When having building work done to your home it will be necessary to submit an application for to for approval of work, and it will be the responsibility of yourself as the owner either to do this or ensure your builder or agent has done so.
Failure to do so will result in work which does not comply with the building regulations in this country and which therefore could be a potential health and safety hazard. It may also mean that work has to be undone or removed and could also lead to prosecution. In addition when you sell your property a certificate of completion will not have been issued and will cause problems and delays.
The most common application type for domestic premises is the building notice which is based on site inspections once your builder has started work. If you want your plans checked and approved before commencement of work you should opt for the full plans application, and once work commences you will also have site inspections by our surveyors. Also note that unless fees are paid with the building notice we will issue an invoice to yourselves as owners, so please ensure that you are aware of this fee in your builders estimate. See ‘how to make an application’ for more details.
The building regulations will probably apply if you plan to carry out any of the following work:
build a new building or extend an existing building
make alterations that affect the means of escape in case of fire
make structural alterations to an existing building (including underpinning)
change the use of an existing building (in certain cases)
provide, extend or alter drainage facilities
fit a heat-producing appliance (gas appliances installed by people approved under the Gas Safety Regulations are usually exempt from the regulations)
install cavity wall insulation
install an unvented hot water storage system
for work where building regulations do not apply see ‘exempt work’
Please note that the council are not able to recommend specific builders or designers. However, we can offer some basic advice and precautions you should take when choosing a builder:
for large projects, consider employing an independent professional to advise you i.e. an architect, surveyor or building engineer. And discuss all arrangements fully with your professional so that you know what he is going to do for you
your project may be too small to require a professional, get advice from someone within the construction industry
choose a builder who is covered by insurance – see ‘warranty schemes’
always obtain at least 3 quotations, don’t always go for the cheapest
ask the builder where they have worked before, can you see their previous work, can they supply references from satisfied clients?
be very careful, choosing the wrong builders can be a costly mistake.
Sometimes things go wrong, perhaps your builder stops trading or the work is not to the standard you expected. In these cases it can be reassuring to have insurance cover to fall back on.
There are a range of warranty and insurance products now available to cover your building works
The FMB offers a 10-year warranty scheme to protect their customers' interests in the event of problems with building work. For more information call 0800 965 765.
Home cover - provides protection for home renovations and improvements.
Commercial cover - Latent Gold offers insurance against latent defects occurring on commercial properties.
Some of these products can only be accessed via Islington building control, others can be obtained regardless of your chosen building control body.
For more details click on the link under useful websites or contact us.
Page Last Updated: 31 October 2008