Roofing

When renovating, repairing or replacing your roof there are several issues to be taken into consideration.

• Was the roof or building built before 1990?
• General Repairs
• Under the Heritage Overlay
• Replacing Corrugated Iron Roofing

A plumbing Certificate of Compliance is required from the roofer for plumbing repairs valued at $750 or more.

Plumbing repairs include work affecting roof flashing, and:

• Any part of a roof drainage system involved in the collection or disposal of stormwater
• Any roof covering, with the exception of:
  • Non-metallic tiles
  • Slate
  • Flat membrane sheeting

Was the roof or building built before 1990?

Up until the mid-1980s, asbestos was almost always used in Australian construction and was still commonly used in roofs, especially in eaves. If your building was built before 1985, it is possible asbestos was used.

If you have encountered suspected asbestos as part of your renovation, please see the following section before work continues: Encountering Asbestos.

More information:
Asbestos in Victoria (www.asbestos.vic.gov.au)
Asbestos Awareness (www.asbestosawareness.com.au)

General Repairs

The Building Act and Regulations do not require permits and permissions from you for repairs. But a repair must be ‘like-for-like’ in terms of finish and materials.

For example, if you have a tiled roof, you are still ‘repairing’ the roof if you use tiles, even if they are a different colour, make or size. But if you installed ‘Colorbond’ instead it wouldn’t be ‘like-for-like’ and you must have a building permit.

You will also require a Plumbing Certificate of Compliance if the work undertaken by the plumber is greater than $750.

Block of Land Less than 300m²

Where the land block is less than 300m², you will need a planning permit for everything other than repairs.

Under the Heritage Overlay

You will need a planning permit to do work on structures under the Heritage Overlay, other than for maintenance and repairs.

Just remember that heritage ‘repairs’ are further limited and defined, so you will still need a planning permit for:

• Demolitions or removals
• Using different materials
• Creating even a slightly different appearance

Please see the following page for details: Planning Permits.

If your building is a contributory heritage building, you will have to go through the ordinary planning application procedure. Expect this to take up to a month.

'Like-for-Like' Material Replacement

‘Like-for-like’ material replacements fall under the exemption for repairs, so you will not need a building permit.

You will require a Plumbing Certificate of Compliance if the work undertaken by the plumber is greater than $750. 

Replacing Corrugated Iron Roofing

If you are replacing corrugated iron roofing with 'Colorbond or other pre-finished sheeting', this is considered a ‘like-for-like’ equivalent and is specifically excluded from requiring a building permit.

But replacing corrugated iron with concrete or terracotta roofing tiles is not considered ‘like-for-like’. You will need a building permit to change the roofing material.

You will also require a Plumbing Certificate of Compliance if the work undertaken by the plumber is greater than $750.