Building surveyor

Building surveyors provide independent oversight of buildings and building work throughout the construction process and upon completion of construction to ensure that buildings are safe for use, accessible and energy efficient.

There are two classes of building surveyor that you can apply to be registered in:

We will consider granting applications for registration as a building surveyor (limited) to applicants with practical experience restricted to Class 1 and 10 buildings, with a condition imposed restricting the scope of their registration to Class 1 and 10 buildings (excluding buildings with basements) with a maximum floor area of 500m2.

How to apply

To apply for registration as a building surveyor, you will need to complete an online application form:

• To start a new application, log in to BPC and start a new application on the ‘Registration and licensing’ page.
• To continue an existing application, log in to BPC and find your draft application on the ‘Registration and licensing’ page.

If you do not hold a current certificate of accreditation from the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (AIBS) issued under the AIBS National Accreditation or a current membership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as a Chartered Building Control Surveyor, you will need to complete and submit the following supporting documentation via the online application form:

1. Technical Referee Report
2. Experience Statement
3. Experience Logbook
4. Your evidence portfolio.

Third-party accreditation

From 16 October 2024 we will have regard to accreditation under the AIBS National Accreditation Scheme, and membership with the RICS as a Chartered Building Control Surveyor when assessing applications for registration as a building surveyor.

If you do hold a current AIBS accreditation issued under the AIBS National Accreditation Scheme or RICS membership as a Chartered Building Control Surveyor you:

• Must submit evidence of your current third-party accreditation via the online application form (you will be prompted to upload a copy of your current AIBS Accreditation Certificate or letter from RICS advising of your current membership as a Chartered Building Control Surveyor).
• Will not be required to provide a Technical Referee Report, Experience Statement, Experience Logbook or evidence portfolio via the online application form, unless the scope of work for the class you are applying to be registered in is greater than the scope of your third-party accreditation.

We will confirm your accreditation or membership, and the qualifications you hold that underpin that accreditation or membership, with the relevant third-party accreditation body.

The following table sets out the building surveyor registration class that AIBS accreditations and RICS membership have been mapped to:

AIBS Certificate of Accredited Membership via Mutual Recognition

There are two pathways for accredited membership with AIBS:

• Accreditation via the AIBS National Accreditation Scheme
• Accreditation via mutual recognition of an applicant’s registration as a building surveyor with a registration authority.

An AIBS accreditation issued via recognition of a registration issued by the BPC or other registration authority is identified by inclusion of the words ‘Accredited via Mutual Recognition’ on the Certificate of Accredited Membership.

If you hold an AIBS Certificate of Accredited Membership via Mutual Recognition, AIBS:

• Has not undertaken an assessment of your qualifications and practical experience under the AIBS National Accreditation Scheme
• Has recognised a registration issued to you by the BPC or other registration authority, and any conditions imposed on that registration, for the purposes of your membership with AIBS.

See the ‘supporting documentation’ section below for the information you must submit with your application for registration if you do not hold a current AIBS accreditation issued under the AIBS National Accreditation Scheme or RICS membership as a Chartered Building Control Surveyor. Visit the AIBS website for further information about the AIBS Mutual Recognition Scheme.

Supporting documentation

If you do not hold a current AIBS accreditation issued under the AIBS National Accreditation Scheme or RICS membership as a Chartered Building Control Surveyor that has been mapped to the class of accreditation you are applying for, you must submit the following documents in support of your application via the online application form:

Mutual recognition for building surveyors from registration authorities in other jurisdictions

Building surveyors entering Victoria with a registration issued by a registration authority in another Australian state or territory or in New Zealand are entitled to apply for registration via the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (Cth).

In some instances, we will impose conditions on a registration granted under mutual recognition to achieve equivalency with the interstate registration.

A person holding registration as a building surveyor (unlimited) with conditions cannot undertake all of the required functions of a municipal building surveyor and therefore cannot be a municipal building surveyor under the Building Act 1993.

If you are already registered as a building surveyor in another jurisdiction and would like to become registered in Victoria, visit our Mutual recognition for building practitioners web page.