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West Wiltshire District Council
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Trowbridge
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Building Control - Frequently Asked Questions
Building Control - Frequently Asked Questions
Click on one of the questions to see the answer:
Building Control charges seem high - why?
Can the Building Control Surveyor recommend a suitable builder?
Is a completion certificate the same as a guarantee or warranty?
When the Building Control Surveyor visits the site he talks to the builder but not me - why?
Building Control charges seem high - why?
The Building Control service is required to cover all its costs from Charge income (none of the burden can fall on the council taxpayer) so we have to set Charge levels accordingly.
Our Charges reflect the need to visit to check that the Regulations are being complied with. Our Charges could only be lowered by making corresponding reductions in our service, which would mean waiting longer for plans to be approved and for inspectors to visit sites.
Feedback from our customers indicates that they would prefer that our service standards are maintained, but we promise our charges will be no higher than necessary to achieve this.
Can the Building Control Surveyor recommend a suitable builder?
I'm afraid not. Your Building Control Surveyor is required to be completely impartial in his dealings with any builder or client and this would obviously not be possible if he were in the position of recommending one builder ahead of another. We are well aware of the difficulties involved in finding a good builder however, and hope that recent Government initiatives on controlling the 'Cowboy Builder' will lead to us being able to offer more assistance in the future.
For the time being we would recommend that you:
1. Choose an established builder and ask to talk to previous clients - find out if they were happy with the work, whether it was started and completed on time and if the final bill was in line with the estimate. A builder with a reputation to preserve is more likely to be around if you have problems later.
2. Never choose a builder on the basis of a low estimate alone. Good builders who refuse to cut corners will seldom be able to compete on price with those that do.
3. Avoid builders who offer VAT free deals in return for cash payments. A builder who will fiddle the taxman will probably not think twice about fiddling you as well!
4. Be clear from the outset exactly what you want the builder to do and then stick to it - changing your mind too often will probably prove expensive.
5. Try to agree a simple contract with your builder - the vast majority of smaller work is carried out without the benefit of any written contract at all. Try to get as much as possible in writing, for example:
- Exactly what is included in the estimate (or preferably quotation)?
- When will work start and how long will it take?
- What payments will the builder expect from you before the works are finished?
- On what basis you will want to agree any increase in cost (before the money is spent)?
- What arrangements will the builder make for your safety and convenience as works proceed?
- Is the builder properly insured?
When the works are completed to the satisfaction of your Building Control Surveyor you will be sent a 'Completion Certificate.' We recommend that you do not make the final payment to your builder until you have the certificate, but try to agree this with your builder at the outset (see 5 above).
Do we get value for money?
The Council employs experienced and professional Building Control Surveyors to deal with your application, who between them have a wealth of local knowledge. Our officers spend a considerable amount of time checking your plans, advising on how to comply with the Regulations and, in particular, carrying out regular site inspection visits. Remember that the charge is fixed no matter how difficult your application may be to deal with and covers you for as many inspection visits as the Building Control Surveyor feels necessary - be that 1 or 100.
We are easy to contact, give expert advice and respond the same day to your requests for a visit - few other organisations can offer that degree of service. If you compare our charges with those of calling out a professional surveyor just once or twice, we think you will agree that they are, in fact, more reasonable than they at first appear.
If you do not check plans on Building Notice applications, why are the fees the same as for Full Plans Applications?
As no plan check is made, additional reliance is placed on the inspection stage of the process to ensure the Building Regulations are complied with.
This translates into a requirement for either more inspections being necessary, or the inspections made taking longer than would be the case with a Full Plans application, hence the total cost is the same.
If I make a Building Notice application, will the Building Control Surveyor tell me how to carry out the work during his first visit?
No - while we are always willing offer help and advice you should not expect to use the Building Control Surveyor as a substitute for an architect or designer.
If you are not confident that you (or your builder) are fully conversant with the requirements of the regulations, then we would strongly advise that you do not use a Building Notice application.
Is a completion certificate the same as a guarantee or warranty?
No. The completion certificate simply confirms that, as far as the Council have been able to ascertain, the work on-site complies with the current Building Regulations. This means that inspections will have been carried out at the appropriate times, and that any problems found were put right. The Council do not however provide a guarantee or warranty on the work, although we hope to be able to offer such a scheme (at extra cost) in the near future.
If you are buying a new or altered property, always make sure your solicitor checks that a completion certificate has been issued for the work. This is particularly important as if we later find defects, it may be you who is responsible for correcting them rather than the previous owner!
What if things go wrong?
If problems arise during the progress of works our officers will do their best to help find solutions, and will be happy to offer advice to both you and your builder.
Ultimately however the Building Control service is not a warranty organisation and if the building work fails to meet your needs or expectations your redress would be against your builder, not the Council. For this reason you should take great care in selecting a builder who is reliable and who is still likely to be around if you have problems two or three years into the future.
When the Building Control Surveyor visits the site he talks to the builder but not me - why?
I assure you that we are not being disrespectful, but the majority of our clients do prefer us to deal directly with the builder.
We always welcome the involvement of the owner in these discussions so if you wish to be involved, please make your wishes known to the Building Control Surveyor during the first visit. Unless confidential matters are involved we must request that you join the builder for the discussion so that everyone is party to the same conversation. If you do wish to have a confidential discussion with the Building Control Surveyor at any stage, please ask (or make a separate arrangement by phone) and we will be happy to oblige.
