Approvals
Building control: what it checks and why the certificate matters
Building control is concerned with how the work is built: structure, fire safety, insulation, ventilation, drainage and safe access. It is the process that ends in a completion certificate, and that certificate is the document a future buyer's solicitor will ask for.
Two routes, one outcome
- Full plans: drawings and calculations are assessed before work starts, so problems surface on paper.
- Building notice: work proceeds and is inspected as it goes, which is quicker to start and riskier to build.
- Either route can be run through the local authority or an approved inspector.
The inspection stages that matter
Missing an inspection is one of the few mistakes that can require work to be opened up again. It is worth asking your builder, in writing, who is booking each visit.
- Excavation and foundations, before concrete is poured.
- Damp-proof course and oversite.
- Drainage, before covering and again on testing.
- Structural elements, including steelwork and floor construction.
- Insulation, air tightness and ventilation provision.
- Completion, leading to the certificate.
Why the certificate matters more than people expect
Without a completion certificate, a conveyancing solicitor may require an indemnity policy, a retention or a regularisation application. It is a small piece of paper with a real effect on value and on the sale timeline.
Collect it, along with electrical and gas certificates, guarantees and as-built information, before the final payment is made.
Case-style example
The certificate nobody chased
A loft conversion is finished, the builder is paid, and everyone moves on. Four years later the house goes on the market and no completion certificate exists.
The work is sound, but the paperwork is not, and the buyer's solicitor raises it a week before exchange. The retrospective route is possible, but slow and stressful under a deadline.
The final payment is the moment of maximum leverage. It is the right time to ask for documents, not months afterwards.
How The Construction Clinic helps with this decision
We are not a building control body and we do not inspect work. We help you keep the paperwork and the payment schedule aligned, so the certificate arrives while you still have leverage.
Common questions
Questions homeowners ask about this
Is building control the same as planning permission?
No. Planning decides whether it may be built; building control checks how it is built.
Who books the inspections?
Usually the builder, but responsibility should be agreed in writing. If it is unclear, it is often nobody.
What if work was done years ago without approval?
A regularisation application may be possible. It typically involves opening up some work for inspection.
Should I hold money until the certificate arrives?
A modest retention linked to documents and snagging is common practice; it should be agreed at the start, not invented at the end.