Building control practice guidance: Reversion FAQs
Information on reversions for members of the public.
Applies to England
Detailed guidance is available on cancellation notices, transfers and reversions.
1. Key terms
Registered Building Inspector (RBI): These are individuals that carry out regulated building control activities, which are: assessing plans, inspections, and giving advice to building control bodies that carry out regulated functions.
Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) (formerly Approved Inspectors (AI)): Private building control bodies that are registered on a public register.
Initial notice: An initial notice is a given by your private building control provider to your local authority to notify them about your project, before it starts.
Cancellation notice: A cancellation notice can be given by the private building control provider, the local authority, or the person carrying out the work, in certain circumstances. The notice cancels the initial notice, meaning work cannot continue until a new initial notice is in place or the local authority has assumed regulatory responsibility.
2. What is the role of building control?
Building control performs checks to provide assurance that buildings are designed and constructed in accordance with the building regulations, which set standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the health and safety for people in or around those buildings. This function can be carried out by local authority building control teams, or by private sector companies, known as Registered Building Control Approvers.
It is the responsibility of the person carrying out the work to ensure that the provisions of the regulations are fully met.
3. What has happened to PWC Building Control Services Ltd?
PWC Building Control Services Ltd has entered liquidation, meaning that all their uncompleted projects should have received a cancellation notice. We believe that most of these projects will revert to the relevant local authority.
4. When and why will the local authority get involved with my project?
Building control is a function of local authorities set out in legislation. They have the powers to act should, for whatever reason, an AI/RBCA be unable to continue as the inspectors on your project.
PWC have had to cancel initial notices as they are unable to carry out their building control function. In this case, if a new RBCA cannot be appointed within 7 days and meet the requirements for this transfer, then the work will revert to the local authority building control. This process is called a reversion.
For more information see: Building control practice guidance: Cancellation notices, transfers and reversions.
5. I have had a letter from the AI/RBCA’s administrator. Can the administrator give a final certificate or cancellation notice on behalf of my AI/RBCA?
No, a legitimate final certificate must be given by an AI/RBCA (or a completion certificate must be given by a local authority where they are the building control body). A cancellation notice, however, can be issued by the AI/RBCA or by the person carrying out the work (the contractor or the homeowner).
In the case of PWC Building Control Services Ltd all (or almost all) of their work has received a cancellation notice. This means a final certificate cannot be given (unless a new RBCA is appointed) and the local authority will need to provide a completion certificate once they are content that the project complies with the building regulations.
See the guidance on when a client must cancel the initial notice.
6. What happens when a cancellation notice has not been issued by an AI/RBCA, but it appears to the person carrying out or intending to carry out the work (e.g. the client, developer, or contractor depending on who is named on the initial notice) that the AI/RBCA is no longer willing or able to carry out their functions with respect to any of that work?
This route does not involve a transfer certificate or report, nor does it have a time limit between the issuing of the cancellation notice and the submission of the new initial notice. However, it only applies where the person carrying out (or intending to carry out) the work is the person who has issued the cancellation notice.
Once the person carrying out (or intending to carry out) the work is of the opinion that the RBCA is no longer willing or able to carry out their functions with respect to any of that work, they should then issue a cancellation notice to the local authority.
Once the cancellation notice has been issued, the person intending to carry out the rest of the work can appoint a ‘new’ RBCA who can – jointly with the person intending to carry out the work – issue a new initial notice for all the remaining work (that was not included on any final certificate that was issued, where appropriate).
The local authority then must decide whether to accept the initial notice – they have 5 working days to reject the submitted initial notice if there are grounds to do so. Once the initial notice is accepted, the new RBCA can carry out the building control functions for the works in the new initial notice.
For more information see the guidance on transfer of projects to a new registered building control approver (without a transfer certificate or report).
7. PWC have cancelled my initial notice, can I appoint a new RBCA?
Yes, however you only have a 7-day period where you are able to do this. You will need to follow the process laid out in section 53B of the Building Act 1984. If this is not completed in the 7 days from the cancellation of your initial notice then the work will be automatically reverted to your local authority.
For more information see the guidance on transfer of projects to a new registered building control approver.
8. Will my project’s safety still be maintained to the highest standard?
It is the responsibility of the client (and, where appointed, the principal designer and principal contractor) to ensure building work complies with the requirements of the Building Regulations, including those for noise. Building control’s responsibility is to conduct checks to confirm this compliance
After the final inspection of building work, either a final certificate or a completion certificate, depending on the building control route that is taken, is provided to demonstrate that the inspected work conforms with the building regulations.
9. What is my responsibility in the instance of a reversion to a local authority?
Section 53 (4A) to (4D) of the Building Act 1984 highlights the steps that must be taken by the outgoing RBCA if they receive a request from either the client or the local authority. As a client, you may wish to make a request under section 53(4C) for the information about your project held by PWC. This might assist your local authority to regulate your project.
Regulation 22 of the Building (Registered Building Control Approvers etc.) (England) Regulations 2024 highlights that, where partly completed work has reverted to the local authority, the local authority may request information from the owner or issue them with a notice.
10. Will this cost me more as the customer?
Though it will vary by local authority, there are likely to be additional costs due to the need for the local authority to carrying out checks on any work that was not completed and given a partial final certificate by PWC Building Control Services Ltd. Potentially, in some cases, this will include needing to reassess the work where information has not been sufficiently provided by PWC Building Control Services Ltd or yourself.
When reverted to a local authority, they will charge a fee for the work reverted to them in accordance with their charging schedule. This fee will be individually assessed based on the size of the project and the amount of time needed to determine compliance with the building regulations.
11. I have more specific questions based on my project, who should I contact?
The government is unable to comment on specific cases or offer legal advice. You may wish to either seek legal advice on your more specific questions. Your RBCA/local authority building control body may also be able to advise.