Form 15 and Form 16 in QLD residential building

What it is

In Queensland, Forms 15 and 16 are the two compliance certificates the building certifier relies on when an aspect of building work falls outside their own technical scope. Form 15 covers design and specification. Form 16 covers inspection of work in place. Both are approved forms under the Building Act 1975 and the Building Regulation 2021, and both are signed by a competent person the certifier has accepted for that aspect.

For a residential builder, these forms are the paper trail that lets a certifier issue a Form 11 final certificate. Missing or weak Form 15 and Form 16 entries are one of the most common reasons a residential build stalls at occupation.

Form 15 (design and specification)

A Form 15 is a design specification certificate. It is given to the certifier before the work is built. The competent person who signs it must assess the design or specification for the aspect of building work and state that if the work is installed or carried out as specified, it will comply with the building assessment provisions.

When a Form 15 is needed

The certifier requests a Form 15 when an aspect of the design sits outside their licence class. Typical examples on a residential build:

• Structural steel design for a portal frame or steel beam by a structural engineer
• Bored pier and footing design on reactive soil
• Bushfire attack level (BAL) assessment and AS 3959 compliance
• Energy efficiency assessment under NCC Section J or NCC Volume Two Part 13 for residential
• Termite management system design

Who can sign a Form 15

The competent person must hold the qualifications, registration or licence the certifier accepts for that aspect. For a residential builder this almost always means a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) for structural work, a registered building designer or architect for design, and a licensed installer where the trade has a discipline of its own.

Form 16 (inspection certificate)

A Form 16 is an inspection certificate for an aspect of building work that has already been built. It states the aspect was inspected and that it complies. There are two main use cases:

Form 16 by a QBCC licensee

A QBCC licensee can give a Form 16 for an aspect of their own work, where the licence class covers it. A waterproofer issuing a Form 16 for shower membranes is the standard residential example. The licensee inspects the work and certifies it complies.

Form 16 by an appointed competent person

The certifier can appoint a competent person to inspect a specific aspect they are not qualified to inspect themselves. The appointed competent person then issues a Form 16 for that aspect. RPEQ engineers giving a Form 16 for a steel beam install or a slab pour are the most common residential examples.

How the forms tie into the certifier chain

The certifier collects Forms 15 and 16 across the job. At the final certificate stage, the certifier reviews the file and only issues a Form 11 if every aspect has the right paperwork. A site supervisor handing the certifier a thin file is the most common cause of a Practical Completion delay.

Where TradeLens fits

TradeLens scans the project file for missing Form 15 and Form 16 paperwork before the certifier is asked for a Form 11. The flag is simple: which aspects are designed or built outside the builder licence class, and is there a Form 15 in for the design and a Form 16 in for the install. Picking the gap up two weeks before final inspection costs nothing. Picking it up on the day the certifier walks the site costs three weeks of carrying charges.

Common mistakes on residential builds

• Treating the engineer drawing pack as the Form 15. The Form 15 is a separate document the engineer signs that references the drawing. The drawing alone is not a Form 15
• Relying on a verbal "she will be right" from the waterproofer instead of a Form 16. Waterproofing failure is the highest defect claim category on QBCC stats and the Form 16 is the builder's contemporaneous record
• Asking the engineer to back date a Form 16 for a slab they never inspected. The competent person commits an offence if they sign a Form 16 without an actual inspection
• Letting the certifier appoint a competent person without telling the builder. The builder pays the inspection cost and needs to schedule access

A well kept Form 15 and Form 16 file is the cleanest way to defend a defect claim two years after handover. It is also the cleanest way to settle a QBCC complaint in the builder's favour.