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Although the Design and Building Practitioners Regulation (DBPR) of 2021 does not completely extend to the building management sector, the new regulations will indirectly majorly impact residential building management for class 2 strata buildings. In short, the building management role in its current state will be largely minimised during larger remediation works.

Building managers will take quite a back seat while building practitioners step up and take responsibility for managing the documentation of these larger works. This is a great thing for the building management industry, as it will indirectly force the industry to raise the standards.

For some time, the building management industry has needed to step up. There are those building management companies that thrive on quality processes and assurances to lead the industry while the bum on a seat building management brigade who’s operational skillsets are more suited to folding sheets, not managing contractors, risk management or owners assets.

The DBPR will ensure building practitioners will be accountable. Ask any 3^rd party risk auditor about building contractor management and your likely answer is most companies on the surface have the processes in place, however, it all falls apart and the transparency shines through when prompted to demonstrate completed working at heights registers, hot works & confined space registers, dusty works and fire panel isolation registers, sprinkler isolation work permits and professional inductions.

The roll-on effect of the DBPR will mean a higher standard of contractor management and risk management that will impact on contractor & resident safety during remediation works where DBPR becomes part of a project outside of minor works. 

For those of us that carry a contractor licence (Q) and a supervisor certificate, we are in the process of undertaking the building practitioner requirements that allow us to manage the paperwork for contractor management and remedial works, however, in most cases a general building manager doesn’t have the qualifications to do so. The role of the building manager will change and all good operators welcome the change in industry standards that will arise from the DBPR integration.  

Grays Rescue Building Management applaud the changes ahead for our industry as the quality building practitioners will lead the new generation and new look for building management and the seat warming operators are relegated to the bench.