Agree the booking responsibility before starting
Put the inspection arrangements into the project programme. Name the person who will contact building control, the contact method and the person who will provide access. Include a substitute so that absence or a subcontractor change does not leave an inspection unbooked.
The client, designers and contractors retain their respective duties to cooperate and support compliant work. Asking the builder to make the telephone call does not turn building control into the project's site manager. [2] [3]
Notices and bookings are different
The statutory intention-to-start and commencement notices do not automatically create inspection appointments. Salford expressly distinguishes these communications. A notice confirming that work is starting should therefore be followed by the inspection booking needed for the actual construction stage. [1]
For ordinary non-higher-risk work, the relevant starting notice is generally required at least two working days before starting, with a further notification when statutory commencement is reached. Check the applicable route and do not assume the same timings apply to BSR-controlled work. [4] [5]
Use the body's actual booking procedure
Ask how much notice is needed for each type of visit and whether a particular stage needs advance discussion. Redbridge publishes a next-working-day inspection service and a process for requesting a same-day visit; that local arrangement should not be assumed to apply in another borough or to a private approver. [6]
Provide the application reference, address, contact details and the inspection stage. Make clear if access is limited or if the builder is proposing to cover the work immediately afterwards. Agree what to do if the visit cannot occur when first requested.
Do not cover work merely because a visit was requested
A requested appointment is not the same as an inspection or an accepted alternative evidence arrangement. Keep the relevant work exposed until the agreed check has taken place or building control has expressly agreed how it can assess the item. Published inspection guidance identifies stages that need to be seen before covering. [7]
Keep a simple inspection record
Record the booking date, visit date, work inspected, comments and any follow-up needed. Send design queries to the responsible designer or engineer and arrange another visit where requested. This creates a useful record for completion without pretending that an informal site comment is a final certificate. [2] [8]
Book the completion inspection early enough to deal with remaining items and collect the required declarations and installation documents. The builder finishing on site does not automatically trigger statutory sign-off. [9]