Formal assistance is a service consisting in helping to complete all the administrative formalities necessary to obtain a building permit. In short - the idea is that the investor does not have to complete the documents himself, contact the authorities or analyze the regulations. Instead, it is handled by a person familiar with the procedures - most often an architect or other authorized specialist.
The scope of formal assistance may vary depending on the nature of the investment, but most commonly includes:
- submitting an application for an extract from the local zoning plan (or a decision on building conditions),
- obtaining a map for design purposes,
- obtaining technical conditions for connections (water, electricity, gas, sewerage - depending on needs),
- contact with network managers and possible agreements with appraisers,
- preparation and submission of complete documentation to the office for obtaining a building permit.
For many investors, formal assistance is a real convenience. Formalities can be time-consuming and some procedures can be unintuitive. Enlisting the help of a person who does this every day allows you to reduce the risk of mistakes, speed up the whole process and avoid unnecessary nerves. This is especially important in the construction of a single-family house, when the investor often does not have previous experience with offices or technical documentation.
It is worth knowing that formal assistance is not mandatory, but is a complementary service to project work. It is also often a natural element of cooperation with the lead architect - especially when the latter acts on behalf of the investor as a proxy.
