Private building inspectors..should I be worried

sam1970

I am about to start a job of loft conversion in my house and the building firm are very keen on using a private inspector, rather than the council, to certify the work. They claim that it is easier for them to deal with and that there is much less red tape. Should I be worried about any thing? They say that the inspector will notify the council at the end of project that every thing has been done according to building regs.....Any advice please?

System

best way to do it usually, as long as you can check out who their proposed company/inspector is.
Local authorities can sometimes hold up the process as they tend to be under resourced, a lot of the private firms have ex-la inspectors anyway!

Doozergirl

I agree.

We use private building control otherwise we're at the mercy of random LA inspectors and they're not always that friendly! We have someone that knows us, knows our work, is prepared to offer advice and discuss options and future work etc. It feels like we're working together whereas some LA inspectors are, erm, quirky.

Really, all we want is some consistency and a level of service. It's all registered with the local authority and is in no way inferior.

brightontraveller

You’d need to research /know inspector for the answer some are fine, some terrible (the same can be said of those employed by local authority) Difference is recourse should something be a miss the former can disappear /hide behind limited company liability, confusion over works etc, The latter (council) it doesn’t matter what there,s doe’s correct/ incorrect etc they will still be there to pursue, If you have doubts then a “council” one is way to go

I’ll be honest small works as yours a private inspector as this is a money saving forum a private one will certainly cost more so why do you need the extra expense
(larger works, tight schedules, penalties etc fine but small as yours is it more to cut corners with a tame/stupid inspector....

Furts

Yes local authorities are undermanned, and yes, they have been depleted of Inspectors where so many have jumped ship to become AI. But neither of these are your problem. You issue is a truly independent Inspector, acting for your interests, and not being paid by your builder. Remember he who pays the piper calls the tune.

Tell your builder what to do with his suggestion and remind him that Buildings Regulations are your responsibility and not his.

AI have their place, but this is not in the pay pockets of builders working on domestic extensions and similar works.

Doozergirl

Our AI costs are virtually indistinguishable from LA costs. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more.

Someone wanting to dictate which building inspector we use and checking our mortar mixes would not be well received. I think there are far better ways to check someone's trustworthiness without completely mistrusting them. Not an effective means to an end.

Someone telling me what to do with my 'suggestion' would quickly result in them being told what to do with their project.

Furts

Doozergirl wrote: »

Our AI costs are virtually indistinguishable from LA costs. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more.

Someone wanting to dictate which building inspector we use and checking our mortar mixes would not be well received. I think there are far better ways to check someone's trustworthiness without completely mistrusting them. Not an effective means to an end.

Someone telling me what to do with my 'suggestion' would quickly result in them being told what to do with their project.

But you and I do not have to work together! An AI is fine for you as a contractor, but not so good from a consumer perspective. Since the forum has many consumers logging on it is only right that a balanced answer should be given!

Doozergirl

I must be odd in trusting that all building inspectors are suitably qualified to do their job and care about it!

Furts

Doozergirl wrote: »

I must be odd in trusting that all building inspectors are suitably qualified to do their job and care about it!

There is an AI working on your patch that does not know his ar-e from their elbow when it comes to building. There are huge gaps in his knowledge, but he does his best! Now you and I are able to work with this, infill the missing knowledge, and offer guidance. A typical consumer is not able to do this so should avoid this chap, and the practice he works for.

There is no way I can name the man nor the practice but consumers are far better with a local authority inspector. They may be slower, they may not want to sit and discuss, they may not want to be soft skilled nor engage with clients but they should be independent and fair.

System

Furts wrote: »

There is an AI working on your patch that does not know his ar-e from their elbow when it comes to building. There are huge gaps in his knowledge, but he does his best! Now you and I are able to work with this, infill the missing knowledge, and offer guidance. A typical consumer is not able to do this so should avoid this chap, and the practice he works for.

There is no way I can name the man nor the practice but consumers are far better with a local authority inspector. They may be slower, they may not want to sit and discuss, they may not want to be soft skilled nor engage with clients but they should be independent and fair.

I've had exactly the same experience with a small number of local authority officers too, but you can't sack them when you realise how incompetent they are!

fezster

The problem with any building inspector who is recommended by a builder is impartiality. You have to be certain the inspector will not just pass things because they have a previous relationship with the builder.

My experience with LA building inspectors is that they vary wildly in terms of their knowledge, experience and competence. And it's entirely possible that the builder may know the LA inspector and therefore introduce the same problems as above. So there's issues either way.