What is Building Control? A Plain-English Guide for Property and Facility Managers

Building control is the UK regulatory process that ensures construction and alteration work meets minimum legal standards for safety, structural integrity, energy efficiency and health. This guide explains what it means for property and facility management teams.

For property managers, developers and those responsible for commercial buildings, understanding building control is essential. It is a separate legal requirement from planning permission, and distinct from the building automation and controls systems that manage how a building runs day-to-day. Any significant construction, extension or alteration work requires building regulations approval before it begins - failure to obtain it is a criminal offence that can result in unlimited fines, enforcement notices and a requirement to remove or rectify the work.

Building control is administered by local authority building control departments or by privately appointed approved inspectors. Both check that building work meets the Building Regulations 2010 - the legal framework governing structural integrity, fire safety, energy efficiency, drainage and accessibility in UK buildings.

Building control vs planning permission: what is the difference?

Building control and planning permission are two separate regulatory processes, and both may be required for the same project.

What work requires building control approval?

Building regulations approval is required for most new construction and for a wide range of alteration and installation work. The Building Regulations 2010 define what qualifies as 'building work' and therefore falls under their control. For property and facility managers, the most common triggers include:

• New buildings and extensions: Any new structure or extension to an existing building, including loft conversions, basement extensions and additional floors.
• Structural alterations: Removing or altering load-bearing walls, structural elements or floor structures.
• Change of use: Converting a building from one use class to another, for example from commercial to residential or from office to retail.
• Heating and ventilation systems: Installing or replacing a heating system, adding radiators, installing air conditioning or mechanical ventilation.
• Electrical work: Replacing a consumer unit or carrying out notifiable electrical installation work near bathrooms or outdoors.
• Drainage and plumbing: Installing bathrooms, altering drainage runs or connecting to public sewers.
• Windows and doors: Replacing windows or doors (thermal performance and safety glazing requirements apply).

Some minor works are exempt from building regulations - temporary structures, small detached outbuildings below certain dimensions, and certain types of internal alterations. When in doubt, check with your local authority building control department or an approved inspector before starting work.

How does the building control process work?

Building control operates as a two-stage process: plan checking and site inspection. There are two ways to obtain approval - through your local authority building control department, or through a privately appointed approved inspector.

Stage 1: Application and plan checking
For larger projects, a Full Plans application is submitted - detailed drawings and specifications are reviewed by the building control body before work begins. The building control body checks for compliance with the relevant parts of the Building Regulations (structural, fire, drainage, energy, accessibility and more) and issues a Plans Certificate if the plans are acceptable. For smaller projects, a Building Notice can be submitted instead, allowing work to begin more quickly without full plan approval - though the inspector will then assess compliance during site visits.

Stage 2: Site inspections
The builder or project manager is responsible for notifying the building control body when critical stages of construction are reached - typically: commencement of works, excavation of foundations, laying of damp-proof courses, installation of drainage, structural elements, insulation and completion. A building inspector visits at each stage to check compliance. If the work does not meet the required standards, the inspector reports to the local authority, which has enforcement powers.

Completion certificate
Once the work is complete to a satisfactory standard, a Final Certificate is issued within 8 weeks of occupation. This completion certificate is important evidence of compliance - it is required by solicitors in property transactions, and its absence can create significant complications when selling or refinancing a building.

The key parts of the Building Regulations

The Building Regulations 2010 are organised into approved documents covering different aspects of construction. The most relevant for commercial property and facility management teams include:

Building control and commercial buildings

For those responsible for commercial buildings, building control is relevant both at the point of construction or refurbishment and as an ongoing compliance consideration. Part L of the Building Regulations sets minimum energy performance standards for building services - including HVAC, lighting and hot water systems. These standards mean that a building management system or building energy management system alongside proper BMS controls that manages those services in line with the required performance levels is part of how buildings meet their regulatory obligations at handover and throughout their operational life.

The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced additional requirements for higher-risk buildings - defined as residential buildings of 18 metres or more in height or with 7 or more storeys. For commercial buildings and property professionals, the Act also strengthens the overall regulatory framework and places clearer accountability on those responsible for building safety.

For teams responsible for ongoing facility management, understanding building control at the construction stage matters because it sets the performance baseline your building systems must maintain - and determines what changes or upgrades will require a new building regulations application.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between building control and building regulations?
Building regulations are the legal standards that construction work must meet. Building control is the process of checking and verifying that those standards have been met - through plan checking and site inspections. The two terms are closely related but not identical: the regulations set the rules, building control enforces them.

Do I need building control for internal works?
Not always. Minor internal alterations - such as replastering, replacing floor finishes or non-structural redecoration - typically do not require building regulations approval. However, electrical work, installation of a new bathroom, structural alterations, and work affecting fire safety or insulation generally do. Always check with your local authority building control if you are uncertain.

What happens if I do not get approval?
Failing to obtain building regulations approval when required is a criminal offence under the Building Act 1984. Local authorities can prosecute within two years of the offending work. They can also serve an enforcement notice requiring the work to be altered or removed. Unapproved work can also create serious problems when selling a property.

Who carries out inspections?
Building control inspections can be carried out by local authority building control surveyors or by privately appointed approved inspectors. Approved inspectors tend to offer greater availability and flexibility. Regardless of which route you choose, the building control body must be notified at key stages of construction.

What is a building control completion certificate?
A completion certificate (sometimes called a final certificate) is the document issued by the building control body at the end of a project, confirming that the work has been inspected and meets the Building Regulations. It is important to retain this document - it is required by solicitors in property transactions and is evidence of legal compliance.

Johnson Controls: building automation for compliant, efficient buildings

Building control sets the compliance baseline at construction. What happens after handover - how your HVAC, lighting, energy and safety systems are monitored, controlled and optimised - is where building automation and controls comes in. Johnson Controls' Metasys Building Automation System helps facility managers and property teams maintain the performance standards that building regulations require, reduce energy consumption, and meet ongoing regulatory and ESG reporting obligations.

Whether you are specifying systems for a new development or looking to improve the performance of an existing building, our team can help. Explore our building automation and controls solutions.