Nobody can recreate that certificate — not us, not a certifier, not another waterproofer. It can only come from the person who did the work. What you can put in front of them is an independent record of what's actually there: what the documents establish, what can still be observed, and what can't be verified without opening up. Two business days, fixed fee, so the application, the sale or the bylaw can start moving again.
Send Your Documents for a Fixed-Fee Quote or call Kevin on 0499 288 304 — fixed fee from $850 + GST, report within two business daysMost people arrive here knowing about two of them.
Different letters, same problem: someone with authority wants paper about work that's hidden under tiles — and the paper doesn't exist.
A BIC application for a renovated or undocumented bathroom almost always runs into the same wall: council wants waterproofing evidence, and the only person who could have issued a certificate is long gone. This is the most common reason people call us.
What we provide is the wet-area evidence component of that application — an independent, dated record of what the documents establish, what can be observed at accessible points, and what cannot be verified without opening up. We do not issue the certificate, we do not lodge the application, and we do not advise on whether to apply. Council assesses the application and council decides it.
Read the full guide to Building Information Certificates and waterproofing evidence → — what the Act actually requires, what the seven-year rule really covers, and why wet areas are the part that stalls applications.
A Building Information Certificate is issued by a local council in NSW in relation to building work on a property. Owners commonly apply for one where work was carried out without approval, where the records for completed work no longer exist, or where a purchaser's solicitor has raised it before settlement. What the certificate does legally, whether you need one, and what your council requires are questions for the council or your solicitor — not for us. What we do is the wet-area evidence part: an independent, dated record of what the documents establish and what can be observed, which you submit as part of your application. Council assesses it and council decides.
That depends on who is asking and why — and it's their call, not ours. In practice the request comes from a council assessing an application, a private certifier, a strata committee, or a purchaser's solicitor. The important part is this: a certificate of installation can only be issued by the licensed waterproofer who did the work. Where that person can't be found or never issued one, the certificate cannot be produced by anybody — us included. The real question then becomes what alternative evidence the person asking will accept, and that's the gap we fill.
Waterproofing of internal wet areas in NSW is governed by the National Construction Code and AS 3740, and in many building classes it is a mandatory critical-stage inspection point before the membrane is covered over. Whether a particular job required a certificate, and what has to be produced now, depends on the class of building, when the work was done, and what your council or certifier requires — those are questions for them. Our role is deliberately narrower: we document what is there and what can be established, and we do not determine compliance.
Council application fees vary considerably between Sydney councils, are set by each council, and change — so check your council's current fee schedule rather than relying on a figure quoted anywhere else. That fee is separate from ours. Our fee for the wet-area evidence report is fixed, quoted upfront after we review your documents, and typically starts from $850 + GST.
No — not honestly, by anyone. A certificate of installation can only come from the licensed installer who did the work. If they're unavailable, that document cannot be recreated. What can be produced is an independent evidence report: what the records establish, what is observable at accessible points, and what remains unverifiable. Councils and certifiers routinely assess exactly this kind of alternative evidence — acceptance is always their call, and we say that plainly rather than promising otherwise.
Send us council's letter first — there's no charge to review it. The letter's exact wording determines what evidence will actually help your application. We then quote a fixed fee for an inspection and report shaped to that request.
Observable evidence: material at accessible drains and penetrations, finished-surface falls, junction and seal condition, moisture indicators, subfloor observations where there's access — plus a proper review of whatever records exist: certificates, construction photos and their dates, plans. And, stated honestly: a concealed membrane's extent and continuity cannot be verified without opening up. Our reports say what cannot be known. That's exactly why the parts they can establish carry weight.
The report sets out the options: limited targeted opening by your trades, which we document before, during and after — or a plumber-conducted wet test, which we observe and record. We don't conduct tests ourselves; that separation is what keeps the record independent.
Fixed fee, quoted after we review your documents — typically from $850 + GST for a records review, site inspection and report. You'll know the exact number before we attend, and it doesn't change on site.
The council or certifier letter, any certificates, construction photos, plans — whatever exists. We review everything before quoting, at no charge.
Scope, fee and timing in writing — including exactly what the report can and cannot do for your situation. No surprises, no upselling.
The rooms in question, documented thoroughly — drains, junctions, falls, moisture indicators, subfloor where accessible. About an hour on site.
Evidence presented room by room, records separated from observations, limitations stated, and the next options set out if more is needed.
If whoever asked comes back wanting something I could have captured on the day and didn't, I return and capture it at no charge. That's a promise about my work, not about their decision — whether the evidence is accepted is always theirs to make, and any report that told you otherwise would be worth less, not more.
Applying for a Building Information Certificate? That page covers what council can ask for and why wet areas hold applications up.
Selling or buying, and the building inspection flagged a renovated wet area? That is a different clock — see the Pre-Settlement Evidence Report.
Renovating and not yet tiled? That's a different (and cheaper) moment — see the Pre-Tile Inspection: record it before it's covered.
We didn't do the waterproofing, we don't sell the repair, and we don't certify the work. Our only product is the independent record.
What a certificate claims and what we saw on site are kept strictly separate in the report — so the reader always knows which kind of evidence they're weighing.
Every report states what could not be verified and routes judgement to the parties whose call it is. That's precisely what makes it usable in front of a council, certifier or solicitor.
We'll reply within one business day — usually with a request for your documents, then a fixed-fee quote. Nothing is charged until a quote is accepted.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call Kevin on 0499 288 304