1A-03Certification
Two stages of certification
Stage 1: design
Dwellings are certified at the design stage, before construction begins. Under the Standard, a design can be certified once it has gone to a regulatory authority, a council or a certifier for example, for building approval.
This certificate is called ‘Provisional’, because nothing has been built yet. The NDIA says it gives providers more certainty that what they build will meet the Standard’s minimum requirements for the nominated category or categories.
The assessor lodges the certification with the NDIA, and the NDIA records the project on a design stage register.
Stage 2: final as-built
The NDIA’s guideline says the Standard is mandatory for all new SDA dwellings, and that dwellings must be certified at the final as-built stage. Only a built dwelling can receive the Final certification that is suitable for NDIS enrolment.
The Standard says a dwelling is certified as a particular category when it is built with that category’s listed features, and is compliant when it meets every provision of the clauses that apply to that category.
One dwelling may be certified under more than one category, but its shared areas must then meet the minimum requirements of every category enrolled.
2A-03Limits
What certification does not decide
The NDIA describes the Standard as making SDA design requirements easier for providers and participants to understand. Certification against it is still not enrolment. The NDIA decides whether to enrol a dwelling when a provider submits a completed application, after the dwelling is built. It will not enrol a dwelling if the provider and the dwelling fail any of the enrolment requirements under the SDA Rules at the time of the decision, whatever the assessor certified and whatever earlier assessment, feedback or certification anyone gave.
Nor does the register promise anything. Being on the design stage register does not mean the dwelling will be enrolled, or enrolled as the same building type and design category as the register shows. The NDIA places the responsibility on the provider: the dwelling submitted for enrolment must be suitable for SDA and fully and clearly compliant with every requirement of its building type and design category. Where there is any uncertainty about whether a building type’s features are present, the NDIA encourages a conservative interpretation.
The Standard does not cover dwellings that seek enrolment as existing or legacy stock. Their minimum requirements are on sheet A-02.
3A-03Signatory
The assessor who signs
- Who engages them. The SDA developer, owner or provider engages the assessor to certify compliance; the NDIA does not.
- Who can sign. Only an accredited SDA assessor can issue Design Standard certification; accreditation is what allows a qualified assessor to assess plans and dwellings against the Standard.
- Who can be accredited. Anyone can take the NDIA-approved training course, but only specified professionals who meet certain requirements can become accredited: architects, access consultants, occupational therapists and building surveyors.
- Conflicts. An assessor cannot certify a project where there may be a perceived or actual conflict of interest. The NDIA applies the conflict of interest definition from the Australian Building Codes Board’s National Model Code of Conduct for Building Surveyors (2020).
- Reading the Standard. The NDIA gives no specific technical advice. Where the Standard can be read more than one way, assessors should choose the reading that leads to the best outcome for the participant, and confirm it in writing with the NDIA.
4A-03General notes
General notes from the Standard
A selection of what the Standard says about itself. Its clauses apply according to design category, so read each one in the Standard.
It sets out the detailed design requirements to be built into new SDA under the NDIS.
It sets out the minimum design requirements for each design category.
Those requirements were set as a minimum, judged reasonable and necessary for SDA participants based on their needs.
A bedsit or studio-style design, such as a motel room or an all-in-one layout, is not permitted.
In some cases, a laundry shared by several residents is considered reasonable.
The dwelling must comply with every applicable requirement of the National Construction Code. Where the Code and the Standard conflict, the Code takes precedence, except for the Standard’s spatial requirements.
Density requirements and building type are as the NDIS requires them, and are not part of the Standard.
Revision block
| Date | Item |
|---|---|
| Oct 2019 | The SDA Design Standard is published. The edition the NDIA links is Edition 1.1. |
| 1 Jul 2021 | The Standard covers all new SDA, and new build refurbished SDA. |
| Under way | The NDIA has engaged a consulting firm to conduct an independent review of the Standard. Check the NDIA’s page for any change before relying on a requirement. |
The application this certificate travels with is on sheet A-01; the provider’s registration is on sheet A-05; the cover sheet is A-00.