How it works

Check before you lodge.
Every time.

ConsentIQ loads the right council rule set for your project, surfaces every likely RFI trigger with a plain-English remedy, and lets you work through the list before you hit submit. Three steps — under 15 minutes.

01
Set up your project
02
Review the gap tracker
03
Resolve, export, lodge
01
Step one

Set up your
project

Tell ConsentIQ the basics: project type, council, and any scope flags relevant to your job. This takes about two minutes and determines exactly which rule set gets loaded.

Council matters. A new dwelling in Dunedin is checked against DCC-specific BCO patterns. The same project in Selwyn runs against SDC rules. The NZBC clauses are the same — the behaviour around them isn't.

Project type: new dwelling, alteration, addition, or multi-unit
Your council — calibrated rule sets for DCC, SDC, WDC, CODC, Buller DC; GENERIC rules for all others
Scope flags: gas appliance, onsite drainage, fire wall, multi-unit, SIPs construction
Optional: upload drawings for AI-assisted parameter extraction
Project setup
Council
Dunedin City Council (DCC)
Project type
New dwelling
Scope flags
Gas appliance
Onsite drainage
Multi-unit
Fire wall
Timber frame
SIPs
02
Step two

Review the
gap tracker

ConsentIQ surfaces every likely RFI trigger for your project and council — sorted by severity, each with the NZBC clause reference, the plain-English remedy, and how often that specific BCO has raised it.

The frequency data is what makes this different. Instead of a generic checklist, every item shows its pattern in the real dataset: "3/3 DCC projects flagged B1 load path narrative". That's not a theoretical risk — it's what happened.

Items sorted High / Medium by real council frequency — not arbitrary priority
Each item shows the NZBC clause, a plain-English why, and a specific remedy
RFI Fact Checker: upload a BCO query and verify it against the actual clause
Add evidence notes against each item — these persist across sessions
Gap tracker — 123 Test Street, Dunedin
DCC
High
B1 structural load path narrative absent — no written description of how loads transfer to foundation
B1/VM1 3/3 DCC projects
High
Manufacturer spec missing — heat pump not specified by model
G12 Universal pattern
Medium
E2 junction detail not cross-referenced — refer to E2/AS1 table or provide custom detail
E2/AS1 2/3 DCC projects
Medium
Wastewater capacity — confirm connection to reticulated sewer or provide system design
G13 2/3 DCC projects
03
Step three

Resolve, export,
lodge

Work through the gap tracker before you submit. Mark items resolved as you address them — or override with a note if the item doesn't apply to your project. Export a PDF summary and lodge knowing you've already done what your BCO was going to ask.

The export isn't just for your records. A completed ConsentIQ checklist demonstrates due diligence at lodgement — useful for both the BCO and for your client records if an RFI does arrive.

Mark items resolved as you address them — progress saves automatically
Override items that don't apply — add a note explaining why
Export a PDF summary of resolved items, overrides, and evidence notes
Archive the project once lodged — slot frees up for the next job
Pre-lodgement checklist
3 / 4 resolved
B1 load path narrative — added to spec
B1/VM1 · Resolved
Heat pump spec — Mitsubishi MSZ-AP25VGD attached
G12 · Resolved
E2 junctions cross-referenced to E2/AS1 table
E2/AS1 · Resolved
Wastewater — confirm reticulated sewer connection
G13 · Pending
Companion tool

When the gap tracker isn't enough,
dig into precedent.

Built into every ConsentIQ account: semantic search across 1,000 MBIE Building Act determinations. Paste an RFI, describe a gap, or type a clause reference — the search understands meaning, not just keywords, and surfaces the Secretary's decisions most relevant to your situation.

Use it to back an alternative solution, push back on a BCO query that isn't supported by the Code, or simply see how a clause has been interpreted on a real project before yours.

See determinations search
MBIE determinations
15 results
E2 flashing detail parapet junction
2019/028 Code compliance of parapet and post details without metal cap flashings
E2 — External Moisture Auckland Council · 2019 55% match
2024/027 Head flashing stop ends as alternative solution to E2
E2 — External Moisture Westland DC · 2024 Under appeal
What ConsentIQ checks

Every flag drawn from
real BCO behaviour

ConsentIQ's rules aren't derived from the NZBC alone. They're built from real RFI letters — the actual questions BCOs raise, at specific councils, on specific project types. The Building Code tells you the standard. ConsentIQ tells you how your BCO applies it.

B1 / VM1

Structural

Load path narrative, producer statement requirements, and supporting calculations. The single most commonly flagged category across all councils in the dataset.

Top pattern in dataset · 3/3 DCC projects
E2 / AS1

External moisture

Junction details, cross-referencing to E2/AS1 tables, cladding system verification, and non-standard junction documentation. Frequently incomplete at lodgement.

Flagged in 2/3 DCC · 2/3 SDC projects
H1 / AS1

Energy efficiency

R-value schedules, climate zone compliance, modelling files for Schedule Method compliance, and glazing area calculations. Especially common post-2023 updates.

Climate zone 3 projects · high frequency
G12 / G13

Plumbing & drainage

Appliance specifications by model and manufacturer, wastewater capacity evidence, water pressure calculations, and reticulation confirmation.

Appliance specs · universal pattern
C / AS1

Fire protection

Intertenancy wall construction details, fire-rated junction specs, separation documentation for multi-unit projects, and SFPE producer statement requirements.

Multi-unit projects · high frequency
Completeness

Submission documentation

The #1 driver of RFIs — missing manufacturer datasheets, absent producer statements, and information present in drawings but not surfaced clearly for the BCO.

45% of all RFIs in the dataset
The learning engine

Gets more accurate
with every project

Every item in the gap tracker shows its frequency in the real dataset. Not a theoretical risk score — an actual count of how many times that specific council's BCOs have raised that specific issue.

As more projects run through ConsentIQ, the dataset strengthens. Items that appear consistently in real RFI letters rise in prominence. Patterns that resolve cleanly at lodgement confirm the remedies work. The gap tracker improves in both directions.

The accuracy review dashboard (Studio and Practice plans) lets your practice see which items ConsentIQ flagged that became real RFIs — and which were overridden correctly. Over time, that feedback loop produces a rule set calibrated to your specific BCOs and council.

DCC — top RFI patterns by frequency
B1 load path narrative
3/3 projects
Appliance specs missing
3/3 projects
E2 junction x-ref
2/3 projects
Wastewater capacity
2/3 projects
H1 R-value schedule
1/3 projects
Drawn from real DCC RFI letters — not NZBC text alone
The dataset behind it
Proprietary BCO pattern data — not just the Building Code.
ConsentIQ's rules are drawn from real RFI letters, not just NZBC text. We know which clauses your specific council flags most — and how often. The largest independently compiled BC RFI dataset in NZ.
420K+
RFI data points across 6 NZ councils
23K+
consent records in the dataset
1,000
MBIE determinations semantically indexed
6
calibrated council rule sets
Get started

Ready to see what
your BCO sees?

Start a free trial and run your next consent submission through ConsentIQ before you lodge. No credit card required.