LABC Front Door
With so much information available on how to improve and create a beautiful home, finding practical guidance about technical requirements, responsibilities, and the legal framework and relevant approvals is often tricky.
Our homeowner website, LABC Front Door, and our social media accounts are designed to explain things in a simple and straightforward way, with signposts to other consumer resources, technical information and simple search tools to help you find the people you need.
LABC Front Door is all about domestic home improvement projects – we offer separate advice for larger-scale projects like new homes, schools, new build apartments and commercial projects on our main LABC website.
Independent advice
Front Door is an LABC website. LABC is a not-for-profit membership organisation that represents all local authority building control teams in England and Wales (with around 3,000 members in our national network).
Our local teams will work with you to help you comply with the building regulations.
Our members provide:
- Qualified and experienced Registered Building Inspectors
- Helpful technical support teams
- Local knowledge as part of a national network
- Site visits and plan assessments
- Peace of mind
- Not-for-profit service
You can use the postcode search on this website to find direct contact details for your local authority building control team and local installers who operate near you under Competent Persons Schemes (CPS).
These were introduced by the UK Government to allow individuals and enterprises to self-certify that their specialist work, like installing windows or wood burners, or carrying out gas or electrical work, complies with the building regulations. The notification of the work is submitted to the Local Authority on your behalf by the installer.
View information about Competent Person schemes
We work with industry experts like the National Home Improvement Council to signpost you to specialist knowledge and consumer protection advice.
Local authority building control teams employ Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs) who are an invaluable source of local knowledge and regulatory expertise.
They work with your designer, contractor, builder and tradespeople. You want to see your dream achieved on time and within budget, but it’s really important that everything is safe and complies with current regulations and standards.
By assessing plans and carrying out site inspections as work progresses, looking at things like foundations, structural elements, drains, damp proofing, insulation and fire safety, they help you to understand your responsibilities as a client, and ensure that your project complies. Your local authority building control team can even help if you or a previous owner has carried out work without permission, through the regularisation process.
They are completely impartial, and do not make a profit from the service offered.
They even have powers to prosecute cowboy builders, giving you peace of mind, and protection from rogue traders.
Find your local authority building control team
N.B. Every care was taken to ensure the information was correct at the time of publication. Any written guidance provided does not replace the user’s informed judgement. It is the responsibility of the dutyholder or person carrying out the work to ensure compliance with relevant building regulations or applicable technical standards. Please note that LABC isn't responsible for the content and accuracy of external websites.