Did you Know... about the Home Information Pack and Building Regulations?

From the 1st June 2007 a Home Information Pack (H.I.P.) will be required for every sale and purchase of homes in England and Wales.

Home Information Packs will provide information about the property (such as deeds and searches) and include details of all work undertaken in the property.

What does that mean for me?

Well, any work undertaken in your property requires you to comply with building regulations. It means that any alterations or extensions within your home to your electrical systems, plumbing, heating ventilation, gas etc requires you to have demonstrated it was carried out to a satisfactory standard. This can be done by one or two methods.

• Local Building Control
• Self certificated business (competent persons schemes)

By adopting the DIY method you will have to apply to the local building control, often submitting a building notice for the work to be undertaken.

This method will require you to pay for the local building inspector to inspect the work often at different stages of the project before a completion certificate is issued.

The second method is to instruct a company to undertake the work who can self certify work through a self certification body. (ie CORGI, NICEIC). This route will often avoid an inspection from the local building control and upon completion the contractor will notify the certification body who will then notify the customer and local building control of competence of work.

Some of the Building Regulations that will possibly affect you:

Part P

Electrical safety in domestic dwellings came into force as a Statutory requirement on the 1st January 2005

Part L

Energy efficiency in domestic dwellings came into force as a Statutory requirement 1st April 2005 (conservation of fuel and power)

Part J

Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems

Part G

Hygiene

Part H

Drainage and waste disposal

There are a number of other building regulations that may affect your intended project and we would recommend you enquire with your local building control or visit one of the links to the relevant trade bodies.

The obvious positives of seeking a self certified competent installer, is that they are trained and competent and they avoid the hassle and delay of working through the local building control. The other benefits will be that the work will be automatically recognized as being undertaken by a accredited professional and that the work is guaranteed and in some cases warranty backed.