Once your Category 2P Construction Grant is approved, you can begin working with your contractor to deliver the agreed repairs or mitigation work. Below are a few important things to keep in mind as you move through the process.
On this page:
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Invoicing and payments
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Variations from your plan
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Why Council doesn’t pay deposits
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Category changes
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When work is completed
Invoicing and payments
The Category 2P Grant payment process outlines the steps toward council making a payment for agreed work.
All invoices for approved work are submitted through the SmartyGrants portal. For visual guidance through the SmartyGrants process, see page 22 of the Category 2P Homeowner Handbook.
A few quick reminders:
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Council can only pay Construction Grant invoices for works that are completed, in line with the milestone payments in your signed Construction Grant, and with adequate photos of completed milestone work.
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Progress payments are allowed, but each claim must relate to completed portions of work.
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Standard processing time is 10–15 working days, provided the invoice includes all required information.
If you’re unsure how to submit your invoice, please reach out to the 2P team via 2pgrants@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
Ensuring works align with your plan
Unlike in the feasibility stage where you can request a variation for unforeseen costs, Construction Grants are full and final - so you must carry out the work in line with your plan and costs agreed.
For this reason, as outlined in your Category 2P Construction Grant Agreement, we do not pay deposits or advance payments. We only pay for completed, evidenced work, in line with the payment milestones in your signed Construction Grant, and with adequate photos of completed milestone work. This protects both homeowners and the programme.
A few things to know:
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Deposits are not mandatory under NZ law
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Most reputable contractors use progress payments tied to completed work
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Paying a deposit carries risk — if a contractor defaults, it can be difficult to recover funds.
Please keep this in mind when negotiating your contract. The Category 2P team can provide guidance on how council’s process works.
What to do when work is completed
When the agreed work has been completed, we’ll ask you to provide key documentation and evidence the agreed work has been completed. We will send you official confirmation that your project is complete along with final project wrap-up information.
A few final points to note:
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Insurance: It’s your responsibility to notify your insurer so they can update your records and policy if needed.
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LIM notation: Council will update your property LIM to note that Risk Mitigation Works have been undertaken and completed. The underlying information will remain on your property file as part of the event history.
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Property valuation: When your Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) is issued, Council will automatically arrange a new valuation. This will be handled by our valuations team — you don’t need to do anything. Feel free to get in touch with council via enquiries@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz if you want to follow up or check valuation progress.
Category changes
For the small number of properties moving from Category 2P to Category 3, please allow up to two weeks for Council to work through the change in category status.
Because this involves official decisions about serious natural hazard risk, several necessary steps must be completed to ensure:
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the change is accurate and formally recorded,
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your official records reflect the correct category, and
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the right technical and support teams are ready to take over your case.
Need more information?
Your Technical Lead is your best first point of contact.
You can also email 2pgrants@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz if you have questions.
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