FAQ

If you are planning to carry out building work then it must comply with the Building Regulations. The regulations will apply if you want to:

• Erect or extend a building
• Install or extend a service or fitting which is controlled under the Building
• Regulations
• Undertake alterations involving construction work which will adversely affect
• requirements relating to structure, fire, or access to and use of buildings
• Insert insulation into a cavity wall
• Underpin the foundations to a building
• Undertake work affecting the energy performance of a building.

The person carrying out the work, usually the building owner, must make an application to either the local authority or an Approved Inspector. To apply with us simply go to our quote page.

Once appointed we provide an independent third-party assessment of Building Regulations compliance through the checking of plans and site inspections as necessary.

With all building work, the owner and occupier of the property or land in question is ultimately responsible for complying with the relevant planning rules and building regulations. We cannot provide a guarantee of compliance with the Building Regulations - it’s the responsibility of the person carrying out the work to achieve compliance. As with all building work, you should also ensure that all other necessary statutory permissions, i.e. Planning Consent, have also been granted.

Approved Inspectors are companies that can provide an alternative to obtaining building regulations approval from a local authority. Approved Inspectors employ competent, qualified and experienced building control professionals who can help developers, designers, contractors and building owners achieve Building Regulations compliance on most construction projects – from extensions and one-off homes to large commercial office developments and infrastructure projects.

Building Consents Ltd. Have been providing Approved Inspector services for over a decade to projects all over England and Wales.

In order to maintain our registration, we are subject to annual monitoring surveillance by CICAIR and must demonstrate we are meeting defined levels of service standards, management systems and retained competences. We must undertake a rigorous audit and re-licensing process every five years to maintain our registration and are required to have insurance from a government-approved scheme to provide additional safeguards for the public.

To begin the building control process, we need written authorisation from you as the owner of the building that we have permission to act as the building control body on the project.

Once you have formally appointed us we inform your local authority of your intended building work on what is called an Initial Notice.

Once the Initial Notice has been accepted by your local authority (or deemed accepted after five working days) we are responsible for plan checking and undertaking site inspection.

You may not commence any work on the project until the Initial Notice has been accepted or until five working days have passed since the Initial Notice was submitted to the local authority.

As part of our service we will:

• Advise you on how the Building Regulations apply to your work
• Submit an Initial Notice to the local authority
• Check your plans (if available)
• Issue a Plans Certificate (if requested)
• Consult with the fire and water authorities (if required)
• Inspect the work as it progresses
• Issue a Final Certificate (if the work is in compliance with the Building Regulations)

The inspections we undertake should not be confused with full site supervision. Inspections are carried out at certain stages of the building work and these inspections are carried out to check, but not to guarantee, that the work complies with the Building Regulations.

Final Certificates are therefore not a guarantee or a warranty for the building work that has been carried out. We don’t carry out a traditional ‘Clerk of Works’ service that monitors every stage of the construction process and, should you require this service, you may wish to appoint a qualified professional to undertake this function.