Building-Regs FAQ
LABC vs Approved Inspector — which?
LABC is council-based, slightly cheaper, sometimes slower. Approved Inspector is private, faster, marginally more rigorous. Both have same legal status.
LABC is council-based, slightly cheaper, sometimes slower. Approved Inspector is private, faster, marginally more rigorous. Both have same legal status.
Both apply the same Building Regulations and both issue a certificate with the same legal standing. A registered building control approver often gives faster plan checks and a named inspector; the local authority is sometimes cheaper and holds enforcement powers directly. For most domestic work the choice is practical, not technical.
Private approved inspectors are now called registered building control approvers and must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator. They cannot take on higher-risk buildings — at least 18 m tall or seven storeys with two or more residential units — which go to the Regulator under the gateway regime. Domestic extensions and lofts are unaffected.
By serving an initial notice on the local authority, which has five working days to reject it. Once accepted, the approver is the building control body and the council's powers are suspended for that project.
If the approver resigns — usually because a project has stalled or diverged from the approved design — the initial notice is cancelled and the work reverts to the council, which then has to be satisfied about work it never saw. That is the main practical risk of the private route.
If your contractor already works regularly with a particular approver, that continuity is worth a lot: the inspector knows their detailing and inspections get booked easily. If not, the council is a reasonable default and its charge is published rather than quoted.
No. Building control has no say on planning, and a planning approval says nothing about building regulations compliance.
LABC or approved inspector — which should you use? in a Havering context: London Borough of Havering (Havering Council) runs 15 conservation areas including the Romford Market Conservation Area and the Upminster Conservation Area, and there is no borough-wide Article 4 direction, so permitted development generally survives outside conservation areas. That decides how labc or approved inspector — which should you use? is handled: £548 and 8 weeks for a Havering householder application, or £274 for the Lawful Development Certificate that records labc or approved inspector — which should you use? as lawful. The law behind labc or approved inspector — which should you use? sits in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the GPDO 2015 and the Building Regulations 2010.
| Private body's legal name | Registered building control approver |
|---|---|
| Register held by | Building Safety Regulator |
| Initial notice rejection window | 5 working days |
| Cannot handle | Higher-risk buildings |
| Certificate | Final certificate — same standing as council completion |
| Typical domestic charge | £500–£1,200 |
Yes. It has the same legal standing as a council completion certificate.
Yes, but the new body must be satisfied about covered-up work, which usually means opening up.
It varies by borough and by project; the council scale is published, approvers quote.
Pick a slot that suits you. No obligation and no sales pressure, just straight answers on your planning route.
