How building compliance testing works
From your first enquiry to the final certificate, step by step.
How the assessment process starts
The route begins with the outcome you need: a design decision, an application submission, completed-work evidence or an assessment of an occupied building. Tell us the address, building use and current stage. We use that information to frame the enquiry and distinguish an immediate task from work that belongs later in the programme.
Each example below shows your part alongside ours. The examples describe possible assessment routes, not fixed service bundles. We confirm the actual scope in writing. Where planning evidence is involved, requirements differ between councils; the application documents and relevant request must be checked against the local context, as explained in planning practice guidance on making an application.
How it works for a new home
| Stage | What you do | What we arrange |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry and brief | Send plans, specifications and the current programme. Identify who approves design decisions and share any outstanding requests from your advisers. | Review the enquiry, identify missing inputs and propose the assessment scope. Separate desk-based design work from later visits so the quotation describes both clearly. |
| Design assessment | Confirm fabric, heating, ventilation and glazing information. Ask the designer to resolve gaps in the specification before treating calculations as settled. | Arrange the relevant energy assessment using the applicable methodology. Government SAP guidance explains the dwelling energy calculation method. Describe assumptions and return questions to the named design contact. |
| Coordinating design choices | Provide updated drawings when room arrangements, openings or systems change. Review the effect of recommendations with your designer. | Coordinate any commissioned overheating assessment with ventilation information. Approved Document O gives overheating guidance and Approved Document F gives ventilation guidance; the design information needs to be consistent. |
| Preparing for tests | Check the agreed readiness instructions, arrange access and tell us if work remains incomplete. Provide the confirmed installation details. | Arrange the booked tests and commissioning work. Approved Document L addresses pressure testing guidance and Approved Document F addresses ventilation commissioning. Explain limitations if the agreed work cannot be completed. |
| Results and certificate | Review any findings with the contractor and provide evidence of changes. Send the completed documents to the intended recipient. | Deliver the relevant results and certificates supported by the completed work. If findings require remedial action or another visit, explain the scope before arranging further attendance. |
How it works for a conversion to flats
| Stage | Your action | Our action |
|---|---|---|
| Define the conversion | Share existing and proposed layouts, the proposed separate homes and any occupied adjoining space. Include the authority’s correspondence. | Check what the enquiry concerns and identify which inputs need a survey rather than an assumption. Set out the scope, exclusions and proposed outputs for approval. |
| Resolve the acoustic brief | Provide proposed separating wall and floor details. Explain whether construction is open for inspection or already covered. | Arrange acoustic design advice where commissioned. Approved Document E provides guidance on resistance to sound, including relevant conversion provisions. Keep design review distinct from a completed-building test. |
| Plan investigations and visits | Arrange permission for entry, advise occupants and flag concealed areas. Tell us about any proposed intrusive work before access is agreed. | Confirm survey boundaries and limitations with the assessor. Where an asbestos survey is commissioned, HSE HSG264 explains the distinction between survey purposes; the brief must suit the work proposed. |
| Test and review | Prepare the agreed rooms and adjoining spaces. Review any adverse result with the designer and contractor before requesting another test. | Arrange sound insulation testing where applicable under Approved Document E. Deliver the findings and identify the tested locations, rather than imply that untested construction has been inspected. |
| Issue the evidence | Confirm final property identifiers and check that the documents refer to the correct flats. Retain the completed report set. | Issue the commissioned outputs and identify outstanding matters. Any later revision is tied to the relevant changes, so recipients can distinguish the current document from an earlier design issue. |
How it works in an occupied commercial building
| Stage | Client responsibility in the process | Our coordination task |
|---|---|---|
| Describe the operation | Tell us how the premises are used, who occupies them and what prompted the enquiry. Supply previous reports and available system information. | Identify the assessment purpose and propose visits around the operating constraints. Separate an energy certificate request from safety assessments so each has a clear instruction. |
| Agree access and scope | Nominate an escort where needed and identify restricted rooms, sensitive activities and any areas outside your control. | Confirm the proposed inspection coverage. For a fire risk assessment, government guidance describes the assessment task and competent help. Explain where unavailable access would limit the findings. |
| Carry out the assessment | Make the agreed records and spaces available. Provide a contact who understands how equipment is actually operated. | Arrange the appointed assessor’s visit. For legionella work, HSE guidance explains risk assessment and control duties. The assessment needs information about real operation as well as installed equipment. |
| Receive the appropriate output | Review recommendations and allocate follow-up actions to the people controlling the premises. Ask questions about unclear findings. | Provide the commissioned report or certificate. A commercial EPC requires an accredited assessor under government commercial EPC guidance. A safety risk assessment is a different output and does not itself certify all aspects of the building. |
What happens after process handover
Keep the issued documents with their drawings and supporting information. If a recipient asks a technical question, send the complete query and identify the report revision. We can refer it to the relevant assessor. If further work is needed, the proposed scope should explain whether it concerns clarification, changed design information or another site visit.
Request a quote
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