Approved Inspector insurance - what you need to know

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Building inspector at work

LAST UPDATED 4/9/19

We have published FAQs aimed at building owners in relation to this issue. Read the Approved Inspector insurance FAQs.

 

LABC is aware of a number of private Approved Inspectors (AIs) who have been unable to secure the required level of public liability and professional indemnity insurance cover which means they can no longer operate as an Approved Inspector. In some cases the Approved Inspectors affected have tried to pass building work in progress on to another Approved Inspector. Legally, where work has already started it has to be reverted to the appropriate local authority.

What should you do if your Approved Inspector no longer has the insurance cover required to trade?

The procedure is as follows:
 

  1. Either the AI or the person carrying out the works must cancel the existing Initial Notice lodged with a local authority.
     
  2. If work has started on site, any work not covered by a Final Certificate must revert to local authority control. Only if work has not started then another AI can submit an Initial Notice for the work.
     
  3. If the affected Approved Inspector has not cancelled the initial notice, the person carrying out the work must fill in a copy of Form 7 under the Approved Inspector regulations which cancels the Initial Notice submitted by the AI and submit an application to the local authority.
     
  4. When work is ‘reverted’ to a local LABC team in this way, you will need to provide them with as much information as possible to help them determine the work so far complies with the requirements of the regulations. Local authorities will charge a fee for work that is reverted to them. This fee will be individually assessed based on the size of the project and the amount of time needed to ascertain compliance with the Building Regulations. So any information you have about inspections undertaken so far, plus any building plans, structural calculations or photographs of the work in progress will be of great assistance and may help to limit LABC fees.
     
  5. The LABC team will then assess all of this and advise you of the next steps in the process.
     
  6. If you aren't able to demonstrate compliance with particular parts of the work you may have to uncover certain areas for inspection. It's always LABC's aim to keep this to a minimum.
     

LABC understands there are many people, including thousands of homeowners, affected by the situation and facing the prospect of having to open up works previously inspected by an Approved Inspector. 

Dealing with reversions from Approved Inspectors is a statutory duty of local authorities – the Approved Inspector’s ability to trade and the issue of any previously paid fees is outside our remit or control.

Complaints relating to any Approved Inspector should in the first instance be directed to the individual Approved Inspector and failing that to the designated body CICAIR Ltd.

Public service building control teams are there to help you throughout this process so that your project can be successfully completed.

Read the full Approved Inspector insurance FAQs

Comments

Changes to building regulations during on-site works

Submitted 4 years 4 months ago

Upon transfer of the project from AI to LABC, the original registration of the building by the AI has been cancelled. The original registration was completed several years ago, and building regulations have changed. LABC is relating the design of the building to the updated regulations. Is this correct, or should they be relating the building design to the regulations at first registration?

Reply to: Changes to building regulations during on-site works

Submitted 4 years 4 months ago

Hi there, thanks for leaving your comment.

Please email consult@labc.co.uk and our team will be glad to help.

Regards,

LABC

PI insurance and assessors qualifications

Submitted 4 years 1 month ago

Hello, our mortgage company is asking for our building inspector’s PI insurance documentation and also the qualifications of the person/company signing off the work, are you able to provide this please? If not, how can I obtain this?

Reply to PI insurance and assessors qualifications

Submitted 4 years ago

Hi there,

Thanks very much for your question. If the building inspector was from a local authority building control team, please use the postcode search at the top of this website to find the most appropriate contact details for the team. If a private building control company was used to sign off the work, you will need to get in touch with them.

Kind regards

LABC

Building regs certificate

Submitted 1 year 11 months ago

I am installing an RSJ and need some calculations, as I am a civil engineer would I be approved to do them or would I need to get a structural engineer.

LABC response

Submitted 1 year 11 months ago

Hi,

Thank you for your recent enquiry. You should check with your own insurers about liability insurance.

This article is in relation to the insurance of Approved Inspectors who must be licenced by the government in order to carry out building control activities instead of the Local Authority.

We note that you are civil engineer. We would advise anyone carrying building work that they should only undertake building design and construction work that they have the qualifications, skills, and experience for. If they don’t then we would urge them to seek the advice of a suitably qualified and competent structural engineer or similar.

Best,
LABC team

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