The Building Safety Act 2022, has brought changes in the Building Regulations and applications to Building Control.
These changes include:
- additional information for applications to Building Control
- definition of commencement of works
- additional information being required before a completion certificate can be released
This is to ensure that at each stage in building project duty holders are identified and roles, responsibilities and expectations are clear.
The duty to show compliance with the Building Regulations is imposed on the dutyholders. A dutyholder is any person that is involved with the design, construction or modification of a building project. This would include, but not be limited to, the client, designers and contractors .
Dutyholders are required to ensure:
- they have competence (the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviour) to carry out the design and buildings work they are engaged to do.
- corporate with other dutyholders, coordinate their work and communicate and provide information to other dutyholders.
- they are required to ensure that there are arrangements and systems in place to plan, manage and monitor design and building work to ensure compliance with building regulations.
- the client must take all reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that the dutyholders are competent.