Approvals

The whole approval, not just the easy part.

You send one thing. We coordinate council, the certifier and the draftsperson - and keep you in the loop the whole way.

Your job

Send us your address.

That's the entire ask.

Rivela's job, certified by an accredited private certifier

01Plans, drawings & BASIX certificate

02Preparing and lodging your approval

03Council & certifier liaison

04All mandatory build inspections

05Occupation Certificate - you move in

Timeline

How the whole process runs.

Order matters more than the calendar. Once approval is in, site works and the factory build run at the same time - so nothing waits. The one stretch nobody can compress is the part that has not been started yet.

Order of work, not a set schedule. Because site works and factory production overlap, nothing waits. We confirm your full timeline in writing before you sign anything.

Order of work, not a set schedule - your timeline is confirmed in writing.

Lodged & approved

Rivela + certifier
Site prep, foundation & factory build

At the same time

On your blockSite prep, then the base.

In productionYour components are made.

Both finish together - nothing waits.
Built and fitted out on your block

Licensed local builder

Tracked - dates confirmed at enquiry.
Inspections & Occupation Certificate

Certifier

What a certifier walks through.

Structure up, windows in, walls still open. Inspections happen on your block, at stages anyone can stand in.

A framed room with windows installed and the walls still open, mid-build in Concord — **Concord**Windows in, walls still open - an inspection stage.

Separate jobs, one team: the homes shown are recent builds by D&L Golden Construction, the family building company behind Rivela.

Recent builds by D&L Golden Construction.

Check your block in seconds.

Type your address and we read the live NSW planning records - lot size, zoning, heritage and bushfire - and show where your block stands, and what it could earn.

Prefer to talk it through? (02) 9188 9483

Granny flat · 2 bed · 60 m² From $159,000 on a standard site.

Granny flat and studio follow the same approval rules - if your block fits one, it fits both.

Site conditions and approval costs are assessed per site and quoted in writing before you sign. Approvals handled for you.

Site and approval costs are quoted in writing before you sign.

Free, no sign-up. Lot size, zoning, heritage and bushfire, straight from the NSW planning records.

Free, no sign-up.

Get your free block report

Eligibility

Does your block qualify?

Almost every residential block can take one - the standards below decide which path your approval takes, not whether you can build. So the open question is rarely whether your block can earn - it is how much longer it does not. Hover each requirement to see where it lands on a typical lot.

Almost every residential block can take one. The standards below decide which path your approval takes - not whether you can build.

Lot size for the fast track

Most Sydney lots clear this. Under 450 m² isn't a no - approval runs through a council DA instead.

450 m²+

Street frontage

Width along the street the home faces.

12 m+

Secondary dwelling

Floor area of the granny flat itself.

up to 60 m²

Private open space

Useable yard retained at the main home.

kept

Clear of overlays

Not heritage-listed, flood-prone or high bushfire.

heritage — flood
BAL-40+

These are the standards for the fast-track path - approval through a private certifier, typically a matter of weeks. Miss one and your block isn't out: the approval runs through your local council as a DA instead, assessed case by case. There's no legal minimum lot size on that path, and we prepare, lodge and manage it either way. The only way to know for certain is a check of your specific address - we do that for free, before you commit to anything.

Miss one and your block isn't out - approval runs through council instead. We check your address free.

A typical lot - top view

Approvals, handled

Plans to keys, handled.

Every step certified, end to end.

Step 01

Check your block

Eligibility & pathway confirmed.

Step 02

Approval lodged

Lodged & managed for you.

Step 03

Build & inspections

Mandatory stage sign-offs.

Step 04

Occupation Certificate

Cleared to move in.

Common questions

Common questions about approval.

Still have a question? Talk to us

No. We prepare, lodge and manage your approval for you. All council and certifier correspondence goes through us. You're kept informed as things progress - but you don't need to call anyone or chase anything.

Nothing starts until approval is in - that's the law, and we won't cut corners on it. What we do is run site preparation and factory production at the same time once it's granted, so you're not waiting on one after the other. The approval is managed entirely for you through an accredited private certifier.

Approval is managed for you through our certifying partner. We'll confirm your timeline in writing at enquiry, once we've checked your block.

We check your block first. If something complicates the approval - slope, setbacks, heritage, bushfire - we tell you upfront and explain what it means and what the path looks like. You're never surprised mid-process.

The OC is the legal sign-off that your home is built to standard and can be occupied. It's issued by the certifier after the final inspection. You need it to rent the home out or add it to any insurance or valuation. We manage the whole process through to the OC being issued.

Managing your approval end to end is part of our service - we prepare, lodge and see it through to your Occupation Certificate, and we don't charge a separate fee for that work. The approval costs themselves, though, aren't in the home's starting price: the certifier or council fees, engineering and design certificates, and an architect where a bespoke design needs one all depend on your design, area, site and council. We price them at cost and put every number in front of you, in writing, before you sign - the same way we handle site works.