What Are The Building Regulations In The UK?

Update: since April 2024, under the Building Safety Act 2022, Approved Inspectors have been replaced by Registered Building Control Approvers, and higher-risk residential buildings are regulated by the Building Safety Regulator. The principles below still apply; check current guidance on GOV.UK for the latest process.

Building regulations: what you need to know

It can appear a bit daunting. The knowledge that it is a legal requirement, and you could face time delays, be required to re-do work or even pay unlimited fines for non-compliance, does not help.

You cannot be expected to know all the complexities but the concept of building regulations is quite straightforward. Building regs are a practical control to ensure that your building complies with a set of minimum standards. It is implementing the standards that requires in-depth knowledge, so that at the end of the process you are issued with a Building Control Completion Certificate, one of the essential documents you need to achieve Practical Completion.

Do I need building regulations?

You are likely to need to comply with building regulations if you:

• Construct a new building
• Extend or alter a building that already exists
• Change the use of an existing building
• Alter building services that are a ‘controlled service’ or ‘controlled fitting’ (sanitation, hot water safety, water efficiency, drainage and waste disposal, combustion appliances and fuel storage, conservation of fuel or power and electrical safety)

Which laws apply?

• the Building Act 1984, which controls building work in England
• the Building Regulations 2010, which set out more detail about building work
• the Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations 2010, which regulated Approved Inspectors

This guide covers England. There are slightly different rules for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Requirements of the building regulations

Building work needs to comply with 15 technical requirements, listed below:

• Part A: Structure
• Part B: Fire safety
• Part C: Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture
• Part D: Toxic substances
• Part E: Resistance to the passage of sound
• Part F: Ventilation
• Part G: Sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency
• Part H: Drainage and waste disposal
• Part J: Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems
• Part K: Protection from falling, collision and impact (includes glazing safety)
• Part L: Conservation of fuel and power
• Part M: Access to and use of buildings
• Part P: Electrical safety
• Part Q: Security
• Part R: Physical infrastructure for high-speed electronic communications networks

The building control process

Building control checks that work complies with the Building Regulations and associated legislation. You can choose your building control body:

• Local Authority building control
• a private, registered building control approver (formerly an Approved Inspector)

If work has already started, you will need to use Local Authority building control, so think about this decision at the very start of your project.

Do I need to notify someone?

You will need to notify or get approval from a building control body if the works are controlled by the Building Regulations. This is separate from planning permission or listed building consent. If you are not sure, ask the building control body before starting any works. You are unlikely to be exempt on a large development.

Local Authority building control

The local authority will require a full plans application with building regulations drawings. They assess the plans and consult with the fire authority and sewerage undertaker (if required) before deciding whether to approve. Unless otherwise agreed, they must decide within five weeks, which can be extended with your agreement to two months.

You will receive an inspection framework and must notify them at each stage so that they can inspect before you proceed.

Private building control

With a private approver, you and the approver jointly notify the local authority with an initial notice, at least 5 working days before work starts. Confirm that the approver is registered and holds appropriate insurance.

A private approver can often respond more quickly as they do not work within the same set time frames. Once the initial notice is accepted, you agree a site inspection plan with them. They still consult with the fire authority and sewerage undertaker in the same way.

Whichever route you choose, both will give advice and ask testing questions that help you find the best solutions.

Building control inspection stages

Typical stages for a block of apartments:

1. Commencement: building control discusses the project with you and checks the site is as shown.
2. Excavations for footings: checks that the ground can support the building, including drains and manholes, signs of filled ground, foundation depth and nearby trees.
3. Reinforcement: reinforced footings are checked on multi-storey buildings to confirm the structure will be adequately supported.
4. Damp proof course (DPC): checks the correct materials are used, wide enough to stop rising damp and at sufficient height above ground.
5. Oversite: checks under the floor before concrete is poured, including hardcore, a suitable damp-proof membrane, internal drainage and floor insulation.
6. Each storey: additional checks of reinforcement before concrete pours (columns, beams and slabs) and of steelwork on each floor as work progresses.
7. Drainage alignment and fall: external drainage outside the property.
8. Pre-plaster boarding: inspection of work that will be hidden, such as steelwork and services.
9. Drainage test: usually a pressure test; if it fails, a smoke test may be requested.
10. Partial sign-off: needed if, for example, you want a show apartment while work continues elsewhere in the building.
11. Final sign-off: checks fire precautions, ventilation, waste, roof and insulation, staircases and glazing.

After each inspection you get a written report confirming you have met the standards.

This schedule must be followed. Inspectors can require work to be opened up so they can inspect it, and undoing and redoing finished work only causes delays and extra cost. Scheduling inspections in advance means you do not have to halt works while waiting for the inspector, and an experienced contractor will plan this into the programme.

Meeting the technical requirements

Work must be carried out with adequate and appropriate materials and completed in a ‘workmanlike’ manner.

The Approved Documents explain how to meet the legal requirements in common building scenarios. Where a project has unusual aspects, compliance can also be shown through recognised standards, industry codes and manufacturers’ technical literature.

The contractor is responsible for carrying out the work in compliance with the Building Regulations. The building control inspector monitors the work at critical stages, checking for faults or non-compliance.

More detail can be found on GOV.UK: Building regulations and approved documents index.

How much does building control cost?

Each local authority publishes its fees, set within a government framework. There is usually a charge for assessing the design before work starts and a separate charge for inspections. Private approvers provide a quotation based on the complexity, location and value of the works.

Completion certificates

You will receive a Completion Certificate from the local authority or a Final Certificate from a private approver. It confirms the building complies with the Building Regulations and is one of the essential documents you need to achieve Practical Completion.

Only the local authority has powers of enforcement. If a private approver cannot resolve a problem, they must hand the project back to the local authority.

If you had building regulations approval at the start and built to the approved drawings, you should meet the regulations, which is why the experience of your construction team matters.