Application Process Explained —

Building Regulations in England and Wales are set by Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).  These are standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the safety and health of the people who use those buildings, and they apply to almost every building project.

Traditionally, only inspectors from the local authority were authorised to undertake building control. The Building Act 1984 opened up the market, allowing qualified companies in the private sector to fulfil this role in England and Wales.

Top Building Control Ltd are one of these companies known as a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) and licensed by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) under the HSE

Please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-a-registered-building-control-approver-in-england


How it works

Photo of new-build home in need of Building Regulations compliance

Contact us as soon as possible when you are considering building work: the earlier we are involved, the more value we can add to the project. Once appointed, we jointly notify the local authority of your intended building work on what is called an ‘Initial Notice’. Once this notice has been accepted by the local authority, the responsibility for plan checking and site inspection will be formally placed on us as the Registered Building Control Approver instead of with the local authority.

We will then:

  • Advise you on how the Building Regulations apply to your work
  • Check your plans and report back any applicable comments
  • Inspect the work as it progresses
  • Issue a final certificate, when the work is completed and compliant

Working with you, not against you

We are commercially aware and believe effective building control is all about finding solutions, not problems. We follow the substantive requirements of the Regulations rather than taking a prescriptive approach, allowing you the flexibility to be creative yet still help you to achieve regulatory compliance. We understand innovation.

A consistent service, wherever you work in the country.

We are able to work with everyone, from domestic clients right through to the largest construction and infrastructure projects. We operate throughout the East Midlands, which means we offer real consistency of advice that does not change over borough or county borders.

A qualified team whose performance is monitored and regulated.

Our staff do at least 30 hours’ CPD every year to ensure we are completely up to date and you get a professional adviser with specialist expertise and proven ability.

All Inspectors are individually required to demonstrate their level of competency and are Registered Building Inspectors (RBI’s) with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

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