When is a building control application required

The following are typical building works that you may carry out around your home, which will require approval:

• Home extensions (for example, a kitchen or a bedroom).
• Certain porches and conservatories.
• Loft conversions.
• Structural alterations, such as the removal of a load-bearing wall, or chimney breast.
• Installation of bathrooms/showers, which involve new drainage or waste plumbing.
• New windows in walls or roofs.
• Replacement / recovering of roofs.
• Replastering / re-rendering of walls.
• Replacement floors.
• Installation of cavity insulation.
• Installation of an unvented hot water storage system.
• Underpinning of foundations.
• The change of use to form a dwelling (flat or house).
• Converting one dwelling into two or more, or converting two or more dwellings into less.
• Conversion of a dwelling into holiday letting accommodation.
• The change of use of an integral garage to a habitable room.
• The installation of a wind turbine which is attached to the building.
• The installation of photovoltaic or solar panels.
• Works involving the underpinning of a building.
• Notifiable electrical work if carried out by an electrician not registered with an applicable Competent Persons' Scheme.
• Replacement windows and doors if the work is not carried out by a contractor registered with an applicable Competent Persons' Scheme.
  If you live in a conservation area an application for replacement windows is always required.

Can I check online to see if I need building control approval?

See the interactive section on the Planning Portal to find out if the work you propose to do to a detached or semi-detached house, a terraced house, shop, flat or apartment needs building control approval.

What is the overall aim of building regulations?

The overall aim of Building Regulations is to ensure that buildings are safe, weatherproof, protected against fire, have adequate drainage and, in the case of certain buildings, they are accessible to all.