Private building control

timmberty

Thanks for the reply. But I have no idea who that person would be as it has all been handled by the builders.

G_M wrote: »

The private inspector should complete the job by informing the council's Building Control - that is what you have paid him for.

However in your position I would contact him (not the builders) to confirm.

G_M

Then ask and find out?

As said, you are paying for this. Better to find out it's being done properly before it's finished (and you've paid the final installment!) rather than later.......

prosaver

G_M wrote: »

Load of rubbish. See the link above.

ps - no one said it was a private building control. Building Control IS done by the council.

We are talking about a private building inspector, who is authorised by the council to inspect/sign off on the council's behalf.

yess they did , it says by the op.
look at the top page ..(nice voice)
cant be 4rsed to go into massive thread argument

booksurr

prosaver wrote: »

you cant have a private building control ..

https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval/how-to-apply

prosaver wrote: »

building regs is through the council. nothing else will do

your first comment is plain wrong and your second is too vague as to what you refer to.

read the above link... perfectly allowed to employ a private building control inspector, although as doozergirl (who is after all a property developer so does rather know) says, the final job is registered with the council - that does not mean it is a council employed BC inspector who has seen and signed that the works are in accordance with the building regulations. The council in such cases merely registers the fact that sign off has been given

Doozergirl

prosaver wrote: »

yess they did , it says by the op.
look at the top page ..(nice voice)
cant be 4rsed to go into massive thread argument

Which is a really good idea as you aren't helping.

We can always forgive the OP, who is a layperson, for not using the exact correct terminology for your liking. Most of us understand exactly what they are saying and can offer the appropriate advice.

OP, you can ask your builder for the inspecting company's details - you are paying for the service after all. I would ask if the final inspection has been made.

If it has, I communicate with my inspector via email for paperwork. If a client asked me to copy them in when I send in the gas and electric certificates, that would be very easy. I'd usually get a thank you and an acknowledgement that the completion certificate will be issued shortly.

The company does all the paperwork with the local authority.

stator

Withhold the final payment until you are sure it's all signed off. Check with the council.

prosaver

Phone your local building control office and they will tell you all.
I found they are very helpfull, they will vist the site. You are allowed to attend with your builder and they will tell you if everythings ok and if not, what needs doing, to get signed off
Btw im a builder and got a HNC in construction.

booksurr

prosaver wrote: »

Phone your local building control office and they will tell you all.
I found they are very helpfull, they will vist the site. You are allowed to attend with your builder and they will tell you if everythings ok and if not, what needs doing, to get signed off
Btw im a builder and got a HNC in construction.

waste of time and money

the council is legally allowed (required) to accept that a private BC inspector has signed off the works. The council therefore has no need to inspect themselves and if they did so they may well charge , in which case the OP would be paying fees for a duplication of inspection since he has already paid for a private one. Given OP is trying to save money that is rather pointless and hardly "prosaver" .

Given you apparently have no knowledge of the fact that building control inspections do not have to go via a council inspector your qualifications are irrelevant

AlexMac

Ignoring the squabbling on the sidelines, you've been given the right advice.

Ask.

Ensure you get a certificate at the end (whether or not you attend the final post-completion inspection, which I assume will be a formality; the private inspector is accountable to their client, the builder, and won't screw their paymaster.

Assuming my Council is typical, your Local Authority will have been notified by the Builder or the Approved Inspector that they are on the case.

I only know this because I checked when planning my own little project; an I had the final inspection last week on this conversion job by the Council Building Control officer. He only had to visit three times in total and cost me £340 as it was a fairly small job (converting a garage into a fully insulated, habitable room with 2 new windows, suspended floors and an ensuite bathroom).

He was helpful throughout the job, and in addition to promising to mail me the Building Notice (which I shall need to evidence the work is pukka if I ever sell), he reminded me of the need for the builder to also give me electrical certs (which they had already done because they were registered under the appropriate "Competent Persons Scheme" and didn't have to call in a "3rd Person" to inspect).

I had chosen to use the Council Building control rather than a private sector "Approved Inspector" on the same grounds that I'd rather my hospitals are run by the NHS rather than a profit-making company, or that my local environmental services including the rubbish collection is run by a Council Direct Labour Force (it is; and they are great) rather than a multinational corporation like Amey, Serco or Capita (my mate had a job with one of these; after a career to CE level in public service he was shocked that, once the capitalists got the contract, they only really cared about the profits for their bosses & shareholders, exploited any weaknesses in the client's spec and didn't give a toss about the public service-users, service quality or local operatives!).

But, momentarily abandoning my rant and returning to the OP topic, I asked my cuddly local Council Building Control guy what he thought about private inspectors and in particular, "London Building Control" a private Approved Inspector who handle lots of projects around here including a particularly problematic project opposite me; a 4 story pair of houses in a 6 metres/2-level deep basement excavation on the cramped site of a former bungalow.

He observed that for such a project, he would visit 10-20 times over such a 1-2 year timescale... but that a private firm might visit 3 times. OK he's biased (as am, I after seeing how shoddily that build went up- with massive nuisance, noise, vibration and damage to nearby properties).

But when you look, for example, at that particular Company's website ( www.londonbuildingcontrol.co.uk ) you can see why their clients (and paymasters), the Developers like 'em. Their appeal is summarised by their promise that "our Building Control process provides added value for our clients – reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, delays and costs"...

Which, in my experience, presumably include such uneccessary bureaucracy as structural integrity, effective tanking and 'Elf n Safety?

But I'm sure your builder is doing it by the book and inform you when you ask him - rather than us, som bunch of random "know-nuffinks" on the interwebby.

Good luck!

prosaver

booksurr wrote: »

waste of time and money

the council is legally allowed (required) to accept that a private BC inspector has signed off the works. The council therefore has no need to inspect themselves and if they did so they may well charge , in which case the OP would be paying fees for a duplication of inspection since he has already paid for a private one. Given OP is trying to save money that is rather pointless and hardly "prosaver" .

Given you apparently have no knowledge of the fact that building control inspections do not have to go via a council inspector your qualifications are irrelevant

Didn't say building control inspectors ....
Sorry i thought the local authority and building control was one thing,
as they are in the same office when i vist.
My advice to anyone whos doing a build, would be, life would be easier if you worked with the local authorities building control.
Less conflict ....
Up too
yous'e