Our Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings Policy is an important tool to ensure workers, residents and visitors to the city are protected against the risks dangerous and/or insanitary buildings can pose.

The policy outlines how the Council will undertake its responsibilities under the Building Act 2004 in relation to dangerous and insanitary buildings, and buildings affected by dangerous and insanitary buildings. This includes how the Council will work with building owners to prevent buildings from remaining dangerous or insanitary, particularly where a dangerous building is affecting, or potentially affecting, another building.

We’re reviewing the policy as part of a regular review cycle, per the requirements of the Building Act 2004.

What buildings are covered by the policy?

• A dangerous building is one that is likely to cause injury or death, or damage to other property in the ordinary course of events.
• A building can be declared insanitary if it:

• is offensive, or likely to be injurious to health because of how it is constructed, or because it is in a state of disrepair.

• has insufficient or defective provisions against moisture penetration.

• has inadequate sanitary facilities or potable water supply.
• Earthquake-prone buildings are not covered by this policy.
• Buildings that are abandoned or derelict are not necessarily ‘dangerous’ or ‘insanitary’. There's a high legal threshold to determine a building as dangerous or insanitary, and any building that doesn't meet this threshold is outside the scope of this policy.
• The scope of this policy is limited to the specific functions the Council has in relation to dangerous and insanitary buildings under the Building Act 2004.

What changes are proposed?

We’re not proposing any substantial changes to the policy in this review. Minor amendments are proposed to:

• improve clarity, including on matters Council may consider when assessing a building under this policy
• align with recent changes to legislation, Council’s strategic direction, and current best practice
• update outdated terminology and references to other documents
• ensure the format of the policy is consistent with our standard policy template.

For the full detail of proposed changes, see:

• Draft Dangerous and Insanitary Buildings Policy 2026
• Table of proposed changes