Under the amended Building Regulations, "Commenced" now refers to a more meaningful start with specific criteria, while "Start of work" indicates the actual beginning of building activities, with different meanings based on the type of work.

Notice of Starting Work

A person who proposes to carry out building work shall not start that work unless that person has given the relevant Building Control body notice of intention to start work and at least two days have elapsed since the end of the day on which the notice was given (see Regulation 16). This notification allows Building Control to schedule and conduct the necessary inspections to ensure compliance with building regulations.

Notice of Commencement

The Notice of Commencement is an additional stage where Building Control must be notified, known as the deemed commenced stage. According to Regulation 16 (3C) of the Building Regulations 2010, it is a legal requirement to notify Building Control within 5 days after the work has commenced.

You must send this notice to Building Control when the work has progressed to at least one of the following stages:

• Complex Buildings: Foundations are constructed, and the structure of the lowest floor level is complete.
• New Buildings and Extensions: The subsurface structure, including all foundations and the ground floor level, is completed.
• Other Works: 15% of the overall work is completed.

Building Control will review your Notice of Commencement to ensure the commencement conditions have been met. If they believe the work hasn’t reached the commencement stage, they will send you a rejection notice explaining why. If you disagree with their decision, you can appeal in accordance with Regulation 16 of The Building Regulations 2010.

Definition of Complex Building:

• A building constructed on the same foundation plinth or podium as another building or structure.
• A building with more than one storey below ground level.
• A public building with a capacity for 100 or more visitors.

Notice of Completion

For all types of work, you must submit a completion notice form within five days of finishing any notifiable building work. This can be done by the client, agent, or builder. We will not conduct a completion inspection until we receive this notice.

Before submitting, ensure you provide the necessary test results or certificates if applicable, such as: Electrical installation certificate, Fire alarm installation and commissioning certificate, Gas certificate, Double-glazing specification as specified by the Registered Building Inspector. If you’ve followed all steps you can book a site inspections via online , mobile app or phone.

A completion notice is required before we carry out a final inspection and/or issue a completion certificate. If all requirements are met, we will issue a completion certificate, which you should keep safe for future reference.

Completion Certificates are valuable documentary evidence showing that the work satisfied Building Regulations at the time of inspection. A Completion Certificate may be required when selling a property or raising finance, so keep it safe.