Two in three NZ building consent applications generate a Request for Further Information. Prelodge checks your application against known RFI trigger patterns before it hits the council desk.
No sign-up required · Free for designers and LBPs · Takes under 3 minutes
"An applicant should not submit an application knowing it is incomplete and use the Council RFI process as their quality control."
MBIE — Building Act guidanceThe statutory consent clock is 20 working days. Councils are meeting it. The other 36 days — spent waiting for applicants to respond to RFIs — is almost entirely avoidable. Prelodge catches the triggers before you lodge.
Prelodge works through your project profile and cross-references it against a structured database of RFI trigger patterns — weighted by how commonly each item is cited, and adjusted for your council's known requirements.
Project type, council, structural approach, site conditions, services involved. Takes about 90 seconds. No sign-up required.
Prelodge cross-references your inputs against known RFI patterns for your project type and council. High, medium, and low risk items with specific, actionable guidance — not generic checklists.
Work through the pre-lodgement checklist, address the flagged items, and lodge with confidence. Print the report or save it with your application documents.
Every risk item references the specific NZBC clause, explains what's needed for your project, and tells you exactly how to address it. Not "check your drawings" — but what specifically to check and why.
Provide full bracing demand and capacity calculations per NZS 3604 Section 5. Sub-floor bracing is near-universally incomplete — confirm sub-floor bracing schedule matches the bracing plan.
Show the complete stormwater flow path on the site plan: roof catchment areas, downpipe locations, and connection to the legal discharge point. E1 is a top-5 RFI clause nationally.
State actual R-values for all building elements. "To H1" or "insulation to comply with H1" is not acceptable — every element needs an explicit R-value shown on drawings.
You know the process but RFIs still happen under time pressure. Prelodge runs a systematic check against the patterns that catch designers out — before you lodge, not after.
Preparing your own application or managing a designer's work? Prelodge helps you understand what a complete application looks like and gives you a framework to hold your designer accountable.
MBIE publishes building consent performance data for every BCA in New Zealand. The problem is consistent — and consistently avoidable. Prelodge is built on this data.
| Council | Applications/year | RFI rate | Median RFI response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland Council | 33,690 | 81.6% | 17 working days |
| Hamilton City Council | 3,009 | 70.2% | 15 working days |
| Tauranga City Council | 3,503 | 67.7% | 8 working days |
| Whanganui District | 1,348 | 75.3% | 4 working days |
| All NZ BCAs (national average) | 73,213 | 64.6% | 11 working days |
Source: MBIE Building Consent System Performance Monitoring, year ended June 2025.
Run a free pre-lodgement check on your project. Takes under three minutes. No sign-up, no cost, no obligation — just a risk report you can act on before you lodge.
Free · No sign-up · Works on mobile · NZ Building Code data