RenovationNotes

References

Getting Started

158 sources in the library on getting started. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 2 of 4.

  1. very strong RN-40IW04

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    Covers requirements RA1 and RA2 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010, which apply to the erection of a dwelling or of a building containing one or more dwellings. RA1 requires gigabit-ready physical infrastructure running from a network termination point in each dwelling to a distribution point (or as close as reasonably practicable, or to an access point, where the developer has no right to install in the intervening land), plus a common access point where the building contains more than one dwelling. RA2 requires an actual connection to a gigabit-capable public electronic communications network, subject to a cost cap set at paragraph 2.21 of GBP 2,000 for each new dwelling erected, after deducting any financial contribution from the network operator. Paragraph 1.6 exempts wholly non-residential buildings, existing buildings undergoing major renovation works, new dwellings created through a material change of use, rooms for residential purposes in hostels, hotels, boarding houses, schools and hospitals, Ministry of Defence and national security buildings, Schedule 2 exempt buildings, and buildings in isolated areas where a USO-standard connection would exceed the cost cap. Section 3 and Appendix B set out the connectivity plan, the model form a developer submits with the Building Regulations application.

  2. very strong RN-DSFI2B

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    This is the part of the Building Regulations that catches a whole-house renovation and is almost never mentioned in renovation guides. Requirement R1 of Schedule 1 applies to the erection of buildings AND to major renovation works to buildings, including existing dwellings, except where requirement RA1 (new dwellings) applies. Regulation 44C of the Building Regulations 2010 defines major renovation works as works at the end-user location encompassing structural modifications of the entire in-building physical infrastructure, or of a significant part of it. The duty is to provide in-building physical infrastructure from the service provider access point to the occupier network termination point capable of hosting copper, fibre or wireless delivering broadband speeds greater than 30 Mbps (paragraph 1.2); no cabling, equipment or anything beyond the network termination point is required (paragraph 1.4), and a multi-dwelling building undergoing major renovation must also have a common access point. Paragraph 1.5 exempts Schedule 2 Classes 2 to 7 work (sheds, domestic greenhouses, garages, conservatories and other small detached buildings with no sleeping accommodation), scheduled monuments under section 1 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas under sections 1 and 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 where compliance would unacceptably alter character or appearance, and major renovation works where the cost of compliance would be disproportionate to the benefit, which must be demonstrated to the building control body.

  3. very strong RN-M9H2XK

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    Non-statutory guidance published 13 July 2026 and updated 31 July 2026 when the PDF was replaced by an HTML version, applying to England, issued as an annex to the Awaab's Law Phase 2 guidance for social landlords. Its key date is that Phase 2 of Awaab's Law comes into effect on 30 November 2026, which extends the duty beyond the damp and mould and emergency hazards of Phase 1 to a wider set of hazards. The document sets the thresholds a social landlord uses to triage each hazard, which is the practical test of whether a reported defect starts the statutory repair clock. Useful for distinguishing what social tenants can require of a landlord from what a private homeowner or private tenant can, since Awaab's Law applies to the social rented sector.

  4. very strong RN-3MHLSF

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The 8 page document that sets out what a competent person scheme operator must satisfy, and it is what connects UKAS accreditation to the schemes a homeowner meets. Records that schemes are authorised under paragraph 4A of Schedule 1 to the Building Act 1984 and named in Schedule 3 to the Building Regulations 2010 as amended, and that in all cases demonstration must be sufficient to meet BS EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012, the product certification body standard. Condition 1 requires the scheme operator to achieve and maintain UKAS accreditation to BS EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012, within one year of authorisation for an extension to an existing scheme or within two years for a new scheme operator, with a UKAS pre-assessment submitted with the application. Condition 3 requires assessors and inspectors to be competent at least to the equivalent level in the relevant sector Minimum Technical Competence assessment procedure. Condition 4 requires a transparent fee structure, self-financing within not later than five years of authorisation, and use of registrants' registration and notification fees only for the benefit of registrants or the sector. Condition 5 requires documented management of conflicts of interest, noting the risk where a scheme is owned by a larger commercial, trade or professional body. In force for any UKAS assessment begun on or after 1 April 2016.

  5. very strong RN-57XOOI

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    Planning practice guidance on CIL, last updated 17 June 2026. Confirms the self-build exemption for a new dwelling built by someone who will occupy it, provided the exemption is claimed and a commencement notice submitted before work starts. Householder extensions under 100 square metres fall within the minor development exemption; larger residential extensions can claim exemption under regulations 42A and 42B where the owner occupies the house as their sole residence. A late commencement notice triggers a surcharge of 20 per cent of the notional chargeable amount, capped at £2,500.

  6. very strong RN-0D3FRR

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The publication page for the conditions a competent person self-certification scheme operator must meet, applying to England, first published 6 June 2012 and last updated 1 April 2016, from which date the conditions bite on any UKAS assessment begun on or after 1 April 2016. Hosts two documents: the main Competent person schemes conditions of authorisation of April 2016, an 8 page PDF of 289 KB, and a separate Building regulations: air tightness testing schemes conditions of authorisation of 5 pages and 141 KB, added 31 July 2014, because air tightness tester schemes carry different requirements from other types of work. Useful for establishing that a competent person scheme is a government-authorised, UKAS-accredited certification body rather than a trade membership list.

  7. very strong RN-WDQPUZ

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The only official series on how large the competent person schemes actually are, collected every 6 months from the schemes authorised in schedule 3 of the Building Regulations 2010 as amended, covering total registered membership at the end of each period and the number of jobs those members undertook. Published 12 December 2012 and last updated 6 June 2018, with the latest document a 24 page PDF covering 1 October 2006 to 31 March 2018, so the series has not been refreshed since 2018 and any current membership figure quoted from it is dated. Three caveats matter for anyone citing the numbers: registered membership is counted by business not by individual, so the number of competent individuals is higher than the membership figure; the statistics combine all types of work except electrical installations for each scheme operator to avoid double counting members and notifications, because many members do more than one type of work; and schemes have changed over the collection period, so past and current data are not always meaningfully comparable.

  8. very strong RN-0RWQTJ

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    Statutory guidance published 23 June 2026, applying to England, issued under section 9 of the Housing Act 2004, which local authorities must have regard to when assessing hazards, and which replaces the previous operating guidance issued in 2006. The critical correction it carries is the hazard count: the HHSRS now covers 21 potential hazards, not the 29 in the 2006 guidance, and Part 2 contains a hazard profile for each of the 21. Confirms that a local authority must take enforcement action where it finds a category 1 hazard and has a power, not a duty, to enforce category 2 hazards. Issued in three parts: Part 1 an introductory guide (24 pages) on the theory, principles and assessment process; Part 2 a technical guide for assessors (174 pages) with the hazard profiles; Part 3 a supplementary guide to the hazard of fire and explosions (66 pages).

  9. very strong RN-B869UP

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The government plain-language map of the Building Regulations system in England, written after the Hackitt review called for the old manual to be revised, and split into Volume 1 (overview, chapters 1 to 8) and Volume 2 (further guidance, chapters A to F, plus key terms in Appendix I and references in Appendix II). It confirms that the Building Act 1984 sets the enforcement powers, that the Building Regulations 2010 contain 15 technical requirements in Schedule 1 each lettered as a Part, and that regulation 3 defines building work. Chapter 3 gives the list a renovation note can cite verbatim for when approval is likely to be needed: replacing consumer units or installing new circuits, new plumbing and waste connections, changing circuits near a bath or shower, installing ventilation or air conditioning, replacing windows and doors, replacing pitched or flat roof coverings, installing or replacing a heating system, adding extra radiators, removing a chimney breast, removing a wall (load bearing and sometimes non-load bearing) and creating a through lounge; it also confirms that new loft insulation unconnected to other building work is not checked by a building control body although it must still comply. Chapter 4 states that where work is done under a competent person scheme the installer or scheme operator notifies the local authority and issues a completion certificate within 30 days of completion, and that if work has already started or finished without notification an approved inspector cannot be used, leaving only local authority building control, which is not obliged to approve work already carried out. Chapter 3 also confirms courts can impose unlimited fines for non-compliance. Note the manual predates the Building Safety Act 2022 changes, so it still uses the term approved inspector rather than registered building control approver.

  10. very strong RN-H36ZL1

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    Planning practice guidance (published 1 April 2016, updated 8 February 2021) on the Right to Build registers. Applicants must be aged 18 or over; authorities have 3 years from the end of each base period (which runs 31 October to 30 October) to grant permission for enough serviced plots to match register demand. A serviced plot is defined as one with access to a public highway and connections for electricity, water and waste water. Authorities may charge register fees on a cost-recovery basis only, and an exemption can be sought where demand exceeds 20 per cent of the land identified for future housing.

  11. very strong RN-ZM5DZM

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The landing page for the 2019 research, published 1 October 2019 and applying to England, hosting the 87 page 3.97 MB report. States the primary aim was to evaluate whether the ventilation provisions recommended in the 2010 edition of Approved Document F provide satisfactory indoor air quality in new homes, with a secondary aim of establishing the extent to which installed systems comply with the minimum ADF provisions. Its headline conclusion is the one to cite: the study found poor indoor air quality in a number of the monitored homes, and failure to meet indoor air quality indicators corresponded in all cases with failure to meet the ADF ventilation recommendations, so the shortfall lay in installation and commissioning rather than in the standard itself.

  12. very strong RN-XS4MR0

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Office for Product Safety and Standards

    The official list that decides which British and European standards a construction product's declaration of performance must be assessed against, first published 18 December 2020 and last updated 26 September 2025, applying to England, Scotland and Wales. Explains that designated standards support Regulation (EU) No. 305/2011 as amended from time to time, and that together with the horizontal standards on assessment methods they create the common technical language UK approved bodies use when carrying out assessments. Published as a notice of publication dated 26 September 2025, a 51 page PDF, superseding the notice of 1 January 2021 of 53 pages, alongside a consolidated list in ODS format at version 2. This is the reference that turns the standard number cited in a declaration of performance into a check that the right standard was used. A companion page covers horizontal test specifications for construction products.

  13. very strong RN-MQ9OJ9

    Northern Ireland Housing Executive

    Northern Ireland runs a materially wider set of housing grants than Great Britain, administered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive rather than a local council. Six schemes are listed. The Affordable Warmth Scheme addresses fuel poverty and energy inefficiency for low-income households. The Disabled Facilities Grant adapts a disabled person's home, but unlike in England it requires a health trust occupational therapist to recommend the work. The Repair Grant helps landlords where a council has issued a statutory notice for repairs. The Renovation Grant is for homes inspected and found unfit to live in, and the property must be the applicant's main or only home. The Replacement Grant is available only where the home is in a rural area, is unfit to live in and repair is not an option. The Home Repair Assistance Grant covers small-scale repair work and improvements. The Renovation, Replacement and Home Repair Assistance Grants have no equivalent in England.

  14. very strong RN-6RE3SA

    Planning Portal (MHCLG and TerraQuest)

    Explains when demolition needs consent: any demolition in a conservation area needs approval, and full planning permission is required to demolish pubs, concert halls, theatres and live music venues, or buildings made unsafe or uninhabitable. Permitted development rights for demolition do not apply where the land is already subject to a planning permission for redevelopment. Stresses that consent to demolish does not carry any right to build a replacement.

  15. very strong RN-I3VUJ8

    Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service

    Scotland's equivalent of the small claims track, and the figures differ sharply from England and Wales. A Simple Procedure claim can be made for payment of a sum of money where the value of the claim is 5,000 pounds or less, or for delivery or recovery of moveable property or an order to make someone do something, but in each of those cases only where there is an alternative money claim of 5,000 pounds or less. Where the value of the claim is over 5,000 pounds the ordinary cause procedure must be followed instead, so a Scottish homeowner with a 7,000 pound builder dispute is not in the simple track at all, unlike an English claimant whose small claims track runs to 10,000 pounds. Claims are made in the sheriff court by a claimant against a respondent, decided by a sheriff or summary sheriff, and no solicitor is required. New rules apply to claims initiated on or after 31 May 2023, and claims should be submitted through Civil Online, with sheriff approval needed to proceed on paper. Advises trying to settle first and considering Alternative Dispute Resolution, to which the sheriff may also refer parties after the claim form is lodged.

  16. very strong RN-NBV4MJ

    Scottish Government

    The Scottish equivalent of English competent person self-certification, and it works differently in ways every England-written note misses. Scotland uses a building warrant system under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, with roles split between verifiers, approved building professionals (approved bodies and approved certifiers), local authorities and building owners. Certification in Scotland is optional, not the default, and covers design or construction, applying only where the work requires a building warrant; the works that can be certified are listed on the Scottish Government Certification Register, and the Scottish Government maintains the only authoritative list of registered approved building professionals. The benefit stated is that the work is certified by qualified building professionals as complying with regulations. Related guidance includes the Certification Handbook, Procedural Guidance on Certification covering what to submit with a building warrant application, and Modern methods of construction guidance for verifiers and certifiers. Applications for building warrants and completion certificates are submitted online through the eBuildingStandards.scot portal via an eDevelopment account.

  17. very strong RN-PFL4Z7

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, and it replaces England's Part P competent person scheme, which does not apply in Scotland at all. Published 1 May 2012, third edition, 48 page PDF, 683.6 kB. The handbook governs Scotland's two certification routes under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003: approved certifiers of design, used for structural design and for energy, and approved certifiers of construction, used for electrical installations and for drainage, heating and plumbing. A certificate from an approved certifier is accepted by the verifier as conclusive evidence of compliance for that part of the work, reducing what the verifier checks, but it does not remove the need for a building warrant or for the relevant person to submit the completion certificate. Scheme providers are listed on the certification register at certificationregister.co.uk. Contact is buildingstandards@gov.scot or 0131 244 6511.

  18. very strong RN-6BGBFC

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, and this is where an England-based note goes wrong. A completion certificate confirms the building was constructed, demolished or converted in accordance with the warrant and the building regulations, and it is submitted by the relevant person, usually the owner or developer, not issued unprompted by the authority. It is an offence to submit a completion certificate known to be false, and an offence to occupy a new building, a conversion or an extension unless the completion certificate has been ACCEPTED by the verifier. Temporary occupation or use can be permitted under section 21 of the Act on application to the verifier, who takes account of mitigation such as means of escape in a partially completed building. The occupation bar does not apply to alterations, but a completion certificate for alterations must still be submitted before the warrant expires. Where an approved certifier of construction is involved, the relevant person must still certify completion. Section 9 notes that a local authority may operate a letter of comfort scheme for older unauthorised works, Scotland's practical counterpart to England's regularisation certificate.

  19. very strong RN-8DX7RR

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND. The Scottish Government policy page that explains the technical handbooks expand the functional standards set by the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, and dates the current edition: new technical handbooks apply from 6 April 2026, amending Section 0 General, Section 2 Fire, Section 3 Environment and Section 4 Safety. Section 0 is updated for the amendment to Regulation 8 and a changed definition of traditionally constructed buildings; Section 2 gives effect to Simon and Richard's Law with extended guidance on conversions of traditional buildings, materials limiting fire spread and escape, and amends Standard 2.15 on automatic fire suppression; Standard 3.3 gains new flooding and groundwater guidance with a flooding annex; and clause 4.1.7 gains advice on letterplate positioning in new dwellings.

  20. very strong RN-LR1JGD

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND. Published 25 March 2026, ISBN 9781806439690, in force from 1 April 2026, and it carries the revised table of fees applicable to all building warrant applications, so it is the correct source for what a Scottish building warrant costs. It explains the procedures underpinning the Scottish building standards system as set out in the Building (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. Scotland charges a building warrant fee scaled to the estimated value of the work, a structure with no direct England parallel now that England's building control charges are set locally by each authority or by a private registered building control approver.

  21. very strong RN-VR0Q0L

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, and this contradicts the England position outright. New-style Scottish EPCs are introduced from 30 April 2028 under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2025, replacing the 2008 regulations. Domestic EPCs will show separate ratings for heat retention, heating system and energy costs, non-domestic ones for energy performance, energy use and direct emissions, and certificates will be valid for 5 years rather than 10, so the familiar ten-year EPC validity will not hold in Scotland. Between 30 April 2028 and 30 April 2029 a sale or let may use either an old-style EPC and recommendations report or a new-style EPC and property report, but a property sold or let a second time inside that window must have the new-style pair; from 30 April 2029 only new-style certificates are valid. Assessors can issue only new-style EPCs from 30 April 2028. The same one-year grace period applies to Scotland's roughly 30,000 short-term lets. Dates remain subject to Scottish Parliament approval.

  22. very strong RN-QT7ZA7

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, last updated 24 August 2026. Confirms the EPC in Scotland is administered separately from England and Wales: buildings are rated A to G with A most efficient, the certificate lists improvement measures with an indicative cost for each, and it is accompanied by a recommendations report. The assessment reflects the building not the occupants, using standard assumptions about occupancy and use, and carries no personal data other than the assessor's name and contact details. For non-domestic buildings the EPC shows an asset rating alongside primary energy use. The page states that EPCs in Scotland are being reformed by the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2025, replacing the 2008 regulations, with new-style certificates and strengthened quality assurance. Enquiries go to EPCenquiries@gov.scot, not to an England service.

  23. very strong RN-ONL4C3

    Scottish Government (mygov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, last updated 24 November 2025. Scotland has no building notice or full plans choice and no private registered building control approvers: a building warrant must be obtained from the local council's building standards department BEFORE work starts, and starting work without one when required is an offence punishable by a fine. A warrant is needed for building a new home, extending a home, building or removing load-bearing walls, changing roofs, external walls or other structural elements, converting a loft or garage into a room, and demolition. Applications go through the eDevelopment portal, and the page lists all 32 Scottish councils plus their building standards departments as the verifiers. This directly contradicts an England-based note that offers a retrospective regularisation route or a choice of approved inspector.

  24. very strong RN-6R7416

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    Section 80 requires anyone intending to demolish a building to give notice to the local authority, specifying the building and the works, with copies to adjoining occupiers and the gas and electricity suppliers. It does not apply to buildings of not more than 1,750 cubic feet by external measurement, to greenhouses, conservatories, sheds or prefabricated garages forming part of a larger building, to internal parts of an occupied building that will stay occupied, or to agricultural buildings. Breach is a summary offence carrying a fine up to level 4 on the standard scale.

  25. very strong RN-W0DK4I

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The provision that changed what a homeowner actually owes an insurer, and the correction to every article still saying you must disclose all material facts. Section 2(2) imposes a single duty on the consumer: to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to the insurer. Section 2(4) states expressly that this duty replaces any duty relating to disclosure or representations by a consumer to an insurer that existed in the same circumstances before the Act applied, so the old volunteered-disclosure regime is gone for consumer insurance and the burden shifts to the insurer to ask clear questions. Section 2(3) provides that failing to comply with the insurer's request to confirm or amend particulars previously given is itself capable of being a misrepresentation, which is what catches a homeowner who ignores a renewal notice after an extension or loft conversion. In force from 6 April 2013 by S.I. 2013/450, with section 2(5) omitted from 12 August 2016 by the Insurance Act 2015.

  26. very strong RN-LOJL3V

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The statutory adjudication timetable, which is fast by design and is why builders and subcontractors use it against each other, though section 106 excludes contracts with a residential occupier so a homeowner cannot rely on it unless their contract adopts it voluntarily. A party may give notice at any time of an intention to refer a dispute, dispute including any difference. The contract must provide a timetable aimed at appointing the adjudicator and referring the dispute within 7 days of that notice, require the adjudicator to reach a decision within 28 days of referral or a longer agreed period, and allow the adjudicator to extend the 28 days by up to 14 days with the consent of the referring party. The adjudicator must act impartially and may take the initiative in ascertaining the facts and the law, and may correct a clerical or typographical error in the decision. The decision is binding until the dispute is finally determined by legal proceedings, arbitration or agreement, and the parties may agree to treat it as final. The adjudicator and their employees and agents are not liable except for acts or omissions in bad faith. Where a contract fails to comply with subsections (1) to (4), the adjudication provisions of the Scheme for Construction Contracts apply instead.

  27. very strong RN-M920CI

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    Article 4(1) of the retained Construction Products Regulation requires a manufacturer to draw up a declaration of performance when a product covered by a designated standard, or conforming to a UK Technical Assessment, is placed on the market. Article 4(2) makes the declaration the only permitted route for stating performance against essential characteristics, so a performance claim outside the declaration is not valid. Article 4(3) provides that by drawing up the declaration the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the product's conformity with the declared performance, and that in the absence of objective indications to the contrary the declaration is presumed accurate and reliable. The words designated standard and UK Technical Assessment were substituted for harmonised standard and European Technical Assessment on 31 December 2020 by the Construction Products (Amendment etc) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/465), Schedule 1 paragraph 6.

  28. very strong RN-B7FKWF

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    Sets out exactly what a declaration of performance must contain, which is what to look for when checking a product claim. Article 6(2) requires the product-type reference, the system or systems of assessment and verification of constancy of performance from Annex V, the reference number and date of issue of the designated standard or UK Technical Assessment used for each essential characteristic, and any Specific Technical Documentation reference. Article 6(3) requires the intended use or uses, the list of essential characteristics, the performance of at least one essential characteristic, performance stated by level, class or description, and crucially that any listed essential characteristic for which no performance is declared must carry the letters NPD, meaning No Performance Determined. Article 6(4) requires the declaration to follow the model in Annex III.

  29. very strong RN-YU2I7R

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The Act (2015 c. 17) that created the Right to Build. Section 1 requires relevant authorities to keep registers of people seeking to acquire serviced plots to build their own home; section 2 imposes duties in relation to those registers; sections 2A and 2B (inserted later) set the duty to grant enough planning permissions to match demand and the exemptions. The Schedule covers eligibility, applications, review rights and fees for the registers.

  30. very strong RN-HSIYH3

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The instrument that rewrote Part R of Schedule 1 to add the gigabit duties, in force on 26 December 2022 and applying in England. Its Schedule Part 1 renames the heading to Part 9A as "Infrastructure for electronic communications", inserts new exemptions before regulation 44A, amends regulation 44C (the interpretation provision that defines major renovation works), amends regulation 55 (review of Part 9A and Part R), and substitutes Part R of Schedule 1 so that the old single requirement R1 is joined by requirements RA1 (gigabit-ready physical infrastructure) and RA2 (connection to a gigabit-capable network) for new dwellings. It also amends regulations 13 and 14 of the Building Regulations 2010, on the particulars accompanying a building notice and full plans, so the connectivity plan must be submitted, and amends Schedule 1 to the Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations 2010 to match. A correction slip was issued on 22 November 2022. This is the source that dates the split between Approved Document R Volume 1 (new dwellings) and Volume 2 (other buildings and major renovation works).

  31. very strong RN-I5NTO7

    UK Health Security Agency

    UKHSA's cold weather health guidance, first published 2 November 2012 and last updated 28 April 2026, applying to England, reference GOV-15292. Establishes the alerting framework a heating or insulation note can anchor to: the UKHSA Cold-Health Alerting system is operated by the Met Office and runs from 1 November to 31 March each year, and this guidance forms the cold weather part of UKHSA's Adverse Weather and Health Plan, whose aim is to protect health and reduce harm from adverse cold weather. Issued in several formats including an HTML main version, an easy read PDF of 8 pages, a British Sign Language video, a two-page print version of top tips, and a poster, with easy-read translations added on 28 April 2026 in Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Kutchi, Punjabi, Portuguese, Somali, Tamil and Urdu.

  32. very strong RN-DK9G2M

    Valuation Office Agency (HM Revenue & Customs)

    VOA guidance (published 28 October 2024, updated 7 October 2025) on when a home can be deleted from the Council Tax list during works. Deletion is possible for fully demolished properties, truly derelict properties needing structural reconstruction, and major renovations where significant redevelopment affects most of the property; planning permission alone does not count as work starting. Poor repair (redecoration, minor plaster or ceiling repairs, replacement windows) does not qualify, and an occupied property must always keep a band. Approved deletions are backdated.

  33. very strong RN-MZWVT0

    Valuation Office Agency, HMRC (GOV.UK)

    Published 22 January 2016 and last updated 15 June 2026, applying to England and Wales, this is the authority that corrects two common claims. First, on rebanding after an improvement: bands are based on the open market price on 1 April 1991 in England and 1 April 2003 in Wales, and if a property has increased in size since it was first assessed it may move to a higher band when it is next sold, so an extension does not trigger an immediate rebanding of the current owner. Second, on Council Tax during works: if the property is occupied the band will not be deleted even if significant repair or renovation works are underway, and only where the property is unoccupied and either beyond repair or undergoing major works making it uninhabitable can the owner apply to have the band removed. Reproduces the full band tables: England Band A up to 40,000 pounds through Band H over 320,000 pounds; Wales Band A up to 44,000 pounds through Band I over 424,000 pounds, Wales having nine bands to England's eight. Assessments are based on size, layout, character, location, change of use and the 1991 or 2003 value, and the Valuation Office does not use property price indexes.

  34. very strong RN-L7ESTP

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh route to funded adaptations, which differs from England in having a second scheme alongside the Disabled Facilities Grant. A Welsh applicant can apply for support from one or more of the ENABLE support for living independently scheme and the Disabled Facilities Grant, whereas an English applicant has the Disabled Facilities Grant alone. The listed adaptations are widening doors and installing ramps, improving access to rooms and facilities such as stair lifts or a downstairs bathroom, providing a heating system suitable for the applicant's needs, and adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use. Part of the Welsh Government's Home safety, repairs and adaptation collection, with parallel guides for social housing tenants and for adapting a home before returning from hospital.

  35. very strong RN-DWRRP2

    Welsh Government (gov.wales)

    WALES. A Welsh Government collection of quick guides, first published 27 October 2017 and last updated 22 March 2023, saying for each common project whether building regulations approval is needed in Wales. It covers adverts and signs, basements, biomass fuelled appliances, boilers and heating, ceilings and floors, change of use, conservatories, decking, decorations, demolition, doors and windows, drains and sewers, electrics, extensions, external walls, fascias, fences gates and garden walls, flats and maisonettes, flues, fuel tanks, garage conversion, heat pumps, hydro electricity, insulation, internal walls, kitchens and bathrooms, lighting, loft conversions, micro combined heat and power, outbuildings, patio and driveway and paving your front garden. Use it instead of the England Planning Portal common projects pages for any Welsh job.

  36. very strong RN-4FI6DR

    Welsh Government (gov.wales)

    WALES. Published 18 June 2026. New building regulations come into force in Wales on 1 JULY 2026, a different commencement from England's building control reforms, made by the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2025 and the Building etc. (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2025. The first introduces a requirement for approval before higher-risk building work can begin, known as Gateway 2, a building control approval application process, change control and mandatory reporting of safety issues during the work, a completion approval process known as Gateway 3, the golden thread of information, appeal procedures and transitional arrangements. The second sets roles, responsibilities and requirements for dutyholders involved in any controlled building work, so it reaches ordinary domestic projects and not only higher-risk buildings.

  37. very strong RN-C01OHV

    Welsh Revenue Authority

    Land Transaction Tax replaced Stamp Duty Land Tax in Wales from 1 April 2018 and is collected and managed by the Welsh Revenue Authority for the Welsh Government. First published 21 September 2017 and last updated 25 November 2024. The current LTT threshold is 225,000 pounds for residential properties where the buyer does not own other property, and 225,000 pounds for non-residential land and property. The correction most often needed: there is no first-time buyers' relief in Wales, unlike England and Northern Ireland. Higher residential rates apply where the buyer already owns one or more residential properties, though not normally where they are replacing a main residence. LTT is a self-assessed tax and a return must be sent even where there is nothing to pay, except for certain transactions that need no return. Specific reliefs exist for multiple dwellings, group structures and charities. Since 3 July 2023 solicitors and conveyancers can only file LTT online, and the WRA publishes a postcode checker to establish whether a property is in Wales.

  38. strong RN-04DH6J

    BBA (British Board of Agrement)

    The certification body whose Agrement Certificate is what a note usually means when it says a system is approved, and the page that lists which schemes it actually runs. The BBA's certification team issues certificates for the BBA Agrement, HAPAS (Highways Authority Product Approval Services), European Technical Assessment (ETA), and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Alongside product certification it runs certification of people, including the BBA Approved Installer Scheme, the BBA Competent Person Scheme, the BBA Gas Membrane Approved Installer Scheme, TrustMark registration and the BBA PAS 2030 Scheme, plus a Client Managed Inspection Service. Its testing services are also available standalone and include durability, mechanical, physical and structural, weather resistance and wind serviceability, conformance and fit-for-purpose, thermal performance, and onsite testing and trials. An Agrement Certificate is the route by which a product without a harmonised European product standard, such as a tanking membrane, a multifoil or a proprietary EWI system, gets an independently assessed statement of fitness for a stated use.

  39. strong RN-4PFJ8L

    BRE Group

    The catalogue of BRE Digests, Good Building Guides and reports that building professionals cite, with document numbers, authors, dates and prices, which lets a note reference the correct BRE publication rather than BRE in general. Titles include Rising damp in walls: diagnosis and treatment (DG 245, 2007, 15 pounds), Assessment of damage in low-rise buildings with particular reference to progressive foundation movement (DG 251, revised 1995, 15 pounds), Foundation movement and remedial underpinning in low-rise buildings (BR 184, 1991, 35 pounds), Recognising wood rot and insect damage in buildings 3rd edition (BR 453, 2003, 37.50 pounds), Radon: guidance on protective measures for new buildings including supplementary advice for extensions, conversions and refurbishment projects, 2023 edition (75 pounds), Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight: a guide to good practice (BR 209, 2022 edition, 75 pounds, superseding the 2011 edition), External fire spread: building separation and boundary distances (BR 187 2nd edition, 55 pounds) and Wind loads on roof-mounted photovoltaic and solar thermal systems (DG 489, revised 2014, 24 pounds). The BRE U-value Calculator is listed at 0 pounds plus VAT.

  40. strong RN-UGNV9N

    BRE Group

    Important currency point for any note mentioning certification schemes: the Home Quality Mark no longer exists under that name. BRE has folded it into the BREEAM product range as BREEAM UK New Construction: Residential, with version 6.1 released in April 2025. HQM led residential sustainability assessment in the UK from 2015 with more than 50,000 homes registered. The scheme assesses homes against three sustainability indicators covering environmental performance (carbon emissions, resource efficiency, biodiversity, circular design), social performance (occupant health and wellbeing, indoor air quality, daylight, thermal comfort, noise, access to green space) and economic performance (efficient use of materials, future-ready infrastructure, running costs, adaptability). Homes are rated on a scale from pass to outstanding. BRE states the certification recognises performance BEYOND minimum regulations only, and that certification can open access to green mortgages and investment incentives. Separately, BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out (currently V7) is the BREEAM standard covering refurbishment rather than new build, and BREEAM has run third-party certified standards since 1990.