Structural alterations, new openings, extensions, loft conversions, underpinning, drainage work, new heating appliances, replacement windows and significant re-roofing all need Building Regulations approval. It is separate from planning permission, so work can need Building Regulations and no planning, or both, or neither.
- Planning and Building Regulations are different systems with different tests.
- You can use the council or a private approved inspector — they are alternatives.
- Inspections happen at defined stages. A missed one can mean opening work back up.
- The completion certificate is what a buyer's solicitor asks for. Keep it with the deeds.
Planning and Building Regulations are not the same thing
This is the distinction that causes the most confusion, and it is worth stating plainly before anything else.
Planning permission is about whether you may make the change: size, siting, appearance, impact on neighbours and the character of the area. It is a local decision about what the building looks like and where it sits.
Building Regulations are about whether the work is built safely and performs adequately: structure, fire safety, insulation, ventilation, drainage, accessibility. It is a technical standard applied the same way everywhere.
The consequence is that the two do not track each other. An extension under permitted development needs no planning permission and still needs Building Regulations approval. Replacing a boiler needs Building Regulations and no planning. Painting your house a different colour in a conservation area might need planning and no Building Regulations.
Assuming that no planning application means nothing to notify is the single most common error, and it surfaces years later at sale.
What is notifiable
| Work | Notifiable? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Extension | Yes | Even under permitted development |
| Loft conversion | Yes | Structure, stairs, fire escape |
| Removing a load-bearing wall | Yes | Calculations required |
| New opening in an external wall | Yes | Lintel and structure |
| Underpinning | Yes | Always |
| New or altered drainage | Yes | Including a build-over situation |
| Replacement windows | Yes | Usually via a competent person scheme |
| New boiler or heating appliance | Yes | Via Gas Safe or equivalent |
| Significant re-roofing | Often | Where a large proportion of the covering is replaced |
| Electrical: new circuit, consumer unit, bathroom | Yes | Part P |
| Garage conversion | Yes | Thermal, damp, fire, structure |
| Internal non-structural partition | Usually not | Unless it affects escape or ventilation |
| Replacing like for like — kitchen, bathroom fittings | Usually not | Unless drainage or electrics change |
| Redecoration and repair | No | Maintenance |
Where a job sits near a line, the Building Control body will tell you if you ask. It is a free conversation and considerably cheaper than finding out later.
The two routes
There are two ways to get approval, and they are genuine alternatives rather than steps in a process.
The local authority
Submit either a full plans application, where drawings are checked and approved before work starts, or a building notice, which is a shorter route used for simpler work where the detail is resolved on site. Full plans is slower upfront and gives you an approval you can rely on; a building notice is quicker to start and carries more risk of something being questioned mid-build.
An approved inspector
A private body doing the same job, with the same legal standing. They give an initial notice to the council and then handle the inspections and the final certificate. The service level and responsiveness can be better, and the fees are sometimes lower. Worth getting a figure from both before deciding.
Competent person schemes
For certain specific work — electrical, windows, heating appliances — a registered installer can self-certify and notify on your behalf, which avoids a separate Building Control application entirely. This is how most boiler replacements and window installations are handled.
Inspection stages
- Commencement — notifying that work is starting.
- Excavation — the foundation trench inspected before concrete is poured. This is where depth can be increased.
- Foundation concrete poured.
- Damp-proof course level.
- Drainage laid and tested, before backfilling.
- Structural elements — steels and their bearings, before being covered.
- Insulation and vapour control, before plasterboarding.
- Completion — final inspection and the certificate.
Stages two, five and six all have to be seen before they are covered up. A missed inspection can mean exposing finished work, which is why inspections belong in the programme rather than being remembered.
Why the completion certificate matters
This is the output of the whole process and the reason it matters years after the dust has settled.
When you sell, the buyer's solicitor will ask for Building Regulations documentation for any work carried out. No certificate means an enquiry you have to answer, and the usual options are both unsatisfactory.
Regularisation is a retrospective application. Building Control will want to inspect, and because the work is finished they may require parts to be opened up — a beam exposed, insulation checked. It takes time and costs more than doing it properly would have.
Indemnity insurance is the common shortcut. It protects against enforcement action by the council. It verifies nothing about whether the work is safe or adequate, and a well-advised buyer knows that.
There is also an insurance dimension: undocumented structural work is an awkward thing to be discussing with an insurer after a claim.
Keep the certificate with the deeds, along with the structural calculations and any planning paperwork.
What happens if work was never approved
There is no inspection regime that comes looking, and for most homeowners nothing happens at all until they sell.
The council can take enforcement action requiring work to be altered or removed, though in practice this is rare for domestic work and there are time limits on it. The far more common consequence is the conveyancing problem described above.
If you have inherited unapproved work from a previous owner, the position is the same — the obligation attaches to the building rather than to who did it. Where it is historic and the limitation period has passed, indemnity insurance is usually how it gets resolved.
For anything you are doing now, the sensible approach is simply to notify it. The fee is modest relative to the work and the certificate is worth more at resale than it costs.
What building work costs
These are the building figures published across this site:
| Job | Typical Coventry guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Remove load-bearing wall + steel | £1,500–£3,000 | Includes calcs & building control |
| General building project | £4,600–£14,700 (avg ~£8,593) | Scope dependent |
| Builder, hourly | £20–£40/hr (avg ~£24) | Skilled trade |
| Builder, day rate | £200–£350/day | Varies with firm size |
Building Control fees are paid to the council or the approved inspector and sit outside a builder's quote. They are worth comparing between the two routes, as they differ.
We will tell you at survey, handle the application and the inspections, and make sure you end up holding the certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Is Building Regulations approval the same as planning permission?
No, they are separate systems with different tests. Planning is about whether you may build it — size, siting, appearance. Building Regulations are about whether it is built safely and performs adequately. You can need one, both or neither, and an extension under permitted development still needs Building Regulations approval.
Do I need approval for a new internal wall?
Usually not for a non-structural partition, unless it affects escape routes, ventilation to a room, or means a room no longer has adequate natural light or air. If the wall is structural, or forms part of an escape route, or creates a room without a window, it becomes notifiable.
What is the difference between full plans and a building notice?
Full plans means your drawings are checked and approved before work starts, giving certainty but taking longer upfront. A building notice is a shorter route used for simpler work, with the detail resolved on site — quicker to start, but with more risk of something being questioned mid-build.
Can I use a private inspector instead of the council?
Yes. Approved inspectors are private bodies doing the same job with the same legal standing. They give an initial notice to the council and handle inspections and the final certificate. Service levels and fees differ, so it is worth getting a figure from both routes before choosing.
What if I find out previous work was never approved?
The obligation attaches to the building rather than to whoever did the work. Options are regularisation — a retrospective application, with inspection that may require opening work up — or indemnity insurance, which protects against enforcement but verifies nothing about safety. Historic work is usually resolved with indemnity at sale.
Who arranges Building Control, me or the builder?
Either, but agree it explicitly in writing before work starts. Inspections have to happen at specific points, such as the foundation trench before concrete is poured, and a missed inspection can mean opening finished work back up. Make sure you are clear who books them and who ends up holding the certificate.
Notified, inspected, certificated
We tell you at survey whether the work is notifiable, handle the application and inspections, and make sure the certificate ends up with you. Free survey, written quote.