Building Act 1984

Building Regulations, under the powers provided in the Building Act 1984 apply in England and Wales, are mainly found in the Building Regulations 2000(as amended) and The Building(Approved Inspectors) Regulations 2000(as amended), which can be found in the Legislation section at www.communities.gov.uk The legislation covers both the technical standards that need to be met and the procedures that need to be followed

The main function of Building Control is to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations. This function is carried out by a Building Control Body(BCB), either a Local Authority or a private sector Approved Inspector(AI).

Some types of Building work can be self-certificated as compliant with building regulations by a member of a Competant Person Scheme without the need to notify a BCB.

I would advice always to discuss the proposals with the BCB well before starting work. Building Regulation submission is often left to the last minute and this can cost the developer time and money in changes required by Building Control.

Top Tip!... The inspections which BCBs carry out should not be confused with full site supervision. Inspections are only carried out at certain stages of the building work. Completion certificates are not a guarantee or warranty for the building work that has been carried out. If you require a warranty contact a warranty provided, for site supervision you should discuss this with your Architect or building designer who can often provide this service. In my experience people often think that the Building Inspector provides this service, this is not the case.