What Is Notifiable Work Under Building Regulations?
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A homeowner books a gas engineer to replace a boiler. A couple extends their kitchen by six metres into the garden. A landlord has their electrics rewired. Each of these works is treated completely differently under Building Regulations — and getting it wrong carries consequences that can surface years later when you least expect them.
Understanding what is and isn't notifiable under the Building Regulations 2010 is not an obscure technical matter. It is essential knowledge for anyone who owns, manages, or is building a property in England.
The Fundamental Question
The Building Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2214), made under the Building Act 1984, impose requirements on certain types of building work. "Notifiable work" is work that must be submitted to and supervised by a Building Control Body — either your Local Authority Building Control (LABC) or an Approved Inspector (now rebranded as a Registered Building Control Approver under the Building Safety Act 2022 reforms).
The key regulation is Regulation 12, which defines the work that must be notified. The scope of the regulations is primarily set out in Schedule 1 (which lists the technical requirements — Parts A through S) and Schedule 2 (which lists exempt buildings and works).
What IS Notifiable
The following categories of work are notifiable and require a Building Regulations application:
Structural work. Extensions to existing buildings, loft conversions creating new usable floor area, structural alterations including the removal of load-bearing walls, insertion of steel beams (RSJs), and underpinning are all notifiable.
New drainage connections. Any new connection to the foul or surface water drainage system, including the installation of new soil stacks or drainage runs serving new bathrooms or utilities.
New buildings. Any new dwellinghouse, outbuilding above certain size thresholds, or commercial building.
Electrical work (Part P). Electrical installations in dwellings are notifiable where they are not carried out by a Competent Person Scheme member (see below). Notifiable electrical work includes new circuits, consumer unit replacements, and certain high-risk locations such as kitchens and bathrooms. A homeowner who hires a non-registered electrician for a new circuit must notify the Local Authority and have the work inspected.
Replacement windows and doors. Unless the installer is registered under a Competent Person Scheme (specifically FENSA or CERTASS for windows and doors), the replacement of windows and doors in a dwelling is notifiable — because the work must comply with Part L (thermal performance) and Part K (safety glazing).
New bathrooms or kitchens. Where these involve structural alterations, drainage connections, or new electrical circuits not carried out by a CPS member, notification is required.
Boiler replacements and gas installations. If the engineer is Gas Safe registered, this falls under a Competent Person Scheme and is self-certified (see below). If for any reason the work is not being carried out by a Gas Safe engineer — which should never be the case for gas — it would be notifiable.
What is NOT Notifiable
Like-for-like repairs. Replacing a roof covering on a like-for-like basis, repointing, re-rendering, painting, or replacing individual windows or doors where a CPS-registered installer is used — these are not notifiable.
Cosmetic or non-structural internal works. Replastering, new flooring, decorating, fitting kitchen units to existing layout without drainage or electrical alterations.
Work carried out by Competent Person Scheme (CPS) members. The Competent Person Scheme system allows registered operatives in specific trades to self-certify their work as compliant with Building Regulations, without a separate notification to the Local Authority. The CPS operative notifies a central body, which in turn notifies the LABC and provides the homeowner with a certificate. Key schemes include:
- Gas Safe — gas appliances and heating systems
- NICEIC, NAPIT, Elecsa — electrical installations
- HETAS — solid fuel heating appliances
- FENSA, CERTASS — replacement windows and doors
- APHC, WaterSafe — certain plumbing work
Work carried out by CPS-registered operatives is still subject to Building Regulations — it is simply self-certified rather than inspected independently.
The Two Application Routes
Where work is notifiable but not covered by a CPS, there are two routes:
Full Plans Application. You submit full drawings and specifications to the Building Control Body in advance of work commencing. The BCB reviews the plans and issues a conditional or unconditional approval. Inspections take place at defined stages during construction. A completion certificate is issued at the end. This is the recommended route for anything complex.
Building Notice. No plans are submitted in advance. You notify the BCB that work is about to begin, provide basic information about the project, and pay the fee. Inspections are carried out during and after the works. There is no deposit of approved plans, which means any compliance issues are identified on site rather than on paper. A completion certificate is issued at the end — but note that the Building Notice route does not result in an approved plans decision, which some lenders and conveyancers prefer to see.
From April 2024, under changes introduced by the Building Safety Act 2022, significant additional requirements apply to Higher Risk Buildings (residential buildings of 7 storeys or 18 metres or more), including a mandatory Full Plans route and new dutyholder obligations. For standard domestic projects, the primary change is the transition from Approved Inspectors to Registered Building Control Approvers.
What Happens if You Don't Notify
Regulation 21 of the Building Regulations 2010 empowers the Local Authority to take enforcement action in respect of work that is not in compliance. A Local Authority may serve a notice under section 36 of the Building Act 1984 requiring the alteration or removal of non-compliant work within 28 days.
More practically, the consequences usually surface at point of sale. Solicitors conducting conveyancing enquiries routinely ask whether Building Regulations consent was obtained and a completion certificate issued for any significant works. If the answer is no, buyers' solicitors will request indemnity insurance — which is available but not always accepted by all lenders — or they will require evidence of compliance before exchange of contracts. In some cases, a sale can stall entirely.
Self-Builders and Homeowners: No Exemption on Notifiability
A common misconception is that if you are doing the work yourself on your own home, you are exempt from Building Regulations. You are not. The work remains notifiable. The difference is simply that as the homeowner, you can carry out the physical work yourself — but you must still notify the BCB and have inspections carried out at the required stages.
Regularisation: Addressing Works Done Without Approval
Where unauthorised building work has already been carried out, it is possible to apply for a Regularisation Certificate under Regulation 21 of the Building Regulations 2010 (and the associated Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations). This route is only available for works carried out on or after 11 November 1985. The Local Authority will inspect the work, and may require opening up of hidden elements (drains, structural connections, insulation) to assess compliance. If compliant, a regularisation certificate is issued.
Regularisation is not a guarantee of sign-off. If the work cannot be demonstrated to be compliant, remedial works may be required before the certificate is granted.
The RCB Position
At RCB Design & Build, we always advise clients to notify even where they believe the work may not be required — particularly on structural and drainage works. The cost of a Building Regulations application is modest. The cost of a stalled sale, an enforcement notice, or a major opening-up exercise years later is not. Our pre-construction process includes confirming the correct Building Control route for every project before work begins.