Use each of the drop down list below to find out more about each step.

The Planning Portal has a handy list of common projects. If you go to that webpage and select the relevant link for the kind of works you’re planning, it’ll take you to a page that, on the left hand side, provides more specific information about both planning and Building Regulations requirements.

The local authority building control website also provides some helpful information on common projects.

If you have hired a professional to draw up your plans they should consider Building Regs and advise you accordingly. 

We also provide below under Useful Links various links to online resources that should be helpful.

If your works are subject to any Building Regulations, you’ll need to use competent persons and/or apply to building control for approval.

If you’re only having work done that’s covered by competent person schemes, you can use the relevant competent person(s) only and not have to apply for any approvals directly with building control. 

When need be, the competent person will tell your local authority building control about work done on your behalf. They should also give you a certificate within 8 weeks of completing their works, which can be used as evidence of compliance with the Building Regs. The certificate should also show up in solicitors’ searches if you come to sell your property later on (or you’ll be asked to produce it where one should have been issued).

If you’re having other works done that require compliance with the Building Regs and those are not covered by a competent person scheme, then you’ll have to obtain approval from building control.

Often, for any significant renovations work, you’ll probably end up relying on competent persons for certain works and seeking approval from building control for the rest. 

Where building control is involved and certain works are covered by competent person schemes, building control will look to competent persons to self-certify that works they handle were done in compliance with the Building Regulations unless it’s arranged for building control to get their own specialists involved. Building control usually won’t issue a completion/final certificate until they’re in receipt of the relevant competent persons’ certificates. 

If you need to seek approval from building control for any works, you’ll need to decide whether to use your LABC or an approved inspector.

Whether always true or not, there are some commonly perceived and cited pros and cons for each. 

That all said, it may entirely depend on who you get and, frankly, there are plenty of arguments as to why it’s more beneficial to you not to use someone who might offer a flexible approach (i.e. possibly less rigorous) and who might be interested in their relationships more than ensuring that standards are met properly. 

Ultimately, both LABCs and approved inspectors will be similarly qualified and generally work in the same way, checking any plans prior to works commencing, inspecting during works, and advising any changes that might be necessary. So go with what suits your needs best. 

Whoever you use, try to avoid conflicts of interest and take steps to counter any potential “light-touch” inspecting where you can. For instance, it might be wise to appoint building control yourself (especially if an approved inspector) rather than letting your contractor or other professional handle it. It’s probably even wiser to ask to be kept copied in communications involving building control. 

Both LABCs and private approved inspectors will consider the same types of building control applications. There are two procedural application options for each.

You can elect to submit full plans with details of the proposed building works for approval before the works are carried out. 

Various online resources often state that, in the residential context, this approach is really only for large projects, new builds or changing the use of a building, with the building notice application being for smaller projects (even including loft conversions and the like). 

If you’re thinking of using your LABC, it’s best to check its website and/or get in contact to find out what they recommend. For instance, our LABC is currently Waltham Forest council. Its website says the following:

Upon making a full plans application, your LABC will check the plans and consult other relevant authorities if needed (fire, sewerage, health, etc).

It should issue a decision within 5 weeks or, if you agree, a maximum of 2 months from the application date. 

If plans are deemed to comply with the applicable Building Regulations, a notice will be issued stating that they have been approved. You may be asked to make modifications or submit further information or plans before you get to that point though. If the application is rejected then the reasons will be stated in the notice.

A full plans approval notice is valid for 3 years from the application date. 

The LABC will then provide an inspection schedule and ask to be notified at each of these stages in order for inspection to take place. The number and frequency of inspections will depend on the nature of the works being undertaken. Typically they will take place at key stages such as:

As a word of warning, it may be easier to let a building control inspector liaise directly with your contractor and just entirely take a back seat but you should really keep a close eye on when each of these stages occurs and whether or not the inspector has been given sufficient notice and the opportunity to properly inspect the relevant works. 

If an inspector hasn’t been able to inspect the relevant stage of works, it can easily result in work having to be undone and/or cause delays and result in extra cost. The acceptance of photos and videos these days alleviates these concerns somewhat (that approach has its own issues as discussed above) but, whatever way things are done, you’ll still want to ensure that each stage has been properly checked. 

Where the LABC is satisfied that the works comply with the Building Regulations, it will issue a “completion certificate” after completion of the works. 

It’s worth adding for clarity that building control inspections are carried out to check, but not to guarantee, that the work complies with the Building Regs. A completion certificate does not therefore necessarily guarantee that all works fully comply with the Building Regs nor do they attest to general build quality standards. Additionally, not all works done will be subject to Building Regs either.

If you’re using Building Regs drawings and those specify standards or materials beyond minimum Building Regs requirements, you’ll also want to keep a close eye on whether or not those have also been met. You can discuss with the LABC as needed but an inspector is not a clerk of works whose job it is to ensure that build quality standards are met and that specified materials are used. Accordingly, you may want to consider engaging a clerk of works, covering that role yourself or asking whomever is projecting managing to handle it if that’s an option.

You might instinctively think that having to submit full plans upfront and wait at least 5 weeks isn’t worth it but it is the most thorough option and plans will have been fully vetted which could make life a lot easier later on. It ultimately should provide better assurance that your project will be in compliance with the Building Regs and that the standards set out in your plans have been met. 

If you don’t want to submit a full plans application, you can alternatively elect to submit a building notice.

Work can start 2 days after your notice has been submitted to your LABC. 

You do not get formal approval like you do with full plans. The LABC will only approve the works as they are carried out by inspecting certain works as they are done (i.e. the key inspection stages set out above). 

Where the LABC is satisfied that all of the relevant works comply with the Building Regulations, it will issue a “completion certificate” after completion of the works.

The building notice application therefore puts you more at risk because you’re reliant on approval only as works are completed, and that in turn puts a lot more of a burden on your and/or your contractor’s shoulders in terms of knowing which Building Regulations are relevant and ensuring that the works are at least up to those standards. It’s also worth considering that proceeding without a full set of agreed drawings could easily result in more disputes. That said, whichever professional you are using for your drawings could produce Building Regs drawings setting out what needs to be done for which works for those works to at least achieve the minimum standards. Those would then be used by the contractor (they generally want these drawings anyway for anything other than very minor works). This is still not necessarily equivalent to the full plans option though because those plans won’t have been blessed by the LABC in advance of the works commencing and the contractor won’t necessarily have to then closely follow those plans.  

If you go for the building notice route, watch out in particular for whoever is handling your drawings and for contractors and/or tradesfolk who may, unwittingly or not, be in over their heads in terms of their knowledge of the Building Regs and the relevant processes. For instance, we know first hand of examples where the Building Regs process had been left entirely in the hands of contractors who didn’t really know what they were doing, who didn’t coordinate with the building inspector properly and who didn’t have building control check the works at the appropriate stages, and then ultimately couldn’t get approval from building control. One example resulted in very significant extra costs, hassles and lost time over the subsequent 2 years trying to resolve the issues and get a completion certificate issued.

Building notices cannot be used:

The approaches taken by the approved inspector mirror that of the LABC. 

You can submit full plans to the approved inspector and ask her or him to issue a plans certificate. In reality, the plans certificate route is not used often.

The approved inspector will review plans, consult with other experts and authorities as needed and then bless your plans (or get you to change them as needed), which the LABC then accepts or rejects. 

The approved inspector then inspects the key stages of the works and, all going well, issues what they call a “final certificate”. 

The final certificate is effectively the same as the completion certificate of the LABC and will be issued within 8 weeks of completion of the works. 

The much more common option is the Initial Notice route. 

When you appoint an approved inspector, they will send what is called an “initial notice” to your LABC. This formally notifies the LABC of the proposed works and that the approved inspector will take responsibility for inspecting Building Regs compliance. 

You may not commence any work on the project until the initial notice has been accepted and acknowledged by the LABC (which should ordinarily only take 2 or 3 days) or until 5 working days have passed since it was submitted to the LABC.

As with the LABC building notice style approach, the approved inspector won’t formally bless plans in advance and instead blesses each key stage through inspections. The reality is though, and this is partly why not many people go for the plans certificate option, you’ll likely need building regs drawings prepared and the approved inspector will review these prior to work commencing anyway. If you don’t have building regs drawings, you’ll need to ask the approved inspector what they will require. That’s likely to at least be architectural drawings and structural engineers drawings and specifications.

All going well, the approved inspector issues a “final certificate” within 8 weeks of completion of the works. 

If you somehow entirely miss the approval boat or need to get approval after the works have already been done for some other reason, you can apply to your LABC for what’s called regularisation. 

Regularisation is retrospective approval for work already carried out without consent.

Inspections may (and probably will) need to be carried out to determine whether or not the work complies with the Building Regulations. This can get messy and can be expensive. The only way an inspector can retrospectively conclude if certain works have been done in compliance with the relevant Building Regs may involve opening up the works, carrying out tests and/or sampling materials, etc. Take insulation as an example. It may be necessary to remove sections of your walls and ceilings (i.e. the plasterboard and any plastering and decorating work). 

Once the inspector is satisfied that the works have been done in accordance with the relevant Building Regs, a regularisation certificate will be issued. 

Of course, if they deem that some or all of the works have not met the relevant standards then, well, you’re in more trouble. You could face enforcement action and/or significant problems later on if you go to sell the property and/or very significant extra costs to rectify whatever problems there are to get to the stage of receiving a completion certificate. This is why it’s vital that you find out if your works will need approval and to ensure that happens by planning ahead and working with good professionals.  

Sorry, as usual with fees stuff, fees are generally variable and so it’s basically not possible to provide particularly useful indications. They change periodically and vary from party to party as well as often being based on what works you plan to undertake. 

We can say that:

The final step is to ensure that you’ve received the various certifications that you expect to get:

Keep them in a safe place (and if digital, best make digital copies and save them on a couple of different devices and/or in the cloud). You’ll need them if/when the time comes to sell your property.