Unauthorised building work and regularisation certificates

If building work in your property was carried out without building control approval, you might need to apply for a regularisation certificate.

Whether you need building regulations approval or not, check if you also need planning permission.

If you, or the previous owners, carried out building work without applying for building control, you may need to apply for a regularisation certificate.

You don't have to apply, but doing so allows you to demonstrate that the work complies, to the best of our knowledge, with the regulations.

Before you apply

Contact us to discuss your particular situation before you apply. We can then give you a clear idea of what you will need to do so that you can make an informed decision whether or not to apply.

Apply for a regularisation certificate

You can apply and pay for a regularisation application online.

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How we decide whether to issue a certificate

For compliance with the regulations to be established, it is likely that some or all of the work will need to be exposed. This means disturbing finishes and decorations and, in some cases, excavation.

If you choose to apply for a regularisation certificate but elect not to expose the works, we can't issue you with a regularisation certificate. Also, we can't refund your fee.

You can only apply for a regularisation certificate if the work was started after 11 November 1985. If the work was started before this date, we can't assist you. If this is the case, we advise you to seek the guidance and opinion of a chartered building surveyor.

If the council is satisfied that the work does comply with regulations, we'll issue a regularisation certificate.