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In a nutshell, Building Regulations Applications form a critical step in ensuring your building or renovation project complies with established legal and safety standards. 

It’s essential to understand that these regulations cover diverse aspects such as structural integrity, fire prevention, accessibility, and energy efficiency. Engaging with this process early on helps you avoid potential compliance issues and fosters a seamless progression of your project.

The regulations affect, not just new buildings, but any significant alterations to existing buildings - they apply to both residential and commercial projects.

There are seventeen sets of rules, known as documents. They are given legal status by the Building Act 1984.
The documents are comprehensive, to say the least. Usually, your project, or certain areas of your project will have to comply with these documents:
Part A – Structure
Part B – Fire Safety
Part C – Contamination and damp
Part D – Toxicity
Part E – Sound
Part F – Ventilation
Part G – Hygiene
Part H – Drainage
Part J – Fuel
Part K – On-site Safety
Part L – Conservation of Fuel and Power
Part M – Access
Part N – Glazing
Part P – Electrics

When after various inspections, the building has reached completion to the satisfaction of the inspector, a Completion Certificate is issued. This means that all those works in the application are deemed to conform with the standards of the regulation's documents.
The certificate is important. It's proof that the works have attained the necessary standard, and is requested by future purchasers, financial lenders, warranty certifiers and taxation bodies, for example in the claiming of VAT.
Store it alongside those plans we drew up for you. 

CONTACT US HERE for any queries you have.

We are often asked if we can back date submissions. The short answer is, 'yes' and often as not it requires local authority engagement. In some instances, works may have to be revealed for evidential reasons.

When you sell your house the conveyancing process requires the seller to demonstrate that there are no problems with the property and that all alterations or additions have been built in compliance.
The seller must fill out various forms, one of them is, The Law Society's Property Information Form. Section 4 of the form concerns alterations, planning, and building control.

Section 4.2 says:

(a) please supply copies of the planning permissions, Building Regulations approvals and Completion Certificates, OR:
(b) if none were required, please explain why these were not required – e.g. permitted development rights applied or the work was exempt from Building Regulations:

We would simply say that trying to sell your home without providing a certificate will be difficult and may well affect the price.

Building Regulations or 'Regs' are a set of rules governing how a building is put together. Planning Permission is about what design can be built. Building Regulations is about how that design is built.

When Building Regulations are complied with, a Building Certificate is awarded.

All structures - flats, offices, new houses, extensions and even loft conversions have to be built to the necessary Building Regulations - fourteen standards that cover everything from drainage to insulation.

They are different to Planning Permission which relates to the design and aesthetics of a building.

Both types of building control have their pro's and con's. Local authorities are non-profit, whereas licensed inspectors tend to be privately owned entities; they can be more expensive, therefore.

For this reason they may try to offer a more personalised and faster service. This can be the case where certain local authorities, such as Central London councils have large multi employee departments.

That said, smaller provincial councils tend not to have this problem and their service can be just as prompt.

Some private inspectors may offer a more flexible solution to construction problems, but some clients prefer to have a council certificate as a 'badge' when it comes to selling.  There really is no hard and fast rule. Each case is different. Try to think about which is more applicable for your specific project.

Building Control is the local authority department that oversees the submission of building regulation applications. Building control inspectors check the construction method is continuing in compliance with the plans and documents that have been submitted.