Auckland's deputy mayor says the City Garden Lodge in Auckland's Parnell that caught fire yesterday had "multiple visits" from Auckland Council auditors leading up to the fire to check on "concerns".
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Desley Simpson said the City Garden Lodge was due to be checked tomorrow as part of its standard building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF) annual compliance checks.
She was not able to confirm exactly what the nature of the concerns was.
"What Auckland Council does is independently audit those building WoFs. We did that last year with regard to this particular venue and we've been back a couple of times, but they did pass their WoF audit in August last year.
"There were concerns, but they did pass their building Warrant of Fitness," she said.
"They re-issued a new building WoF in November, and ironically, we were due to check this tomorrow."
Police remained at the scene of the fire this morning. It broke out at about 4.30pm yesterday afternoon.
At its peak, 16 fire appliances were called to bring the blaze under control, with firefighters remaining on standby overnight.
"A specialist Fire Investigator will arrive this morning, and work to determine the cause of the fire," a spokesperson said.
Simpson said the building WoF was introduced following a Ministry of Business report into the Loafers Lodge fire that killed six people last year.
The City Garden Lodge was badly damaged in yesterday’s fire, with a specialist investigator on scene today as the cause of the blaze is sought. (Source: Breakfast)
The Building Act 2004 (the Act) requires completion of all inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures in the building's compliance schedule for the previous 12 months, in order for a building warrant of fitness (BWoF) to be issued.
Simpson said often Council auditors have to go back "time and time again" to get full compliance and that there should be "more stringent repercussions" for owners who don't pass these audits.
"What actually I think needs to happen is have a look at rules and regulations in the building Act around compliance and repercussions for people who don't pass audits for their building WoF.
"I just think they need to be tougher. If the results are, there isn't a fine, or if it's just a slap on the hand with a wet bus ticket, people aren't as quick to fix them.
"This is people's lives, you know, people live in this home and I think it's important for local council and central government to ensure they are indeed safe."
She said the Council would continue working with the Ministry of Social Development alongside social services to ensure the people living in the lodge could find ongoing accommodation.
"It's awful to have a fire on your street and particularly for the victims," she said.
"Today we will be working with victim support and helping these people relocate to find another home".
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