Establish what has actually happened
A company announcement, a missed inspection and cancellation of an initial notice are not the same event. Ask for written confirmation of the approver's ability to continue, the notice status and any cancellation date. Those details determine the next procedural steps. [1]
Inform the designer and builder immediately. Before work that needs inspection is covered up, agree with the council or incoming approver how it will be checked. An interrupted service should not be treated as permission to finish concealed work without an inspection arrangement. [3] [4]
Transfer may be possible
Government guidance provides for transfer to another registered building control approver in eligible cancellation circumstances. The new initial notice generally needs to reach the council within seven days of cancellation for that transfer route. The precise eligibility and notice requirements matter, so obtain advice on the actual case rather than treating the period as a universal grace period. [1]
The incoming approver must consider the unfinished work and supply the required transfer documentation. It cannot merely adopt the former approver's letterhead or issue a final certificate without satisfying its own obligations. Work already covered by a final certificate is treated differently from the unfinished scope. [1] [5]
Otherwise the work reverts to the council
Reversion gives the council the relevant building control role for the remaining work. The council will need sufficient information to assess what has been designed and built, and may need further inspections or evidence. GOV.UK's reversion guidance explains why the owner should engage with the council rather than assume another private appointment automatically resolves the situation. [2]
Assemble the project record
Collect the initial notice, drawings and calculations, plan comments, inspection notes, photographs, test results and installation certificates. Add a short schedule identifying which stages are complete, what remains exposed and what has already been covered. The purpose is to let the receiving body understand the actual state of the project. [1]
Ask the receiving body what additional evidence or opening-up it requires before agreeing the next construction steps. The absence of a former inspector's record is a practical issue to resolve, not something a builder's assurance necessarily replaces. [6]
Keep financial and regulatory matters separate
Confirm the new service charge and scope in writing. Any dispute over the former company's fee is separate from establishing a lawful route to inspection and certification of the work. [7] [2]