GUIDE TO FEES FOR BUILDING CONTROL

 

COMMENCING 1st October 2010

[Based on a VAT rate of 17.5%]

 

THE BUILDING ACT 1984 (The Act)

THE BUILDING (LOCAL AUTHORITY CHARGES) REGULATIONS 2010 (The Regulations)

THE BUILDING REGULATIONS 2001 (Principal Regulations)

 

1. From 1^st October 2010 the Council will set charges based on the estimated hours of Building Control input from the receipt of an application through to the completion of a project. By using an average hourly rate for Surveyors time which is calculated to include all proper costs, the charges should reflect as closely as possible the actual cost of the service provided.

 

The hourly rate charged from 1^st October will be £82.20

 

2. All charges may be determined on individual projects however where there is sufficient historical data, some standard charges have been calculated as a guide, and these are shown in the tables below.

 

Please contact the office by telephone on 01622 602701or email building@maidstone.gov.uk for an individual quote for services where not shown in the tables below.

 

3. Where the required amount of Building Control work is more than that originally estimated, the Council may request a supplementary charge. This may occur where:

 

·         The project turns out to be more complex than anticipated, for example if additional time is needed to check structural or non standard construction details.

·         A customer would like a greater site presence than the minimum service level.

·         After risk assessment of the professionals/individuals/company involved it is decided that the design work or site construction requires additional checking time to ensure compliance.

·         The project exceeds 12 months from commencement to completion.

4. Where the required amount of Building Control work is less than that originally estimated, the Council will make an appropriate refund of part of the charge on satisfactory completion of that part of the function. This may occur where:

 

·         After risk assessment of the professionals/individuals/company involved it is decided that the design work or site construction requires less checking time to ensure compliance.

·         The application details work which is repetitive, for example a housing development with similar or identical house types

·         Work or details being submitted have been approved by the Council on previous applications.

·         Where the application has more than one element of work and these are constructed at the same time reducing inspection time.

·         Where Robust Details Ltd have been used.

 

5. Supplementary Charges or refunds will not be made for the first hour of the Surveyors time above or below that estimated.

 

6. All of the charges assume that domestic electrics (Part P) are being self certified under a Government approved Competent persons Scheme. Where this is not the case the Council will request its Electrical Consultants to certify the work for which there is a charge detailed in the tables below.

 

7. Charges payable by the relevant person apply to the following functions:

 

a.    A Full Plans charge for the technical checking of plans, calculations and specifications etc deposited under The Act and the issuing of a decision within the statutory time period. The agreed Plan Checking Charge is payable when the application is deposited

 

b.    An Inspection Charge for the on site checking of various stages of construction through to completion of work for which plans have been deposited under The Act. This includes maintaining an electronic record of inspections, the checking of certificates required at completion and the issue of a final certificate. The full Inspection Charge is invoiced after the first inspection of commencement of works.

 

By prior agreement, the inspection charge may be invoiced in installments.

 

c.    A Building Notice Charge for the checking of plans, calculations and specification submitted in association with The Principal Regulations and the checking of various stages of work through to completion. The full Building Charge is payable when the application is submitted.

 

d.   A Regularisation Charge for or in connection with the consideration of an application under regulation 21 of the Principal Regulations and the inspection of any building work to which that application relates. The Regularisation Charge is payable when the application is deposited.

 

e.    A Reversion charge in connection with the consideration of building work reverting to the Council’s control

 

f.     Chargeable advice A charge may be made for giving advice exceeding one hour before an application or notice is received. The Council will give written notice and a breakdown of such a charge before the advice is given. This charge may be deducted from charges relating to the deposit of plans or the submission of a notice for the work in question.

 

8. Definitions:

 

Building means any permanent or temporary building but not any other kind of structure or erection, and a reference to a building includes a reference to part of a building.

 

Building Notice means a notice given in accordance with regulations 12(2)(A)(a) and 13 of the Building Regulations 2000 (as amended).

 

Building Work means:

·         the erection or extension of a building;

·         the provision or extension of a controlled service or fitting in or in connection with a building;

·         the material alteration of a building, or a controlled service or fitting;

·         work required by building regulation 6 (requirements relating to material change of use);

·         the insertion of insulating material into the cavity wall of a building;

·         work involving the underpinning of a building;

·         work required by building regulation 4A (requirements relating to thermal elements);

·         work required by building regulation 4B (requirements relating to a change of energy status);

·         work required by building regulation 17D (consequential improvements to energy performance);

 

Chargeable Functions are described in paragraph 7 above.

 

Cost does not include any professional fees paid to an architect, quantity surveyor or any other person.

 

            Dwelling includes a dwelling-house and a flat.

 

Dwelling-house does not include a flat or a building containing a flat.

 

Estimated Cost means the cost as would be charged by a person in business to carry out the building work in question. See paragraph 9.

 

Flat means separate and self-contained premises constructed or adapted for use for residential purposes and forming part of a building from some other part of which it is divided horizontally.

 

Floor area of a building or extension is the total floor area of all the storey’s which comprise that building. It is calculated by reference to the finished internal faces of the walls enclosing the area, or, if at any point there is no enclosing wall, by reference to the outermost edge of the floor.

 

Relevant person means:

·         in relation to a plan charge, inspection charge, reversion charge or building notice charge, the person who carries out the building work or on whose behalf the building work is carried out;

·         in relation to a regularisation charge, the owner of the building; and

·         in relation to chargeable advice, any person requesting advice for which a charge may be made pursuant to the definition of ‘chargeable advice’

 

9. Estimated Cost

 

·         Estimates should be provided for all work except standard charges based on floor area in tables 1 & 2.

 

·         Estimates should not include VAT

 

·         Where there is a dispute regarding the estimate cost, the Building Regulation charges will be determined based on estimated hours for the service and the hourly rate.

 

·         If an estimate is required to confirm the fee paid is correct then it should be provided within 21 days of our request.

 

10.                Applications will be made invalid and of no effect when:

 

·         The fee received is too low

 

·         An estimated cost has not been provided, is considered too low or is disputed

 

·         The floor area of the extension(s) has not been specified or is disputed.

 

Applicants will contacted to advise them that the application is invalid and what needs to be done to validate it. If an application remains invalid for more than 21 days we will return it and refund fees paid minus any cost we have incurred such as administration, (minimum of £30).

 

11.                Where an application is made for more than one element of work then the charges apply to each element separately. If however work is seen to be carried out to each element at the same time a reduction will be made appropriate to savings made in inspection time.

 

12. The following principles apply:

 

a.    The sum of the plan charge and the inspection charge shall be equal to the building notice charge.

 

b.    The reversion charge shall be equal to the building notice charge.

 

c.    The regularisation charge shall be 20% greater than the net building notice charge but VAT is not chargeable.

 

13. Where work previously rejected is resubmitted and is the same, there will be no further plan charge.

 

Where resubmitted work is altered or if alterations to a scheme are presented after the initial plan check then an additional charge may be made in relation to the additional plan checking time in excess of that originally estimated.

 

Important Information

 

i)             Building law is complicated because it has to deal with all sorts of development in many different circumstances.  This guide is only an introduction to charges for Building Regulations.  It is not a full interpretation of the law.

 

ii)           The above functions are intended to ensure that controllable work satisfies the minimum requirements of the Building Regulations.

It should not be seen as a substitute for Architect or Clerk of Works supervision.

 

iii)          For certain work under the Building Regulations you will also need to apply for planning permission under the Planning Acts. (You may have to pay extra for this). For more information, please phone the North or South Area Development Control Team.

 

For further advice on Building Regulations call 01622 602701, 602703, or e-mail, building@maidstone.gov.uk.

 

          Customer Care Policy

 

Customer perception of the building control service starts with their first contact with the Council either through the front of house staff or through the section own administration team.  The way in which the council responds to customers is set out in the Customer Care Policy which can be viewed at

http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/pdf/Customer_Care_Policy.pdf.

 

Building Control is a statutory function that requires the council to check plans and work on site in accordance with the Department for Communities and Local Government publication Building Control Performance Standards which can be viewed at: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/bcpi/building-control-performance-standards_june06.pdf

 

          Complaints

 

Dissatisfaction with any aspect of service delivery can be raised through the Corporate Complaints system, details of which can be found using this link: http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/pages/do_it_online/contact_us/making_a_complaint.aspx

 

Table 1 – STANDARD DOMESTIC CHARGES INCLUDING VAT

Please contact the Building Surveying to discuss service provision and an individual quote if the work you are proposing does not appear in this table.

If the application is for more than one element or a combination of elements please call to discuss a discount.

 

Element	Description of Work	Plan Charge	Inspection Charge	Building Notice Charge
1	Erection of a single dwelling house	290	480	770
2	Erection of 2 dwelling houses	360	700	1060
For projects exceeding 2 dwellings, dwellings over 300m², conversions and flats please contact the Building Surveying Team for an individual quote
3	Garages up to 60m²	66	304	370
4	Extensions up to 6m²	90	260	350
5	Extensions over 6m² and up to 40m²	135	360	495
6	Extensions over 40m² and up to 100m²	170	480	650
For extensions exceeding 100m² or for first floor extensions please contact us for an individual quote
7	Loft Conversions up to 40m²	250	250	500
8	Loft Conversions over 40m² and up to 100m²	350	300	650
For extensions exceeding 100m² or for first floor extensions please contact the Building Surveying Team for an individual quote
9	Garage or Basement Conversion under 40m²	90	240	330
10	Installation of single steel beam or lintel	60	140	200
11	Installation of Boiler or Electrical works up to £10000	200	0	200
12	Alterations up to the value of £1000	150	Included in Plan Charge	150
13	Alterations from £1001 to £5000	290		290
14	Alterations from £5001 to £10,000	100	240	340
15	Alterations from £10,001 to £25,000	160	280	440
For alterations exceeding £25,000 please contact us for an individual quote

 

 

 

Table 2 – STANDARD NON-DOMESTIC CHARGES INCLUDING VAT

Please contact the Building Surveying Team to discuss service provision and an individual quote if the work you are proposing does not appear in this table.

If the application is for more than one element or a combination of elements  please call to discuss a discount.

 

Element	Description of Work	Plan Charge	Inspection Charge
16	Extensions up to 6m²	130	310
17	Extensions over 6m² and up to 40m²	170	400
18	Extensions over 40m² and up to 100m²	330	480
For extensions exceeding 100m² please contact us for an individual quote
19	Raised Storage Platform up to 50m²	190	300
20	Shop Fitting up to 500m²	140	290
21	Alterations up to the value of £1000	150	Included in Plan Charge
22	Alterations from £1001 to £5000	290
23	Alterations from £5001 to £10,000	125	240
24	Alterations from £10,001 to £25,000	190	280

 

Regularisation Applications

 

The amount of the Regularisation Fee for any work is 120% of the net Building Notice fee. No VAT is payable on Regularisation Applications.