Building A-Z

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L

Land information memorandum (LIM)

A report issued by a territorial authority, usually to a potential purchaser. It lists information the authority has about the property, including what building consents and code compliance certificates have been issued. For more information about LIMs as they relate to a specific property inquire with your local territorial authority - see the Council finder on the Local Government NZ website.

Leaky buildings 

Housing/other buildings that are leaking and causing decay to the cladding, structure and interior. For information about building to achieve weathertightness, or dealing with a leaky building, see our weathertightness section – which includes information about the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service.

Legionella/Legionellosis 

Legionella is a genus of bacteria, some species of which may cause two diseases, legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. Legionellosis is the infection caused by inhalation of the Legionella bacteria. Legionella has the ability to colonise in all types of water supplies, including cooling towers, and can also be found in moist soil and air. To prevent the growth of the organism, cooling towers must be treated and tested regularly. Find out more.

Legislation

Laws enacted by Parliament. In New Zealand, the laws relating to building include the Building Act 2004 and associated amendments, and the Building Regulations which include the Building Code. Other legislation may also apply to building proposals and the ongoing use of a building.

Levy 

An amount of money paid by producers to a national or provincial organisation to support their operations.

1. Section 53 of the Building Act 2004 provides that an applicant for a building consent is liable to pay a levy to fund the Department’s functions. The rate of the levy is set by the Building Levy Order 2005. For further information about the levy and what it is used for, see Building Controls Update No.7 - Changes to Building Levy announced.
   
2. The Building Research Levy is authorised under the Building Research Levy Act 1969 . Under this Act, Building Research receives a percentage of the contract value of every construction project put forward for building consent in New Zealand. The funding is used for research into improved techniques and materials for use in the building industry. This is a different levy from the levy collected under section 53 of the Building Act 2004.

Licensing

A licensing system for the building industry was introduced by the Building Act 2004 to improve control of and encourage better practices in building design and construction. Also, from March 2012 certain critical building work will need to be carried out or supervised by a licensed building practitioner. Find out more »

LIM

See land information memorandum.

LOSP (light organic solvent preservatives) 

A white spirits-based wood preservative involving the impregnation of preservative into wood using controlled vacuum processes. Recently there have been concerns about the chemicals used in timber treatment. The Department of Labour has a number of publications dealing with this issue on their website: www.osh.govt.nz (search under ‘timber treatment’). Factsheets on LOSP treated wood are available on the New Zealand Timber Preservation Council website . (Click on ‘All Publications’ and scroll down the ‘Factsheets’.) For more information about timber treatment generally, including notes for builders, see Selecting and using timber.

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