Engineering consultancy Engineering Design Consultants (EDC) says lawyers and accountants need to familiarise themselves with the requirements of the Building (Earthquake-prone Buildings) Amendment Act 2016.

This was passed in May 2016 and is likely to come into force in 2018. EDC says the legislation will ultimately affect all building owners throughout New Zealand.

The company has prepared a summary of the new legislation which it says answers many of the concerns building owners have.

"In simple terms, owners of earthquake prone buildings (EPBs) will have two options: seismic strengthening or demolition," EDC Christchurch Senior Structural Engineer Sam Polson says.

"Dependent on risk, building strength remediation time frames may vary from 7.5 year to 35 years; with the clock starting to tick as soon as the building has been designated as earthquake prone. However, significant alterations to EPBs at any time will trigger legislative requirements to strengthen the building."

The Guide may be accessed from EDC's "Resources" page (entry of email address required).