Building Regulations and Compliance

Imagine building your very first home, the excitement that comes with it and all the memories you know you are going to make. It’s such a thrilling and wonderful experience and to properly enjoy it you need to ensure that your property is safe and follows all necessary regulations and compliances. These are set up to ensure that property owners live or rent out their properties in a secure manner and create a building standard for all in the country. Whether you’re upgrading your new electrical box and need a new electrical certificate or if your building was established after 2008 and you need an energy certificate from the SAP EPC assessor – it’s vital to know the rules and regulations around building, so that you create both a welcoming and safe home for yourself and visitors alike.

The Importance of Building Regulations

Construction sites are filled with heavy and dangerous processes and equipment. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, the first document that needs to be obtained is known as the ‘building permit’. This allows site managers to give the green light to their team to start building. The building permit can either be acquired through contacting a building control establishment or by using an approved inspector. This document is vital as it includes all structural information, electrical work and sewer lines. Having experts take a look at this beforehand is not only a chore for the site manager but should be a joy as it is like getting a professor to double-check your work and make sure you’re on the right track.

The importance of this building regulation is not only to make sure that properties are built by a national benchmark but also to reduce alteration time for site managers, as once they are approved they know they won’t need to go back and change anything, saving time and money. Furthermore, it acts also a safety precaution for site works as it includes information about the working environment, including ventilation and sanitation facilities, shows areas of access to disabled people, offers fire safety procedures and structural safety steps.

Two More Crucial Documents

As a property owner, you need to ensure that your building is constructed correctly, which is why it is important to know the three big areas of the site that need to be extremely sufficient. On top of the building permit, there are two other documents you need to get before you can legally inhabit or rent your property.

Electrical permit: One of the most important things in your home is electricity. Many households use it to power their lights, kettles, television sets and if you’re not on solar yet, then to power the energy-sucking geyser too. As this is an area of the home that can be a fire hazard, for example if cables are not fused well or if they are close to a water source, an electrical expert from the local council needs to come in and double-check everything. Just because an electrician is setting it up, does not mean that there are no mistakes. The electrical expert who issues the compliance certificate has special tools that they plug in to ensure that all sockets, circuits, outlets and fixtures are working correctly. There are local codes for the electrical permit that need to be passed.
Plumbing permit: Another area of the household that is in constant use is the pipes. Whether you are flushing a toilet, letting out a bath, taking a shower or washing the dishes – water and pipes are being used all day. Plumbers need to set up the piping system to ensure that all outlets work. It is also important that the sewer line, for example, leads to the main sewer lines that are outside the property and are laid by the government, so that sewer runs to the local sewer depot and does not stay under the earth of the property as this can result in a massive health hazard. Expert plumbers from the local council need to come in and ensure all is done according to the local plumbing codes and then issue a certificate.

Final Thoughts

Building or renovating is not as easy as it seems. However, the compliance certificates mentioned above are not put in place to hinder building but rather to encourage it. The aim is to create a safe and secure home experience for everyone and ensure that certain standards are being upheld.