Livable Housing Design Registered Assessor Handbook. June 2014

Transcription

1 Livable Housing Design Registered Assessor Handbook June 2014

2 About Livable Housing Australia Livable Housing Australia (LHA) is a partnership between community and consumer groups, government and industry. LHA champions the mainstream adoption of livable housing design principles in all new homes built in Australia. LHA arose from the Kirribilli Dialogue on Universal Housing Design, which established nationally agreed guidelines on designing and building livable homes. LHA is responsible for the ongoing development, dissemination and revision of Australia s Livable Housing Design Guidelines. Page 2 of 28

3 Table of Contents Introduction Accreditation and Assessment Principles LHA s approach to assessments for accreditation The role of LHA Objectives of assessments Separation of assessment and accreditation Guiding Principles Documentation Requirements Rulings Assessment Forms Independence of Assessors There is no partial compliance There are no conditions allowed Relationship with Australian Standards Role of the Registered Assessor Requirements for Registered Assessors Qualification to be a Registered Assessor Pre-requisites for Registration Prerequisites for Architects Prerequisites for Building Surveyors/Certifiers Prerequisites for Access Consultants Prerequisites for Occupational Therapists Prerequisites for Building Designers Prerequisites for Builders Eligibility to become a Registered Assessor Registered Assessor Code of Conduct LHA Tasks for Registered Assessors Technical Advisory Panel Audit Assessment activities The Accreditation Cycle Assessment forms Microsoft Word Assessment forms Completing the Assessment forms Front page Not Applicable Criteria Achieved Criteria Not Achieved Documentation Register Inspection tools and equipment Inclinometer Laser Distance Meter Wall Scanner Slip Resistance DOWNLOADS Appendix A Technical Advisory Panel Terms of Reference Page 3 of 28

4 INTRODUCTION This handbook is a reference document to guide Registered Assessors in assessments of dwellings against the Livable Housing Design Guidelines (Guidelines) published by Livable Housing Australia (LHA). Livable Housing Australia is responsible for the certification of dwellings and issues the Silver, Gold or Platinum Quality Marks to projects that are able to demonstrate compliance with the Elements of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. Without certification a developer is not able to use the Quality Mark. All Registered Assessors must follow the methods and procedures described in this handbook when conducting assessments. This ensures that assessments are carried out consistently and according to LHA s policies. This handbook is publicly available because applicants, consumers, governments and others have an interest in the effectiveness of our approach to assessing the livability of dwellings. This handbook describes:! the context and objectives of assessments! principles underlying assessments! the role of Registered Assessors! how to complete the Assessment form References and cross-references Throughout this handbook, we have used the following symbols to point to further reading or resources: indicates a cross-reference to another section of this handbook " indicates a reference to another document either a Livable Housing Australia publication or resource, or an external publication # $ indicates material available on a website either our own or another organisation s website. Acknowledgements Livable Housing Australia would like to acknowledge the support of the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Page 4 of 28

5 1. ACCREDITATION AND ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES 1.1. LHA s approach to assessments for accreditation The role of LHA LHA is the accreditation body responsible for accrediting dwellings according to the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. # $ All Registered Assessors should have a copy of the latest edition of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. The Livable Housing Design Guidelines can be downloaded from the LHA website Objectives of assessments Each assessment involves a review of the design of a dwelling against the Elements in the Guidelines. The key objective is to gather and verify information to enable a decision to be made about accreditation. Registered Assessors systematically collect, analyse and record information about a dwelling design features to enable LHA to determine whether the dwelling should be certified Separation of assessment and accreditation Our approach reinforces the separate and distinct roles of Registered Assessors and LHA. Registered Assessors conduct assessments of dwelling design features against the Elements described in the Livable Housing Design Guidelines and report their findings to inform the decisions made by LHA about whether the dwelling will be certified. It should be noted that LHA could come to a different conclusion about compliance to the Registered Assessor. LHA considers the assessment results along with other information to arrive at a decision about certification. Registered Assessors should consider this carefully when communicating the results of their assessment to clients. Only LHA is able to confirm whether a project has met all the requirements needed for a project to be awarded the Quality Mark. Page 5 of 28

6 1.2. Guiding Principles Documentation Requirements Design Assessments must be made on a formally issued set of documents such as For Tender; For Construction; As Built; Council Approved; Final; etc. Documents marked Preliminary; Draft; For Information Only; for LHA Assessment or documents without formal title blocks, drawing numbers, date of issue and revision status are not acceptable. Where documents other than drawings are used to determine compliance, they should be similarly formally issued and include document numbers or reference, date of issue and revision status information. Any letters (such as a letter confirming the result of an assessment) provided by Registered Assessors to clients/applicants must be on letterhead and must be signed. All documents (other than the Assessment forms) must be provided as PDF files so that they can be included with the documentation submitted for verification. For As Built assessments, documentation is required to be submitted that can be reviewed to verify the results of the assessment. Where Design documents are available, it is preferred that these are referenced in As Built inspections. Where there are no design documents available, Registered Assessors must collect a series of photographs that demonstrate that compliance with the various elements in the Guidelines has been achieved. This could be a large number of photographs. ACCEPTABLE DOCUMENT ISSUE STAMPS FOR TENDER AS BUILT FOR CONSTRUCTION FINAL COUNCIL APPROVED CONTRACT SET UNACCEPTABLE DOCUMENT ISSUE STAMPS PRELIMINARY DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION FOR INFORMATION ONLY FOR LHA ASSESSMENT NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Page 6 of 28

7 Rulings Where, in the opinion of the Registered Assessor, compliance has been achieved in a method not outlined in the Guidelines or any published rulings, Registered Assessors must obtain a ruling from LHA to confirm that an alternative solution meets the intent of the relevant Performance Statement. LHA publishes an updated list of Rulings on the first business day of each month. There is no fee for accessing the list of published Rulings. Where Rulings have been used, they must be referenced in the relevant part of the assessment form. Rulings may also be used where the Registered Assessor would like arbitration from LHA on an interpretation of the Guidelines. " See section 3.3 Completing the Assessment forms for information and examples. Rulings include Corrections and Alternatives. Alternatives are optional. Any Corrections published before a project is registered with LHA for certification must be addressed in the assessment. Corrections published after the project is registered for certification are optional. Fees are applied at $500+GST per Ruling. It should be noted that applications for Rulings will not be processed until the associated fee has been received by LHA. Once the fee has been received, the standard turn around time for Rulings is 10 business days. Ruling Applications that are poorly prepared or confusing may be rejected/refused after assessment. If an Applicant / Registered Assessor wants to amend the documentation provided to clarify the intent of the Ruling Application, then an additional Ruling fee will be applied and must be paid before the Ruling Application will be processed. " See section 2.4.1Technical Advisory Panel for details on who assesses Rulings. Rulings can be issued for specific projects (Project Specific Rulings) or generically for all projects. If a Registered Assessor wishes to use a Project Specific Ruling on another project, then an application must be made to LHA providing the full details of the issue and the Ruling that is requested. Page 7 of 28

8 The Ruling number must be included in the Assessment form. Rulings are either marked CORRECTION or ALTERNATIVE. Corrections are mandatory for projects registered with LHA after the Ruling Date Issued, alternatives are optional. Project Specific Rulings can only be used on the project they were issued for Assessment Forms Registered Assessors must use the LHD Assessment Form. The Assessment form is available as a Microsoft Word macro enabled document or Microsoft Excel file. The same form is used for both Design Assessments and As Built Inspections. Should a Registered Assessor consider a criterion in an assessment form to be Not Applicable, then the Registered Assessor should check the Achieved box and make a note in the Notes section that describes why that criterion is Not Applicable. " " Copies of the LHD Assessment forms are available for download from the LHA website See section 3.3 Completing the Assessment forms for information and examples Independence of Assessors In order to complete an As-Built Inspection, Registered Assessors must be independent of the project and the Applicant. This means that they cannot have been commissioned to provide construction or subcontracted services other than design, building inspection/certification or LHA Design Assessment services. A project s Architect or building designer can undertake As Built inspections, but a builder or one of his sub-contractors may not There is no partial compliance For the purposes of assessment, if any part of a compliance requirement is missing from documentation or is questionable, then non-compliance must be reported. It is not acceptable to award compliance with an element when only parts of the design/building comply. Page 8 of 28

9 There are no conditions allowed Registered Assessors may advise clients about changes that need to be made to make a design or constructed dwelling comply. Registered Assessors must not mark a performance requirement as Achieved and add notes to describe what would need to change or be addressed to ensure compliance. It either complies or it doesn t there is no conditional compliance. For example, if a Registered Assessor was reviewing a Design for compliance with the Element 4 Internal Doors & Corridors requirements and the door dimensions are not clearly shown or nominated, then it would NOT be acceptable to mark the Assessment form as Achieved and add a note complies as long as the laundry door has a clear opening width of 820mm as shown in Livable Housing Design Guidelines. The assessment must be objective if there is information missing and compliance cannot be confirmed; then it should NOT be marked as Achieved Relationship with Australian Standards Registered Assessors should note that the compliance requirements of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines have been developed independently to the Australian Standards that address similar issues. Registered Assessors should note that in some circumstances, the Platinum Level requirements could exceed the requirements in commonly used Australian Standards such as AS Registered Assessors should ensure they check compliance against the requirements outlined in the Livable Housing Design Guidelines and not assume that just because something meets the requirements of the Australian Standard, that it would also meet the requirements of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. Page 9 of 28

10 2. ROLE OF THE REGISTERED ASSESSOR 2.1. Requirements for Registered Assessors Qualification to be a Registered Assessor Registered Assessors are consultants appointed by applicants wishing to obtain access to the Livable Housing Design Quality Mark for their project. All Registered Assessors must have completed approved training and have passed the competency-based exam administered by Livable Housing Australia. Registered Assessors must be registered by Livable Housing Australia. Among the requirements for maintaining their registration, Registered Assessors need to continue their professional development and stay up to date with contemporary developments in the industry. LHA provides training and other information to help assessors stay up to date. Given the high standards of performance and integrity that are required in all assessments, LHA requires Registered Assessors to observe the Assessor Code of Conduct. A signed commitment to the code is another of the requirements for registration and re-registration Pre-requisites for Registration LHA has determined that candidates wishing to apply to become LHA Registered Assessors are required to meet the following prerequisites Prerequisites for Architects Architects wishing to apply to become LHA Registered Assessors must be currently registered with the relevant Architects' Board in their State or Territory Prerequisites for Building Surveyors/Certifiers Building Surveyors wishing to apply to become LHA Registered Assessors must be accredited in their State or Territory under the National Accreditation Framework, either as:! a Building Surveyor (Level 1);! Building Surveyor Limited (Level 2) or;! as an Assistant Building Surveyor (Level 3). Building Surveyors in those States or Territories not operating under the National Accreditation Framework should check the requirements identified below:! NSW - Building Certifiers wishing to apply must have Level A Accreditation (grade1, 2, or 3) with the Building Professionals Board (BPB). Page 10 of 28

11 ! Western Australia - Building Certifiers wishing to apply must be registered with the Building Commission/ Building Services Board as a Building Surveying Practitioner Level 1 or 2, or be registered as a Building Surveyor Practitioner: Technician.! Victoria - Building Certifiers wishing to apply must be registered with the Victorian Building Authority as a Building Surveyor Unlimited or Building Surveyor Limited.! Tasmania - Building Certifiers wishing to apply must be registered with Workplace Standards as a Building Surveyor, a Building Surveyor Limited, or an Assistant Building Surveyor. Individual Building Surveyors/Certifiers not covered by any of the above, can apply and will be assessed on a case by case basis by LHA Prerequisites for Access Consultants Access Consultants wishing to apply to become LHA Registered Assessors must either be: a) Accredited members of the Association of Consultants in Access Australia (ACAA) and have successfully completed the ACAA Accreditation Test or the ACAA Continuing Accreditation Test; or, b) be an Accredited Member of ACAA and hold the Certificate IV in Access Consulting, nationally recognised qualification Prerequisites for Occupational Therapists Occupational Therapists wishing to apply to become LHA Registered Assessors must be registered in the general registration category (i.e. not in the non practicing category) with the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme maintained by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. (AHPRA) As per the skills set required for the role of LHA Registered Assessor, Occupational Therapists must also provide evidence that they have completed a recognized course of study relating reading and interpreting plans and specifications. i.e. a Testamur detailing the units of competency, duration of the course and content covered Prerequisites for Building Designers Registration of Building Designers varies from State to State in Australia. Accordingly, Building Designers who wish to apply to become a LHA Registered Assessor must comply with the following prerequisites:! NSW/ACT: Accreditation with the Building Designers Association of NSW/ACT. Page 11 of 28

12 ! Tasmania: Registration with Workplace Standards in the Architectural - Open, Limited or Restricted classes.! Queensland: Registration with the Queensland Building Services Authority in one of the classes of: Building Design Low Rise, Building Design Medium Rise, or Building Design Open.! Victoria: Registration with the Victorian Building Authority as a Draftsperson in the category of: Building Design - Architectural (DPAD). Building Designers in other States and Territories can apply and will be assessed on a case by case basis Prerequisites for Builders Builders in Australia are regulated on a State by State basis. Accordingly, Builders wishing to apply to be a LHA Registered Assessor must comply with the following relevant prerequisites:! In Tasmania, you must be registered with Workplace Standards as a Construction Manager Low Rise, or Construction Manager Medium Rise or Construction Manager Open Class.! In Queensland you must be registered with the Queensland Building Services Authority as a Builder Low Rise, or Builder Medium Rise or Builder Open class.! In New South Wales you are required to be licensed with the Department of Fair Trading as a Building Contractor, a Qualified Supervisor or a Nominated Supervisor.! In Western Australia you must be registered either as a Building Practitioner or as a Building Contractor with the Building Services Board of the Building Commission.! In the Northern Territory you must be registered with the Building Practitioners Board as a Building Contractor Residential Restricted, or Building Contractor Residential Unrestricted! In the Australian Capital Territory you must be licensed as a Class A, B or C Builder by the department of Environment and Sustainable Development.! In Victoria, You must be registered as a Domestic Builder - Unlimited, with the Building Practitioners Board of the Victorian Building Authority. Builders registered as Domestic Builders - Manager, or Domestic Builders - Limited, may apply and will be assessed on a case by case basis. Page 12 of 28

13 2.3. Eligibility to become a Registered Assessor To be appointed as an LHA Registered Assessor, applicants must satisfy the following conditions: a) Applicants must meet one of the pre-requisites outlined in section 2.2. b) Applicants must have a minimum of 5 years professional experience in the Australian Construction Industry and must be able to demonstrate professional competence in Access Standards and regulations. c) Applicants must be covered for professional indemnity insurance. The policy must provide a minimum limit of indemnity of (i) $1,000,000 for any single claim; and (ii) $2,000,000 in aggregate during any one period of insurance. d) Applicants must pass the Registered Assessor online exam. e) Applicants must sign the Registered Assessor Code of Conduct and comply with all conditions outlined in that document. f) Applicants must pay the registration application fee. " The Registered Assessor Application form is available on the LHA website Page 13 of 28

14 REGISTERED ASSESSOR CODE OF CONDUCT I will observe the Registered Assessor code of conduct as follows: 1. Act professionally and accurately report findings in a consistent and unbiased manner. 2. Undertake assessment only in accordance with LHA procedures and policy. 3. Maintain my competence and knowledge of contemporary practice. 4. Not misrepresent my own or any other individual s qualifications, competence or experience, nor undertake assessment work beyond my expertise. 5. Disclose to LHA any current or prior working or personal relationships that may be seen as a conflict of interest or that may influence my judgment. 6. Not enter into any activity that may be in conflict with the best interests of LHA or that would prevent the performance of my duties in an objective manner. 7. Not communicate false, erroneous or misleading information that may compromise the integrity of any accreditation. 8. Not act in any way that would prejudice the reputation of LHA, Registered Assessors or the accreditation process. 9. Cooperate fully with any enquiry in the event of any complaint about my performance as a Registered Assessor or any alleged breach of this code. Name: Signature: Date: " Please see the downloads section of the LHA website for a link to download this form. Page 14 of 28

15 2.4. LHA Tasks for Registered Assessors Technical Advisory Panel From time to time, Registered Assessors may be requested to participate in LHA s Technical Advisory Panel (TAP). Participation on the TAP is not mandatory and payment for services is available. The Technical Advisory Panel is convened to consider Rulings and other technical issues with the Guidelines; to adjudicate on issues where a Registered Assessor s advice is challenged by an applicant; to undertake Peer Reviews; and to review training material and provide other advice requested by LHA. In some cases, the TAP will receive requests for advice such as that relating to Rulings. In other cases, the TAP will be convened in person to consider issues. The expectations of the TAP members include: a. If contacted, to review a Ruling or undertake a peer review of an assessment, to promptly advise LHA of your availability and if available, to provide your recommendation within the agreed timeframe; b. To provide advice that is technically robust and protects the veracity and clarity of the Livable Housing Design brand; c. To clearly indicate when your recommendation is not conclusive and further consideration is required; d. To provide constructive criticism on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines and the assessment process. Rulings and Peer Reviews are remunerated at a flat fee of $150/hr + GST, to be charged in 30-min increments. A copy of the Terms of Reference for the Technical Advisory Panel is attached as Appendix A Audit From time to time, LHA will commission Registered Assessors to undertake Audits of assessments completed by other Registered Assessors. The purpose of an Audit is to form a view on whether the documentation included with an assessment is sufficient to verify the assessment results recorded in the Assessment Form. The advice from Auditors is confidential between LHA and the Auditor and is provided to inform LHA about its processes, guidance and training as well as to identify potential issues with the skills of individual assessors. Page 15 of 28

16 3. ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES 3.1. The Accreditation Cycle New dwellings will usually apply for a Design Assessment to obtain access to the Provisional Quality Mark. The Provisional Quality Mark can be used for up to 2 years or 30 days after the certificate of occupancy for the dwelling has been issued. It is Provisional because it is based upon documentation and not upon the real-life building. It should be noted that Design Assessments may need to be undertaken in more than one step. Often, the external access features of a dwelling will need to be assessed at the Development Application stage whilst the internal details will be assessed later once working drawings and finishes schedules are produced. Design Assessments are usually completed for each separate dwelling design. If an apartment complex has 500 apartments with 12 typical apartment designs, then only the 12 typical apartment designs need to be assessed for a Design Assessment. Registered Assessors should include on the Assessment form the details of which apartments in the development comply with each design assessed. This would usually be recorded in the address field on the front page of the form. Buildings that are built, can apply for an As Built Inspection to obtain access to the Final Quality Mark. The Final Quality Mark can be used for up to 7 years after it is issued. The As Built Inspection could follow a Design Assessment or could be done independent of the Design Assessment. It is possible for a Registered Assessor to be requested to inspect an existing dwelling to complete an assessment against the Guidelines. In this case, Registered Assessors will need to satisfy themselves through site investigation that all the compliance requirements have been met. As Built Inspections must generally be completed for each dwelling separately and a separate Assessment Form must be completed for each dwelling. In cases where more than 10 dwellings with exactly the same design features are being inspected at the same point in time, please contact LHA to confirm the inspection regime Assessment forms The LHD Assessment forms approved for use by Registered Assessors are produced in a variety of formats including macro enabled Microsoft Word forms; Microsoft Excel forms and Portable Document Format (PDF) forms. The forms are distributed in a password protected format that provides access only to the parts of the form that should be edited Microsoft Word Assessment forms The macros embedded in the Microsoft Word forms generally perform calculation actions to determine the compliance level resulting from the assessment. When opening the forms it is important to choose the Enable Macros option. Page 16 of 28

17 In some cases, older versions of Microsoft Word will generate errors with the macro codes. This is generally not a problem as the check boxes and notes can still be completed. If you find that your software is having problems with the Microsoft Word Assessment forms you can just complete the assessment and notes, save the form and the file to info@lha.org.au. You could also try one of the other Assessment form formats. " See LHA website for links to download the LHD Assessment forms Completing the Assessment forms Front page Select whether this is a Design Assessment or an As Built Inspection and the number of dwellings this form covers The form will automatically complete the name sections. Registered Assessors are required to check the box acknowledging responsibility. Your LHA Registered Assessor Number should go here Applicants must register before Assessment forms are submitted to LHA Provide the address of the property or Real Property Description (RPD) here This field is for Assessors to use not mandatory Page 17 of 28

18 Not Applicable Some pages have a check box for cases when the entire page is Not Applicable. Checking this box and clicking Tab runs a macro that checks all boxes and adds notes to the Notes column. Standard note in all boxes when Not Applicable is checked. If the macros don t work on your computer, you can complete the form manually. Page 18 of 28

19 Criteria Achieved Where the design complies with the performance criteria, the Achieved box should be checked. If you are only assessing compliance with the Silver criteria, leave the Gold and Platinum Achieved boxes unchecked If a criterion is Not Applicable, check the Achieved box and include a note explaining why it is considered NA. If a Ruling is used, it must be referenced in the Assessment form Criteria Not Achieved If a criterion is Not Achieved, leave the Achieved box unchecked. You could add a note explaining this decision but it is not essential. Page 19 of 28

20 Documentation Register The Documentation Register is a table at the end of the Assessment form. This part of the form is not protected and as such, it works in a similar way to any other non-protected document. In the Word and Excel forms, Registered Assessors are able to add or delete rows or columns or even add paragraph text to this section of the form. The table is formatted so that if it is extended over several pages, the header rows continue to be placed at the top of the page. Documentation for a typical Design assessment would include drawings, specifications, finishes schedules, and other documents. For an As Built Inspection, design documents could be included if available, however an As Built Inspection would usually include a number of photographs from site that record the features observed in the inspection. Registered Assessors must complete this Register to record each document assessed. Copies of each document assessed must be sent with the completed Assessment form to LHA. Documents could include drawings, specifications, finishes schedules, consultant advice notices, etc. The documents listed in the Documentation Register must be submitted with the Assessment form to LHA. The preferred format for documents is PDF for drawings and specifications and jpeg for images. Please include a description of the image in the image name for photographs taken on site. The Documents listed in the Document Register will be used to verify the result of your assessment if it is Audited. When an assessment is Audited, LHA will commission a Registered Assessor to independently review the documents provided with the assessment to determine whether all of LHA s guidelines and procedures have been followed. Should discrepancies be found during the Audit, the original Registered Assessor may be at risk of losing their registration or may be required to undergo further training before being listed on the LHA website. Page 20 of 28

21 4. INSPECTION TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT The most common piece of equipment needed for an As Built inspection is a measuring tape. In addition to this, a digital camera is required to generate records of the design features inspected. The following tools may also be of use to Registered Assessors undertaking As Built inspections Inclinometer This tool is similar to a spirit level except that it has a digital gauge to measure the angle of inclines. $ Bosch DNM 60L Professional Digital Inclinometer Laser Distance Meter This tool can make measuring dimensions of rooms and structures a breeze. $ Bosch GLM 80 Professional Laser Range Finder Wall Scanner This tool can be used to identify the location of reinforcing behind wall sheeting. $ Bosch D-tect 150 CNT Professional Slip Resistance Whilst there are tools available for measuring slip resistance, there are no standards with which to interpret the results. As a consequence assessment of slip resistance will rely upon professional judgment of Registered Assessors. Should an assessor want to use a slip resistance meter, they can be hired from Tech Rentals. $ Page 21 of 28

22 5. DOWNLOADS The following documents can be found on the LHA Website Assessor Registration Application Form! Registered Assessor Code of Conduct! LHD Assessment Form (Microsoft Word macro enabled document)! LHD Assessment Form (Microsoft Excel file)! List of Registered Assessors! Rulings Schedule! Assessor FAQs! Assessor Guidance Notes! Livable Housing Design Guidelines! Applicant Information Brochure! Project Registration Form Page 22 of 28

23 APPENDIX A TECHNICAL ADVISORY PANEL TERMS OF REFERENCE This document is reproduced here for information only and may be updated from time to time. For an up to date edition of this document, please check the LHA website or contact LHA by at info@lha.org.au Page 23 of 28

24 LIVABLE HOUSING AUSTRALIA TECHNICAL ADVISORY PANEL (TAP) Draft TERMS OF REFERENCE 1 PURPOSE The purpose of the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel (LHA TAP) is to provide expert advice to the Executive Director of Livable Housing Australia regarding technical issues and rulings related to the application of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. 2 ROLE AND FUNCTION The LHA TAP will:! Provide technical advice to the LHA Executive Director on rulings related to the application of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines to projects. These rulings will include consideration of alternative compliance pathways and reasonable tolerances.! Provide adjudication advice to the LHA Executive Director on issues where a LHA Registered Assessor seeks independent adjudication with a disagreement between the Registered Assessor and an applicant on the application of the Guidelines and the Assessment of compliance.! Undertake audits of Design Assessments and As Built Assessments to identify shortcomings in the knowledge of Registered Assessors and areas where additional training and guidance could be provided by LHA.! Provide advice on specific issues as requested by the Livable Housing Australia Board. 3 REPORTING The LHA Executive Director will distribute by requests for advice of the TAP. The TAP members considering an issue may include a number of individuals. In each case however, individual TAP members with relevant technical, design and construction skills will be consulted. At least three TAP members will be consulted where a TAP member possesses more than one of the three skill sets identified above. Each member of the LHA TAP will provide advice individually to the Livable Housing Australia Executive Director by . Where necessary, the LHA Executive Director will convene a teleconference to discuss individual members advice in order to reach consensus about a specific issue. Page 24 of 28

25 4 MEMBERSHIP Membership of the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel will be limited to LHA Registered Assessors. Members will be required to identify their particular strengths in the areas of: i) Technical Issues related to accessibility and standards development; and/or ii) Design; and/or iii) Construction. Members will be appointed for an initial term of 12 months and may be appointed for another 12 month term by the LHA Board. Membership of the LHA TAP may be terminated by LHA at any time. 5 CONFIDENTIALITY AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST Members of the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel will be required to sign a conflict of interest form. Conflict of interest is defined as any instance where a TAP member has a direct financial or other interest which influences, or may appear to influence, proper consideration within the TAP on a matter or proposed matter. Where an issue being considered by the TAP is related to the work of a particular TAP member, that member must advise the LHA Executive Director of the Conflict and must not participate in the development of the related ruling or advice. The proceedings and records of the Livable Housing Australia TAP are to be considered confidential unless agreed otherwise. The Livable Housing Australia TAP members must take care to protect the confidentiality of all forms of information disclosed directly or indirectly within the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel. 6 CONTACT WITH THE MEDIA The work of the LHA TAP is confidential and all requests for statements from the media are to be referred to the LHA Executive Director. 7 REMUNERATION Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel members will be remunerated for their activities at a fixed rate of $150 per hour plus GST. This rate will be paid in 30 minute increments. The standard time for TAP activities is as follows: i) consideration of a technical ruling 30 minutes; ii) adjudication of an issue 30 minutes; iii) audit of an assessment 2 hours. Should a TAP member be unable to complete the assigned task in the allocated time, they should contact the LHA Executive Director to discuss an extension of time allocation. The LHA Executive Director may extend the time allocated to a TAP consideration at his/her discretion. Page 25 of 28

26 From time to time, the LHA Executive Director may convene a meeting of TAP members. Attendance in person at TAP meetings is optional and teleconference facilities will be provided. TAP members will not be remunerated for attendance at these TAP meetings or for any travel or accommodation expenses incurred as a result of attending in person. 8 OPERATING PROCEDURES 8.1 ADMINISTRATION Livable Housing Australia will administer the operations of the TAP in accordance with these Terms of Reference. This will include the appointment Registered Assessors to the TAP, the allocation of TAP members to particular issues and the payment of invoices for the work of the TAP members. The budget of the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel will be identified and administered by the Livable Housing Australia Executive Director. 8.2 MEETINGS Livable Housing Australia will provide Secretariat services for TAP meetings. The Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel will meet no more than four times a year. It is expected that each member of the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel will attend no less than 75% of meetings per year. The Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel will have fixed terms and be reviewed after a twelve-month period. Continuation of the Livable Housing Australia Advisory Council will be at the discretion of the Livable Housing Australia Board. 8.3 RECORDS The secretariat hosted by Livable Housing Australia is to prepare a record of each meeting. The secretariat shall keep a file of at least the following: 1. Agendas, reports and minutes of meetings. 2. Correspondence, papers tabled at meetings and papers circulated other than with agendas. A copy of the Minutes is to be sent to the Chairman of the Livable Housing Australia Board. All files are the property of Livable Housing Australia. The secretariat hosted by Livable Housing Australia is to keep records of each decision made by the TAP. These records shall include each response received from individual TAP members, notes of each telephone discussion and teleconference used to clarify advice and details of each ruling produced. Page 26 of 28

27 9 TERMS OF REFERENCE The Terms of Reference of the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel may be varied at any time by the Livable Housing Australia Board. 10 DISSOLUTION / REVIEW DATE The Livable Housing Australia Board may dissolve the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel by notice in writing to members. Notwithstanding this, the Livable Housing Australia Technical Advisory Panel has a review date of 28 March, Page 27 of 28

28 2014 Livable Housing Australia