Does a Perth kitchen renovation need approval? Permits, trades and strata

Building permits: when a kitchen needs one

In Western Australia, building permits are issued by your local government under the Building Act 2011 for work that counts as building work. Replacing kitchen cabinets, benchtops, splashbacks and appliances in the same room, without touching the structure, is generally not building work that needs a permit. That covers the large majority of custom kitchen projects and every facelift.

A permit is usually needed when the renovation goes beyond the cabinetry:

• Removing or altering a load-bearing wall to open the kitchen into the living area.
• Changing window or external door openings.
• Adding a room, extending under the roof, or converting a garage.
• Work on a heritage-listed home or in a heritage area, where even internal changes may need approval.

Rules are applied by each council — the City of Nedlands, Subiaco, Fremantle, Rockingham and Mandurah each have their own building services teams — so if your project includes anything structural, ask them before work starts. Your builder or designer should do this for you.

Plumbing, gas and electrical: always licensed, always documented

Whatever the permit situation, three trades are regulated in WA and cannot be done by a handyman or a cabinet installer:

• Plumbing. Disconnecting and reconnecting a sink, moving a dishwasher or relocating water and waste points must be done by a licensed plumbing contractor. Certain work requires a certificate of compliance.
• Electrical. New power points, oven and cooktop circuits, lighting and rangehood wiring must be done by a licensed electrical contractor, who lodges a notice of completion and gives you an electrical safety certificate.
• Gas. A gas cooktop or oven must be connected by a licensed gas fitter, who provides a notice of completion.

Keep those certificates. They matter for insurance, for selling the home and for any future work. We coordinate these trades on our projects — the sink disconnection before install day, the reconnection after the benchtop goes in, the cooktop and oven wiring — and schedule them around the cabinetry, but the work itself is always done by the licensed trade.

Apartments and strata: what to check before you order

If you are in a strata scheme — common in South Perth, Claremont, Subiaco and along Stirling Highway in Nedlands — the by-laws decide what needs approval. Work that stays inside your lot and does not affect common property, structure or services shared with other lots often needs only notification, but many schemes require written approval for any renovation, and some have rules about working hours, lift use and noise.

• Read the scheme's by-laws and ask the strata manager in writing what approval is needed.
• Book the lift and confirm protection of common areas for delivery and removal days.
• Check whether the scheme restricts hard flooring, or relocating wet areas over another lot.
• Allow time: strata approvals can take weeks, and the council of owners may only meet monthly.

We design apartment cabinetry to fit through existing doors and lifts, and plan delivery in stages when access is tight. Raise strata early at the consultation so the schedule is realistic.

Rentals, heritage and insurance

• Renting? Any renovation needs the owner's written consent. Facelifts are a common landlord-funded improvement between tenancies.
• Heritage-listed? Check with the council and, for state-registered places, the Heritage Council before changing anything — including internal joinery in some cases.
• Insurance. Tell your insurer about a significant renovation. Unlicensed electrical or plumbing work can void a claim.

Who organises all of this?

For a cabinetry-only renovation — new kitchen, facelift, laundry, vanity — no permit is normally required and we manage the licensed trades around the installation as part of the project. When your plans include structural work, an extension or a full-home renovation, a registered builder holds the permit and the program, and we work to their drawings and schedule. Either way, you get one point of contact for the cabinetry.

Related

• Kitchen cabinetry — what we do and what is included
• Where we work — Perth, Rockingham and Mandurah
• How a Bhadu project runs, stage by stage
• Book a free in-home consultation