CBD Program disclosure affected office spaces need a current registered Building Energy Efficiency Certificate (BEEC) before being advertised or offered for sale, lease, or sublease.

A BEEC discloses energy efficiency information about office space. A BEEC is required for most office space of 1000 m2 or more at the time of sale, lease, or sublease.

Certain exemptions may apply.

A BEEC combines two assessments:

These assessments can only be carried out by CBD Accredited Assessors. The CBD Accredited Assessor can apply for the BEEC on behalf of owners and landlords.

BEECs are valid for up to 12 months and:

  • are published on the Building Energy Efficiency Register;
  • can be displayed on the premises to promote the energy efficiency of the building;
  • must be provided to potential buyers or tenants.

When advertising a disclosure affected building or area for sale, lease or sublease the NABERS Energy for offices rating from the BEEC must be included.

Existing BEECs

The BEEC will remain current until either the NABERS Energy for offices rating or the TLA expires, whichever comes first. This means that the BEEC is valid for a maximum of 12 months. You don’t need to always maintain a BEEC, but a current registered BEEC must be in place before advertising or offering a disclosure affected office space for sale, lease or sublease. You must provide a current BEEC to any prospective buyer or tenant who requests it.

Some owners and landlords have annual NABERS Energy for offices ratings and schedule regular TLAs so they can keep an ongoing registered BEEC. Others keep a current registered BEEC if they are approaching the end of their current lease or sublease.

If you want to be able to consider unsolicited offers without delay, you should consider always maintaining a current registered BEEC.

It is important to ensure that the current BEEC you have for a building address includes all of the office space that you want to offer for sale or lease. 

When leasing office space within a disclosure affected building you must ensure the functional spaces that appear in Part 2 of the BEEC correctly match the office spaces being offered for lease. Note that a BEEC can still cover an entire building even if you are only offering part of it at any one time. 

If selling an entire disclosure affected building then you must ensure that the entire building has been rated. Practically, this means that both the NABERS Energy for Office and Tenancy Lighting Assessment ratings cover all of the functional spaces within a building being offered for sale. 

At times where a building owner initially leases only part of a building, and then later chooses to sell that building, they will need to check that their current BEEC covers the entire building. 

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the department) routinely audit property advertising and associated BEECS to ensure disclosure affected buildings have been rated appropriately. 

Process for getting a BEEC

First, confirm that the building or area is disclosure affected and needs a BEEC.

If it is disclosure affected, check whether the building already has a current registered BEEC that covers the area being offered for sale, lease or sublease.

Search the Building Energy Efficiency Register by the name or location of the building. If there isn’t already a current registered BEEC you can begin the process to apply for one.

Engage a CBD Accredited Assessor

Only a CBD Accredited Assessor can apply for a BEEC on your behalf. While there is no fee for applying for a BEEC, you will need to pay for the services of the CBD Accredited Assessor.

We maintain a register of CBD Accredited Assessors. You can use the filters to find assessors in your state, or search for individuals by name or their company name. You can request quotes for the scope and fees from different assessors.

Gather information for your assessment

It can take up to 4 months to get the first NABERS Energy for offices rating for the building or area. Getting what you need ready early will save you time and money. Your CBD Accredited Assessor can tell you what documents you’ll need and help you contact any other persons who might have the information you need.

Information you’ll need includes, but is not limited to:

  • electricity, gas and diesel bills for at least the previous 12 months;
  • any certified survey plans that show the net lettable area for office tenancies;
  • the utility metering for the building and whether the base building and tenant power use is separate;
  • lease documents;
  • after-hours air-conditioning logs.

Visit the NABERS website for more information on what to prepare.

Access to functional spaces and to information 

The Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010 (BEED Act) gives CBD Accredited Assessors the right to information and access to disclosure affected buildings so they can do an assessment. 

Owners and tenants must comply with an information gathering or access notice issued by an Assessor or face civil penalties. 

Contact us for further assistance. 

CBD Accredited Assessor performs assessment

Once they have all they need from you, your CBD Accredited Assessor can conduct the NABERS Energy for offices rating assessment and the TLA. Both assessments have specific rules which your CBD Accredited Assessor will follow.

If the building doesn’t already have a NABERS Energy for offices rating or a TLA you should allow up to 4 months for the CBD Accredited Assessor to perform and document the assessment.

CBD Accredited Assessor submits BEEC application for processing

Your CBD Accredited Assessor can submit the application through an online portal that only they have access to.

There is no fee to pay for BEEC applications. We aim to process these BEEC applications within 28 calendar days.

The department approves and publishes the BEEC

The department will work with the CBD Accredited Assessor to fix any issues or errors in the application. This may restart or cause delays to the processing timeframe.

Your CBD Accredited Assessor will be notified of the outcome of the BEEC application by email. If approved, a copy of the BEEC will be provided to your CBD Accredited Assessor. You can print and display this on the property. We also publish the BEEC in the Building Energy Efficiency Register.

Updating or renewing a BEEC

When a BEEC expires, you may apply for a new one following the same process.

A BEEC can only include one NABERS rating but can have multiple TLAs depending on the areas offered for sale, lease or sublease.

You can update the BEEC at any time due to an expiring NABERS rating or TLA.

If there is a need to expand it to cover other parts of the building that weren’t previously covered, this can be done by your CBD Accredited Assessor through your existing BEEC.

The department will work with you to maximise the validity period of your BEEC and reduce the burden of obtaining or renewing a BEEC.

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