOF guidance is clear that the owner or an agent completes and submits the Form 12, with the IQPs’ Form 12As attached.

Who can issue a Form 12A in Auckland?

Only an IQP who is registered for that particular specified system can sign its Form 12A. Councils check this when your BWOF comes in, so an IQP signing outside their registered systems can hold up your renewal.

Auckland Council keeps the IQP register for the region, which also lists the systems each IQP is competent to inspect. In most buildings, each IQP who looks after a specified system provides their own Form 12A. In some cases, one IQP can issue a Form 12A that covers another IQP’s procedures.

If you’ve changed IQPs partway through the year, make sure the records show the full 12 months has been covered. A gap between contractors is one of the quieter ways a Form 12A ends up unable to be signed.

Fireco carries out IQP inspections for fire safety specified systems and can help you work out which systems on your compliance schedule need IQP sign-off.

Supplying your BWOF and Form 12As to Auckland Council

Your BWOF is due every year on the anniversary of your compliance schedule being issued. Auckland Council asks owners to supply it on or before the date the current one expires, and BWOFs can be submitted through the council’s online portal.

When you submit, the Form 12 goes in with a Form 12A for each IQP covering your specified systems, plus any IQP recommendations. A copy of the BWOF must then be displayed in a public area of the building where people using it can see it.

The stakes are real. Auckland Council notes that failing to display a BWOF, or displaying a false one, can attract a fine of up to $20,000, and an expired BWOF can lead to prosecution. The council also carries out on-site BWOF audits, checking that your BWOF is current and displayed and that inspection and maintenance records for the last two years are available.

What if a Form 12A can’t be issued?

If any scheduled inspection or maintenance was missed during the year, the IQP can’t sign a Form 12A for that system, and a valid BWOF can’t be supplied. Under the Building Act 2004, every IMR procedure for the previous 12 months has to be completed first.

In that situation, MBIE’s Building Performance guidance and Auckland Council both point owners to two replacement documents:

• BWOF Report and Declaration (B-RaD): completed by the owner in place of the BWOF, listing which systems had missed procedures and which didn’t. It’s supplied to council and displayed in the building.
• Specified System Report and Declaration (S-RaD): issued by an IQP for each system with missed procedures, explaining what was missed, why, and whether the system is currently performing to its standard.

Form 12As are still supplied for every system where nothing was missed. A B-RaD keeps you transparent with council and building users, but it’s a sign that something slipped. The better goal is a full set of Form 12As, every year.

How to keep your Form 12A paperwork on track

Most BWOF headaches come from small gaps that build up over the year, not from the renewal itself. A few habits make the difference:

• Know your compliance schedule. Check which specified systems are listed, how often each needs inspecting, and which tasks need an IQP.
• Don’t let inspections slide. A single missed monthly or six-monthly check can stop a Form 12A being signed, even if the system works perfectly.
• Keep your records together. Logbooks, IQP reports and repair records should be easy to find, both for your renewal and for a council audit.
• Act on faults promptly. Issues picked up during routine visits are far easier to fix early than in the weeks before your BWOF is due.
• Book ahead of your renewal date. Give your IQPs time to finalise their Form 12As so you’re not chasing signatures at the last minute.

For fire alarm systems in particular, our guide to why fire alarm inspections matter explains how regular servicing supports both safety and your BWOF.

Auckland Form 12A FAQs

• Is a Form 12A the same as a BWOF? No. The BWOF is the Form 12, completed by the building owner or agent. Form 12As are the IQP certificates that must be attached to it.
• Does Auckland Council issue my BWOF? No. The owner or their agent completes the Form 12 and supplies it to Auckland Council, along with the Form 12As.
• How many Form 12As does my building need? Enough to cover every specified system on your compliance schedule. Usually that means one from each IQP who inspects your systems.
• Can I sign a Form 12A myself? No. Only an IQP registered for that specified system can issue a Form 12A, even if you carry out some routine owner checks yourself.
• What happens if an inspection was missed? The IQP can’t issue a Form 12A for that system. Instead, you’ll supply a B-RaD, supported by an S-RaD for each affected system.
• How long should I keep BWOF records? Auckland Council’s audits check that inspection and maintenance records for the last two years are available, on site or online.