Commencing work
Once an application has been submitted using either Full Plans or a Building Notice you may commence the work on site. At this stage you should notify the local authority 48 hours before you start (not including weekends and Bank Holidays)
Under a Full Plans application you are advised to wait until the plans have been approved, but you do not have to. All work undertaken prior to the plans being approved is "at your own risk"
Once you have told us you are starting work we will arrange for one of our Building Control Surveyors to call, where necessary the surveyor will inspect the start of the work and discuss any necessary points with you or your builder.
Other Inspections
The Building Regulations set certain stages of the work that you or your builder have to notify us of. Failure to do so is an offence. These stages allow us to inspect various important stages of the work to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations.
In addition the surveyor may require notification at other stages, depending on the type of work being carried out.
The stages to notify us are;
- Commencement.
- Excavations, before pouring concrete foundations.
- Concreted foundations, before covering them up.
- Before covering up the damp proof course.
- Before covering up any new drains.
- Drains are ready for test after being covered up.
- Before occupying the building and/or when the building work is finished.
All other inspection requests may be made by telephone or email.
Important Note
From 1st October 2011 Yorkshire Water aare responsible for inspecting any drainage work which involves a proposed or existing private sewer or lateral drain. Please visit their web site for more information,
To request an inspection please contact us before 9.30am and we will carry out a site inspection that same day, ( completion inspections excluded).
If you ring after 9.30am a same day visit may be possible but will be subject to the agreement of the visiting Surveyor.
To request a site inspection telephone 0113 222 44 09 or 2478106
or email building.control@leeds.gov.uk
Due to the nature of the job it is not possible to specify an exact time when the surveyor will visit but it may be possible to specify am or pm. It is a good idea to agree with your builder who will contact us to request an inspection.
It may be that the inspection stages listed above are not applicable to your particular job, in this case please arrange with the Building Control Surveyor at the start of the work when he wishes to make further visits. Additionally, other inspections may be made should problems arise, or from time to time to check particular aspects of the construction. The cost of all inspections made will be covered by the second fee for which you will be invoiced on commencement of your building work.
Completion
Five days notice is required for a completion inspection.
When you or your builder notifies us that the work is finished our surveyor will carry out a final inspection. If the works are satisfactory we will issue a completion certificate.
Note - to receive a completion certificate a completion inspection must be carried out.
We strongly recommend that you request the final inspection before your builder leaves the job and before you pay his final account. Any problems can then be quickly and efficiently put right.
Keep your Completion Certificate in a safe place. If you sell your house the purchaser's solicitor will ask for the Building Regulation Approval and/or Completion Certificate for any work you have carried out.
Enforcement
When work is found not to comply with the Regulations, your Building Control Surveyor will request that it is altered or removed to put things right. Hopefully, this will be done but if not, then he may serve a legal notice on the building owner requiring him to do so.
Normally the notice will give you 28 days to rectify the work. You can seek advice from a professionally qualified person if you disagree with the notice, and if you tell the Council this, the 28 days will be extended to 70 days. .
If the contraventions are not rectified within the time limit, legal proceedings will continue which may lead to a fine which increases day by day until the work is made to comply.
Similar action may result if you carry out work without approval or if you fail to notify us at the various stages. We may require you to open up or pull down part of the work in order to confirm that the work has been constructed to an adequate standard.
Important Note
Please remember it is the owners responsibility to obtain planning permission (if required) prior to the commencement of work, including any pre-commencement planning conditions. Nor does your approval relate to any other statutory provision, for example, Housing Act Licensing provision.”
Contact us
If you require help or advice please contact us on Leeds 222 44 09, or 2478106.
or email building.control@leeds.gov.uk
Our offices are open Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.00pm, Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm.