Yes, you typically need a Building Regulations Completion Certificate when selling a home, especially if any structural work, extensions, or alterations have been made to the property. There’s a raft of documents to get ready when you’re hoisting a ‘For sale’ sign on your home. And a building regulations completion certificate is often one of them.
Here’s what you need to know about this important paperwork and how it might impact your sale.
What documents do you need when selling a house?
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What are building regulations?
First things first, let’s look at building regulations. These are regulations in England and Wales that help to ensure building work is safe and carried out to a high standard. The regulations span various areas and types of building work. But they don’t tend to cover more general repairs and maintenance work.
Bear in mind that there are different rules in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What is a building regulations completion certificate?
A building regulations completion certificate shows that building work meets building regulations. In other words, it’s evidence that the work is sound.
You normally need a building regulations completion certificate for homes that have been newly-built or extended.
So if you do a loft conversion or add a side extension for a new kitchen, you'll need a building regulations completion certificate for it.
You also need a building regs certificate for a wide range of alterations, including:
swapping windows and doors
replacing roof coverings on pitched and flat roofs
installing or replacing heating systems
installing bathrooms that include plumbing.
You can see a more comprehensive list on the government website.
How and where can I get a copy of a building regulations completion certificate?
You can seek a building regulations completion certificate from your local council. Or you can apply for approval through a private approved inspector, who will in turn inform your local authority.
Normally, the building control body inspects the work at various stages. They then issue a completion certificate once the work is complete and they are satisfied that it meets building regulations.
What is a building regulations compliance certificate?
That said, you may not need to apply for a building regulations completion certificate yourself.
If the person doing the work is registered with a competent person scheme, they can give you a certificate of compliance. They can also tell the local authority about the work. This could be the case for someone who installs windows, for example.
You can search the Competent Persons Register for a tradesperson. And you can have a look at the Electrical Competent Person Register for an electrician.
So, do I need a building regulations certificate to sell my property?
It is not unusual to own a home without building regulations approval for some, or all, of the building work done.
You may have bought your home without a certificate for work already completed. It’s worth noting that there was no need for local authorities to issue completion certificates in all cases before 2013, according to LABC.
Or, you may have carried out building work and, for whatever reason, not got your hands on the required certificate.
Still, if you should have this important paperwork and you don’t, it could impact your sale.
Buyers will want to know that your property is a good investment and a safe place to call ‘home’. They may need reassurance that the work complies with industry standards - and that it isn’t at risk of enforcement action or other repercussions.
The same can also be said for the buyer’s lender (if they have one) and insurer.
If a buyer is concerned, they may decide to reduce their offer on your home, or pull out of the sale completely.
What can I do if I don’t have or can’t get a copy?
If you don’t have a building regulations completion certificate, there are ways that you could, potentially, get around the issue.
Simply lost the paperwork? Then it’s best to get in touch with your local authority or approved inspector, whichever issued the certificate, for a copy.
But what if you are missing the building regulations completion certificate? If you’re sure that the work has been done in line with building regulations, you could apply for a regularisation certificate. This is retrospective approval from your local authority for work carried out after 11 November 1985.
As part of this process, you may need to provide evidence that the work meets building regulations. This could range from supplying structural engineer plans, to opening up some of the building work. This may take time. And your local authority may ask you to do further work.
Alternatively, you could get building regulations indemnity insurance. This can be a straightforward and cost-effective solution. As always with insurance policies, it's important to check that the terms suit your needs. The policy may only cover enforcement action taken by your local authority.
If you do seek indemnity insurance, be wary of asking your local authority about the absence of a building regulations completion certificate. This may invalidate your policy.
So, on the one hand, building regulations indemnity insurance may give the buyer peace of mind that they have protection against certain repercussions. But on the other hand, it’s not proof that the building work complies with building regulations.
It’s well worth seeking professional advice from your solicitor or conveyancer on the best way to proceed.
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