You can't live in a frame!

One of the first things we needed to find out was at what stage a house must be in prior to being 'allowed' to occupy it. 

The rules are quite strict! Although many people 'live' in sheds on their properties whilst they await completion of their home, it's not exactly permitted! To reside in a property, most (if not all) Shires require at least the following, prior to them carrying out a health and safety inspection. A stamp to certify the house as 'safe to occupy' allows you to move in.

What's required prior to occupying the house (supplied by the lovely people at the Shire of Mundaring):

1. The system of effluent removal must be installed and 'commissioned'. This means that your waste for the loo, and any grey water areas, must be connected and working. It must also be signed-off by a licensed plumber or waste water system professional. If you're using a septic tank system (we are using a Bio Systems 2000 unit), it has to be commissioned by the company installing and testing it. They send their papers to the relevant Shire. Once the Shire has it in their system, it's accepted as safe.
2. There must be electricity connected to the property, and light and power sockets must be installed and tested by a licensed electrician. Again, the papers are sent by said electrician to the Shire.
3. There must be running water installed by a licensed plumber. There are some particulars for this:-
1. The occupier must be able to achieve basic hygiene: wash and shower
2. The occupier must be able to prepare a meal for themselves (kitchen requires a working sink and tap)
3. The occupier must be able to clean their clothes (water connected to a washing machine in the laundry)

We must go from this...

...to something like:

An idea of a completed laundry with electrical and plumbing installation

If you have a verandah that is only partially constructed (as do we), you don't necessarily require it to be complete prior to occupying the building. However, there must be imminent plans and arrangements to do so. There are some standards that must be met for verandahs and balustrade that are above a certain height, we'll cover this in a later post!

Our contact in health and safety, at the Shire of Mundaring, said they were not concerned with the floor being complete, as long as the home has a solid base (the concrete foundation, or the concrete sheeting that comes with a frame-built house).

For further clarity on what is required from your Sate or Shire, contact the shire in which your building resides. Their website will likely have the contact numbers for two departments that are concerned with residential occupancy. The first is the health and safety department, and the second is the building and construction department.

Note: We were initially told by friends that we required a certificate of occupancy. This is not actually true for residential occupancy in Western Australia. It only applies to commercial property. However, this does not mean there are no strict rules prior to residential occupancy (see the list above), and there are harsh fines if you fail to comply!