Building regulations site inspections

When you apply to us for building regulations approval, we inspect the work at various stages. 

It is common for builders to book the inspections, but check with your builder whether or not they plan to do this for you. It is the property owner's responsibility to get work approved.

Booking site inspections

We can normally carry out an inspection on the same day you call if you request a visit before 10.00am. Otherwise we will come on the next working day.

To book a site inspection, call us on 01270 375256.

Final inspection

When the work is complete, you must by law let us know within 5 days so we can arrange the final visit and issue the completion certificate. 

Inspection stages

The first inspection is a  commencement visit. We will then tell you at what stage we will need to do the next inspection. The number of inspections varies depending on the project. A window installation, for example, may only take 1 or 2 visits. A new building will take a minimum of 7, including foundations. 

Typical inspection stages for a new building:

• Start of work - discussion of proposed work
• Excavation - checking foundations are deep enough
• Damp-proof course checks
• Ground floor slab base (oversite) - checking preparations for laying concrete
• Drain laying checks
• Testing drains after covering
• Completion

We will also need to check issues such as insulation and fire protection.

Page last reviewed: 10 June 2021