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Building work which is carried out without complying with the requirements of the Building Regulations is known as a contravention.

You may report any unauthorized building work by completing the form below with the relevant details

The Local Authority has a general duty to enforce the Building Regulations in its area and will seek to do so by informal means wherever possible.

If a person carrying out building work contravenes the Building Regulations, the Local Authority may decide to take them to the magistrates' court where they could be fined up to £5,000 for the contravention.

Application to regularise unauthorised works

The Building Regulations provide for a property owner to apply to the Local Authority to regularise unauthorised works. This means work which was carried out on or after 11th November 1985 and which should have been submitted to the Building Regulations procedures but was not. 

What happens if I do work without approval?

The local authority has to see that building work complies with the Regulations. If the work does not comply, you may be asked to alter or remove it. If you fail to do this, the local authority may serve a notice requiring you to do so.

If you have already completed work without approval it is possible to gain retrospective approval by making a Regularisation Application. in order to gain approval you will need to provide all the necessary information and where requested destructive investigations may be needed to enable the surveyor to assess whether the building complies. 

What happens if I disagree with the notice?

Normally the notice will give you 28 days to rectify the work. You can seek advice from a suitably qualified person and if you tell the local authority you intend to do this, the 28 day period is extended to 70 days. If the report you get from this person causes the local authority to withdraw the notice, the local authority may pay the expenses which you have incurred as a result of having been served with the notice. The local authority cannot serve a notice on you if the work which you have carried out is shown on the plans which the local authority approved or failed to reject within five weeks, or two months if you agree, from deposit of the plans.

Are there penalties for contravening Building Regulations?

Yes. If you contravene the Regulations by building without notifying the local authority or by carrying out work which does not comply, the local authority can commence proceedings which may lead to a fine. If you are convicted, you are liable to a penalty not exceeding £5,000 plus £50 for each day on which each individual contravention continues after you have been convicted.

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