What happens if i dont comply with building regulations

I'm in the process of selling my house. The buyer's solicitors are hung up on the extension which was put in by the previous owners. There aren't any building regulations certificates from when we moved in. What can I do to speed things up? On completion of any structural works or works which involve changing of pipes or services, a house owner should obtain a completion certificate confirming the works have been carried out to the required standard from the Building Regulation Department of the local council.

In order to obtain this certificate, the relevant inspector needs to have been notified before the works start and will inspect at the beginning and during the course of the works. Building regulation requirements do change over the course of the years and with works that were carried out a long time ago, say 20 years, you often find completion certificates were not even issued at that time.

If the works have been in place for some time but there is no completion certificate this does not mean the work is not up to standard, but it does mean the correct procedure was not followed. However, the building regulation officer would be unable to grant a certificate in retrospect because they have to inspect from the very beginning.

In order to get round this problem, either you or the buyer can obtain building regulation indemnity insurance which will pay out in the event that the works have not been carried out correctly. The cost of the indemnity insurance is directly linked to the cost of the house. It is up for negotiation who pays this cost and is the quickest way of dealing with the problem. You normally obtain indemnity insurance via your conveyancing solicitor.

Compare quotes and find the cheapest, nearest and best rated conveyancers from our panel of quality assured firms. However, the policies become invalid if anyone makes an approach to the local council to ask about a lack of a building regulation certificate, therefore on no account should the local council be notified or contacted, since to do so will cause a far greater problem. I am afraid it is another potential cost in the buying and selling process. In terms of building regulation compliance, the reality is that the council have to take action within 12 months of the work being completed, although it is open to them to serve a dangerous structure notice at any time if there is reason to.

Otherwise, if a council issued a notice for lack of building regulations after the 12 month period it could be rebutted. In terms of the indemnity policies, frankly they are a sop to the building societies because you cannot take them out until after the 12 month period.

What they cover is the position you would be in if the local authority take enforcement proceedings, which the they cannot do unless the structure is dangerous. If, however, a purchaser were to approach the local authority about work where there was no completion certificate, then the authority could come and inspect.

In order to grant a certificate, they would have to check the work had been done correctly, which would mean dismantling everything as they check from foundations upwards. This is why an indemnity policy will not be granted if any approach has been made to the local authority.

What is a purchase order number? Where do I send my purchase order number? Will my invoice need to be paid before I attend a course? Who do I contact if I have invoicing queries? What if I haven't received the joining instructions? What do I need to bring with me to the course? What's the dress code? Who'll be running the course? Will lunch be provided? Can I transfer my place to someone else?

I can't find the answer to my question! Why choose local council building control? What's my deadline? Do I have to pay to enter the awards? Does the Awards entry form have to be completed by my local authority building control surveyor?

How do I submit an awards entry? Can I enter my building project into as many Awards categories as I like? I haven't received a link from Submittable? I want other people to contribute to the entry form. How do I do this? I want to access the entry form and return to it at a later date. Can I do this? Can I edit my form after I've submitted it?

I've started an entry but don't know how to get back into it! Why is this? How do I make a winning awards entry? Can I view the entry forms prior to entering online so I know what the questions are? What information will I need to hand when I submit my entry? What do the different statuses on Submittable mean? Failing this, the authority may decide to perform the remedial work themselves and recover all costs from the property owner. However, this may entail extensive corrective work to comply with building standards.

A fee is usually charged for this type of application, although the amount will differ according to the local authority. It is usually based upon the estimated cost of the initial work against sliding scale works.

Once the building work on a property is completed, it is essential that you obtain a completion certificate confirming that the undertaken work complies with regulatory standards from the local authority.

This should always be done before handing over payment to the responsible builder or tradesperson, although competent person scheme members will provide you with a certificate within eight weeks of completed work.

Completion certificates cannot be issued retrospectively, so failure to obtain one at this time could lead to major difficulties if you choose to sell your home at a later date although indemnity insurance may help to overcome this hurdle. Find a Party Wall Surveyor in your local area to advise on your building project. Find an Architect near you, discuss your project and get quotes.

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