NBN for New Developments: 3 Common Compliance Questions Answered

If you’re subdividing or managing a new residential development, an essential step towards compliance is to get the property NBN-ready. Unfortunately, this small step has the potential to cause big headaches if you’re unsure of the process or get the timing wrong. 

It’s little wonder then that we get a lot of questions from developers, builders, surveyors and homeowners about what needs to be done, when it needs to happen and how much it will cost. So, to help you get your head around it all and achieve compliance minus the hassle, we’ve put together a summary of three common questions and answers about getting your subdivision or new development NBN-ready.

1) Do I need to hire a telecommunications contractor to complete the works?

While it isn’t mandatory to hire a telecommunications specialist and you can use your own contractor, it is highly recommended that you engage an expert. This is because the infrastructure within your property boundary must be designed and built to NBN co’s strict standards to achieve compliance. If you engage someone to do the works for you and it comes up short, you will be faced with extra costs to rectify any issues, not to mention the extra time added on to your project, which will blow out your completion date. 

Hiring a telecommunications contractor who guarantees their work gives you peace of mind and assurance that you won’t need to foot the bill for non-compliant work or worry about delays as the designs and installations will be built right the first time. A contractor will also assist with the application and compliance paperwork and their experience and industry knowledge will help you to fast track the certification process, so you can get started on the works sooner.

2) When do I need to get the process started to avoid hold-ups with compliance?

The sooner the better is the short answer here! The trouble is that there are lots of aspects you must have completed and ticked off to receive your certificate of compliance, and the lead times on some of these can be many months. Allowing for extra time takes the pressure off you and your team and keeps your project on schedule.

As a guide, your online application should be submitted to your network provider as soon as you have locked in the key personnel and details of the project, as it can take three months for approvals on small subdivisions of two homes and six months for large developments.

3) What is the developer contribution charge and do I need to pay it?

Australian Government policy requires that NBN co must recover the cost of deploying the NBN access network infrastructure, and to do this, the developer contribution charge is applied to each new premises that requires a new NBN connection.

Currently, the charge is capped at $600 inc. GST per premises for Single Dwelling Units and $400 inc. GST for Multi Dwelling Units. The types of developments the charge may be applied to include subdivisions, apartments, townhouses, villa units, commercial premises, granny flats and knockdown rebuilds, however, it will only apply to new buildings or lots requiring a new address.

Still unsure or overwhelmed?

If you’re still a little unsure about the telecommunications installation on your project contact us for expert advice. We help builders, developers, home owners and surveyors get their new properties NBN-ready in the shortest possible time frame with the minimum amount of fuss.

You can get in touch with our team on (03) 8592 8100 or fill in the online booking form and we’ll get back to you with a quote promptly.