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 3 of 4.
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BSI (British Standards Institution)
The accessibility code of practice that Approved Document M sits alongside. Paywalled, so only the catalogue page is public; it confirms BS 8300-2:2018, published 31 January 2018, status Current, and that it is part 2 of a two-part standard, with BS 8300-1:2018 (also published 31 January 2018, also Current) covering the external environment including parking, setting-down points, access routes and approaches to entrances. Part 2 covers external features affecting external access routes, and building interiors including entrances, reception facilities, horizontal and vertical movement and building facilities. Crucially for a home renovation note, the catalogue page states plainly that BS 8300-2 does NOT apply to individual dwellings; its residential scope is nursing, residential and care homes, student accommodation and the COMMON PARTS of blocks of flats. It also confirms the recommendations apply largely to new buildings but can be used to assess and improve existing ones, and that the extent to which they apply to listed and historic buildings is decided case by case.
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BSI Group
What the Kitemark actually certifies, which matters because it is often confused with CE or UKCA marking and with BSI standards themselves. States that Kitemark certification confirms a product or service's claim has been independently and repeatedly tested by experts, so it is third-party certification of continued conformity rather than a manufacturer's own declaration. Records that the mark was originally known as the British Standard Mark and was first registered as a trademark in June 1903, giving it more than 120 years of use. Cites BSI's own consumer research that the Kitemark is recognised by 67 per cent of UK consumers, and that 70 per cent are more confident in products carrying it than in products that do not. Certification spans products, services and processes, including building information modelling and inclusive service certification, and BSI publishes a searchable Kitemark directory and a Verify a Certificate service for checking a specific certificate.
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Financial Conduct Authority
The register to check before accepting finance arranged by a builder, showroom or installer. Confirms that in the UK almost all financial firms must be authorised or registered by the FCA, and that the tool shows both whether a firm is authorised and whether it has permission to provide the specific services being offered. Sets out the tool's limits candidly: it cannot confirm whether Financial Services Compensation Scheme or Financial Ombudsman Service protection will apply, it omits products and services offered only to other firms, published crypto restrictions, historic fines, the right to approve financial promotions and the ability to handle client money, all of which sit on the fuller Financial Services Register along with information on individuals. Notes that certain financial products are not regulated at all and so do not appear, that updates take on average 24 hours, and that some information is supplied by firms so accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Financial Conduct Authority
The regulator's 2026 multi-firm review of the product most often sold as a home improvement loan, published 12 March 2026 and updated 13 March 2026. Establishes the market facts a finance note should cite: second charge mortgages let a homeowner borrow against equity without changing their main mortgage, they are typically less than 4 per cent of regulated mortgage sales, they tend to carry higher interest rates than first charge mortgages, and consumers mostly use them to consolidate debt rather than to fund works. Warns that these customers often carry a high level of debt so a significant proportion may have characteristics of vulnerability including low financial resilience. The FCA reviewed quality of advice, robustness of affordability assessments, the role of intermediaries, record keeping and intermediary fees, sampling firms covering over 40 per cent of second charge advice firms and around 50 per cent of second charge lenders, and found evidence of poor practices creating a risk of poor customer outcomes. Frames expectations against the Consumer Duty and the Mortgage Conduct of Business rules, and follows a 2018 Dear CEO letter to second charge lenders and a 2025 Portfolio Letter to mortgage intermediaries.
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MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme)
How the standards behind MCS certification are set and changed, which matters because MCS certification is a precondition of the main heat pump and solar grants. MCS Standards are owned by the MCS Foundation and governed by the MCS Approval Committee, chaired by the Independent Chair of Standards, David Heath, whose role is to oversee the Technical Working Groups and protect the integrity and impartiality of the Standards. The Approval Committee ensures changes adhere to governance processes and, depending on the type of change, incorporate industry and technical expert feedback through public consultation. Technical Working Groups develop the Standards and many members sit on European committees, keeping MCS aligned with current EN Standards. Two published change processes govern updates: the Technical Document Control Process, reference 455010, for MCS Technical Standards, and the Scheme Document Control Process, reference 184199, for MCS Scheme documents.
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NAPIT
Useful for untangling the terms consumers meet on certification schemes. Distinguishes authorisation, accreditation, certification and registration: NAPIT Registration is authorised by government to operate Competent Person Schemes supporting self-certification against the Building Regulations in England and Wales, with the current scope of that authorisation published on the Government website, while NAPIT Certification is separately accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, with the schedule of accreditation published on the UKAS website. Explains that a scheme member is normally both registered, meaning listed on a searchable register, and certificated, meaning holding a certificate within the scope of a particular scheme, and that the search facility verifies certification status. Warns that not all work carried out by members is covered by the scheme scope.
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Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The main built-environment alternative dispute resolution provider a homeowner is likely to meet, useful because statutory adjudication under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 does not apply to contracts with a residential occupier, so a homeowner needs a contractual or voluntary route instead. RICS DRS supplies impartial ADR across the property, construction and land sectors as an alternative to litigation, states it has over 40 years of experience and has handled cases worth billions globally, and selects and assesses each panel member for expertise, impartiality and professionalism. Publishes downloadable application forms per service, a searchable panel, and a Conflict Avoidance Process which produces a report with reasoned but non-binding recommendations, intended to head off a dispute before it becomes one. Also runs ADR education through diplomas and distance and face to face programmes.
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Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The RICS page that hosts the three New Rules of Measurement documents as free PDFs plus supporting Excel templates, so a reviewer can check a cost figure against the professional rules without a subscription. It carries RICS NRM 1, October 2021, 4.61 MB PDF, published 28 October 2021, and RICS NRM 2, October 2021, 2.60 MB PDF, alongside NRM 3. The page states that using NRM 1 ensures clients are advised of and have confidence in the quality and consistency of the cost information provided to them, and that supporting Excel templates are available for preparing estimates and cost plans in accordance with NRM 1 and NRM 2. It carries an explicit disclaimer that RICS makes no representation or warranty about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability of the templates, that users must check embedded logic and formulae themselves, and that RICS accepts no responsibility for their misuse. Use this page as the stable landing point and the individual PDFs for the actual rules.
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Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The mandatory standard a UK valuer works to, and the right citation whenever a note distinguishes a survey from a valuation. The Red Book UK national supplement sets specific requirements for applying the RICS Valuation Global Standards to valuations undertaken subject to UK jurisdiction; it was published on 19 October 2023 and came into effect on 1 May 2024, applying to all valuations with a valuation date on or after that. Its references were updated following the updated RICS Valuation Global Standards effective 31 January 2025. RICS defines subject to UK jurisdiction as where performance of the valuation contract is subject to UK statutes, rules and regulations, also considering the jurisdiction in which a claim about the valuation could be brought; the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and the Republic of Ireland are not part of the UK. The update was made to implement valuation governance amendments from the Valuation Review plus technical updates to public sector, financial reporting and residential content, including a new rotation policy for some regulated purpose valuations. One correction a note should carry: RICS states there is NO new residential mortgage specification. Residential mortgage valuation advice previously sat in VPGA 11 (effective 2019) and before that Appendix 10 of the 2014 edition updated April 2015; the newly updated VPGA 11 sets only high level principles for residential valuation and does not go into significant detail on residential mortgages, and RICS is separately developing a new UK professional standard for the valuation of residential property for owner occupation.
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Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The landing page for the Red Book, the publication that details MANDATORY practices for RICS members undertaking valuation services and serves as a reference for valuation users. The page confirms the current edition, RICS Valuation Global Standards, became effective on 31 January 2025, and that the Red Book sits on top of the International Valuation Standards (IVS), which are the key global guidance for valuation professionals, with the Red Book UK national supplement applying the Global Standards to UK jurisdiction valuations. Use it to make the point that a Red Book valuation is a regulated, mandatory-standard product distinct from an RICS Home Survey, which is governed instead by the Home Survey Standard, even though a Home Survey Level 2 can be bought in a survey and valuation version.
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Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The RICS scope table for a Level 3 survey, which lets a note say exactly what the surveyor will and will not do rather than repeating marketing copy. For every level, the member inspects roof space no more than three metres above floor level using a ladder where safe and reasonable. At Level 3 specifically the member enters the roof space and visually inspects the roof structure, lifts small corners of thermal insulation to identify its thickness and type and the nature of the ceiling below, and repositions a small number of lightweight possessions where permission is given; attempts to open all windows where permission, keys and safety allow; lifts the corners of loose and unfitted floor coverings and assesses all floors for excessive deflection by a heel-drop test, carrying out an inverted head and shoulders subfloor inspection and entering the underfloor area where safe; lifts accessible inspection chamber covers to drains and septic tanks and observes the drains in normal use; visually inspects all visible parts of the service systems, operating a sample of lights and extractor fans and asking the occupier to operate the heating; and performs a comprehensive inspection of the grounds. Services are never tested, only observed in normal operation, and the member does not perform or comment on design calculations. Appendices A and B of the Home Survey Standard are the benchmark tables the levels are built from.
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United Kingdom Accreditation Service
Establishes that UKAS is the sole National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom, appointed under the UK Accreditation Regulations 2009 for the purposes of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EC) 765/2008 as it has effect in Great Britain. Explains that accreditation assesses the competence, impartiality and performance capability of conformity assessment bodies that provide certification, testing, inspection, calibration and verification, summarised as UKAS checking the checkers. It is Government policy to recommend UKAS accredited conformity assessment services wherever that is an option, and UK conformity assessment bodies seeking accreditation must obtain it from UKAS. UKAS is independent of Government, a non-profit-distributing company limited by guarantee, operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which licenses its use of the national accreditation symbols.
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United Kingdom Accreditation Service
UKAS explains what each sanction means in practice. A suspension is normally temporary, with the body expected to regain accreditation within three months and up to nine in exceptional circumstances. While suspended an organisation cannot provide accredited services, cannot issue new accredited certificates, and must tell existing and prospective customers of its status. Certificates issued before the suspension remain valid unless they were issued incorrectly, though annual surveillance or renewal visits falling inside the suspension period may not be supportable.
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AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building)
The AECB CarbonLite family, the main UK alternative to Passivhaus for a homeowner who wants a measurable low-energy target rather than minimum Building Regulations compliance. The page names four standards and three supporting guidance documents: CarbonLite New Build for new domestic and non-domestic projects; CarbonLite Retrofit for individual or multifamily homes and non-domestic buildings; CarbonLite Retrofit Step-by-Step, designed principally for retrofitting individual or multifamily homes in stages rather than in one go; and the Water Standard for water efficiency in domestic and non-domestic projects, plus Daylighting design guidance (with an AECB CarbonLite software tool) and Airtightness guidance. Each standard has its own detailed guidance PDF. Two facts worth citing: AECB set up the Passivhaus Trust in 2010, so the two bodies are related rather than rivals, and AECB CarbonLite certified homes qualify for Ecology Building Society C-Change mortgage discounts of up to 1.50 percent off the standard variable rate, applied for the lifetime of the mortgage on completion of the project, which is a rare concrete financial consequence of a voluntary standard.
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BSRIA (Building Services Research and Information Association)
BSRIA is UKAS accredited for airtightness testing and this page sets out what a test involves and when it is required, which is the practical detail behind a Part L conversation. It confirms BSRIA is an ATTMA member, UKAS accredited to test to CIBSE TM23, BS EN 13829 and ATTMA TS L1, and that its certificates are recognised by building control. On when testing bites: the page states airtightness testing of new dwellings is mandatory for developments of over two units, that a sample of each dwelling type must be tested and must fall within the air leakage rate stated in that dwelling SAP calculation, and that for developments of one or two units testing is not mandatory but an assumed air leakage rate above the industry norm must be used instead, so it is usually simpler and cheaper for a builder to test and prove a lower rate. It also lists the information needed to plan a test regime: SAP calculation worksheets, floor plans and sections for each dwelling, the regulation or standard being met, site layout and build programme. Diagnostics offered on a failure include infrared thermography and smoke tests to find leakage paths. Note the page still uses the pre-2021 label Part L1A alongside Section 6 of the Scottish Building Standards, so check the current Approved Document L Volume 1 wording before quoting the sampling rule as current.
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CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association)
The UK code of practice for making an existing home resistant to and recoverable from flooding, and free to download after sign-in, which makes it unusually accessible for a CIRIA title. The C790 project produced four outputs a note can name separately: C790A, the Code of practice for property flood resilience, Edition 2, which sets six standards specifying what should be achieved; C790B, Guidance on the code of practice, explaining how each of the six standards should be met across the stages of a property flood resilience delivery process; C790C, Making your property more flood resilient, written for households and businesses; and C790D, Guidance for local authority planners. The code draws the distinction a renovation note should use: resistance measures reduce the amount of water entering a building, and recoverability measures limit the damage caused once water is inside, with the aim of reducing damage and speeding up recovery and reoccupation.
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Considerate Constructors Scheme
The code a registered contractor commits to, and the standard a homeowner or neighbour can measure a builder against. Registering an organisation, contractor or supplier with the Scheme is a commitment to observe and implement the Code, and the Code applies equally to all registered activities regardless of size, type or location. It has three sections. Respect the community: courteous and respectful language and appropriate behaviour in and around the activity; providing a safer environment, preventing unnecessary disturbance and reducing nuisance for the community; and proactively maintaining effective community engagement. Care for the environment: prioritising environmental issues to protect the natural environment and minimise negative impacts; optimising the use of resources including minimising carbon throughout the value chain; and engaging with the community to improve the local environment. Value the workforce: creating a supportive, inclusive and healthy workplace. Registration also means agreeing to be visited and scored by a Scheme Monitor, with conformance recognised through Certificates of Performance, Records of Performance and the Leading Lights Awards, and optional paid advisory visits available.
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Federation of Master Builders
The FMB's searchable directory of member builders by trade and location, which the FMB describes as the only way to find inspected builders in the UK, with members vetted, inspected and monitored. Provides a 'check a member' lookup specifically because some firms claim FMB membership without holding it. Advises homeowners to do their own research on planning permission, building regulations, party walls and alterations to listed buildings rather than relying on the builder, and links its own guides on choosing a builder, working with a builder, loft conversions, garage conversions, bathrooms, kitchens and house extensions. Carries a formal complaints procedure and CTSI-certified alternative dispute resolution.
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Passivhaus Trust
The UK body page for the Passivhaus standard, and the right citation for a note explaining low-energy standards above Building Regulations. It confirms EnerPHit is the separate, slightly relaxed Passive House Institute standard for RETROFIT projects, used where existing architecture and conservation constraints make full Passivhaus infeasible, which is the distinction most renovation articles blur. The Trust defines eight Passivhaus principles: the five building principles of insulation, airtightness, ventilation, minimised thermal bridging and high-performance windows, plus three principles of approach, namely detailed performance and comfort criteria, accurate design modelling using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), and rigorous quality assurance. It states the UK performance gap between designed and in-use energy conservatively results in a 60% increase in space heating demand in residential buildings, and often considerably more in non-residential, whereas Passivhaus buildings on average perform as designed. On claims: a building may reasonably be called a self-declared Passivhaus provided it satisfies all requirements of the standard, but certification must be by a registered Passivhaus Certifier independent of the design team. Caution when citing numbers: the headline criteria table on this page is published as an image and linked PDF rather than as text, so the numeric targets must be taken from the Passive House Institute criteria document itself.
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TrustMark
What a TrustMark registration is actually worth financially, which is the practical difference between it and an unaccredited trader. Under the TrustMark Framework Operating Requirements every Registered Business is expected to provide a minimum of two years of financial protection for completed works in and around the home, covering product warranties and workmanship. The stated purpose is to cover the homeowner if the business ceases trading for any reason, and TrustMark expects the coverage to extend to four things: prepayments such as deposits or other money paid in advance of work, two years post completion of workmanship, rectification of defects or non-compliance with Building Regulations, and major damage or injury through public liability insurance. Cover varies between businesses depending on their financial protection provider, and TrustMark advises obtaining the details of the specific cover from the business before contracting, and satisfying yourself that it covers the particular products or systems being installed.
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Age UK
Route into funded adaptations for an older or disabled occupant. The first step is a free care needs assessment from the local council, to which everyone is entitled regardless of income or savings. Where the assessment recommends minor adaptations costing £1,000 or less, such as grab rails, a dropped kerb or outside lights, the council must provide and fit them free of charge. Larger adaptations go through a Disabled Facilities Grant. Points to non means tested disability benefits, Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance depending on age, as a further source of funds, and gives the free Age UK advice line 0800 678 1602, open 8am to 7pm, 365 days a year, plus specialist advisers at over 120 local Age UKs.
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Age UK
March 2026 edition, 26 pages. Disabled Facilities Grant: the maximum grant is £30,000, the disabled person must intend to live in the property as their only or main home for at least five years after completion (the grant condition period), applications by or for a disabled adult are means tested unless made by a landlord for a disabled tenant, and the council must decide as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event within six months of the application, in writing and with reasons if refused, appealable through the complaints procedure and then the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Councils may not charge for aids and minor adaptations, defined as costing £1,000 or less. Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants of £2,500 to £7,500 depending on technology, requiring an existing fossil fuel system, with biomass only in rural or off gas grid properties. Council tenants' Right to Repair covers qualifying repairs the authority estimates will cost less than £250 under the Secure Tenants of Local Housing Authorities (Right to Repair) Regulations 1994, with total loss of electric power to be fixed in one working day and a leaking roof in seven working days, and compensation of up to £50 per job if the second contractor also misses the deadline. Awaab's Law phase one took effect 27 October 2025 for emergency hazards and serious damp and mould. Also notes the landlord EPC E cost cap of £3,500 for registering an exemption.
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Bat Conservation Trust
How to establish whether a building holds a roost before work starts. A roost is any place a bat uses for shelter or protection, regardless of species, numbers or how long it is used, and is protected all year round whether or not bats are present, because bats are loyal to roosts and return at the same time each year. Bats build no nest and cause no damage, using existing cracks and crevices, and move between roosts through the year as their needs change. Look for droppings, and watch for emergence at around sunset, or up to an hour after, during May to September, or run a dawn re entry survey where the access point is unknown. Local bat groups and local records centres may hold records, but the absence of a record does not mean there is no roost. Warns against disturbance during hibernation, when waking bats burns reserves they may not replace before spring, and during the summer maternity season, when disturbed mothers may abandon a pup, of which there is typically only one a year.
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Cadent Gas
The homeowner emergency procedure and who pays. If you smell gas, call the free National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, available 24 hours; turn the gas off at the meter unless the meter is in a cellar or basement. If a pipeline is struck during digging, even with no apparent leak, move away and keep others away, then call 0800 111 999. Cadent operates a 'make safe' service: attendance to make you and the property safe and to check for leaks is not charged, but any follow-on work by a Gas Safe registered engineer may be. When tracing a reported leak Cadent may enter neighbouring homes or dig the road, may cut off the supply if it is unsafe to leave on, and may not complete the repair in a single day. The National Gas Emergency Service does not deal with boiler or appliance faults, including a frozen condensate pipe that will not thaw, which is a matter for the boiler cover provider or a Gas Safe registered engineer.
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Cadent Gas
The household new-connection route. Same commercial clock as an alteration: quote, then up to 90 days to return the signed acceptance with payment, then on average 6 to 8 weeks from payment to carry out the works, with a confirmation call the week before. The key figure needed before applying for a quote is the distance in metres from the intended gas meter position to the property boundary, because the transporter prices the service pipe run from the main in the street to the boundary and then to the meter. Connections line 0800 074 5788.
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Cardiff University, Welsh School of Architecture
Five years of five-minute-interval monitoring of the SOLCER House, built 2015, the first affordable energy positive house in the UK. Measured results: total annual electricity imported from the grid 1,112 kWh against 1,458 kWh exported, an overall energy-positive performance of 346 kWh; the house exports 1.3 times more electricity than it consumes and imports about 25 per cent of its energy from the grid, mainly for heating in colder months; net carbon emissions around minus 179 kg per year; savings of up to £1,000 a year on energy bills. Build data a self-builder can use: 100 sq m, three bedrooms, built for £1,200 per sq m using locally sourced materials where possible. Design moves: photovoltaic panels form the south-facing roof and replace roof tiles, and a solar air heating system forms the first-floor external wall finish instead of render, so the generating technology substitutes for cladding rather than adding to it. Published in Energies, 2021. The work led the Welsh Government to invest £91 million in grants, producing over 1,400 affordable low carbon homes.
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Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice sets out six steps for a homeowner before work starts: check if you need permission or approval, find good traders, get quotes before deciding, check that you and your trader have insurance, get a written contract, and know what to do if there are problems. Advice applies to England, with separate versions for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It names the professional registers to search: a planning consultant on the Royal Town Planning Institute website, a surveyor on the RICS website and an architect on the Architects Registration Board website. Warns that without the permission or approval needed you might be fined, prosecuted, made to put things right or undo the work, and may have problems selling later. Confirms planning permission is usually needed to build something new such as an annexe, to make a major change such as an extension, or to change the use of a building.
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Citizens Advice
Explains the two card claw back routes for a deposit paid to a trader. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act applies where payment was by credit card or buy now pay later and the single item or job costs more than £100 and no more than £30,000; paying only part of the price on the card still lets the whole amount be claimed, so a £50 deposit on a £250 job supports a claim for the full £250. Chargeback covers debit cards and sub £100 credit card spends, and only recovers the amount actually put on the card. The £100 threshold is judged per item, not per basket: a £105 order of an £80 phone and £20 headphones fails Section 75. PayPal disputes must be opened within 180 days of payment.
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Citizens Advice
The consumer route when workmanship is poor. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, so the buyer can ask for it to be done again, ask for a price reduction, or claim the cost of putting it right. The law requires the trader be offered the chance to redo the work first, unless redoing it is impossible, would take an unreasonably long time or would cause significant inconvenience, in which case a discount can be demanded straight away. A redo must be completed within a 'reasonable time', which the Act does not define. The window to ask for things to be put right is up to 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 5 years in Scotland, running from when the fault appears rather than from completion.
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Electrical Safety First
What to check on the electrics of a property before buying or renovating. States plainly that electrical checks are not included in a standard home survey, so an existing Electrical Installation Condition Report should be sought and, failing that, one commissioned from a registered electrician. Viewing checks: plug sockets and light fittings for wear, the consumer unit for RCDs, and working smoke alarms. To test for an RCD look for the Test or T button, and pressing it should cut power to the circuits it protects; where there is no working RCD, use plug in RCDs on all sockets. An older consumer unit without RCDs or circuit breakers is not automatically unsafe, and only an EICR will say, but look for physical or thermal damage and discoloration. Electrics more than 50 years old should be checked and updated. Landlords in England and Scotland must have an EICR every five years; owner occupiers are recommended to have one every ten. Alarms: minimum one smoke alarm per floor with a heat detector in the kitchen, tested weekly.
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Energy Saving Trust
How to read and obtain an EPC. Certificates are valid for 10 years from the date of issue. Checkatrade pricing accurate as of November 2025 puts an EPC at £65 to £120. A property being sold or let must have one, and the fixed penalty charge for failing to provide one is £200. Walks through the certificate layout using a 2023 Scottish example, noting older certificates carry most of the same information in a different order. Last updated 8 May 2026.
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Financial Ombudsman Service
The ombudsman's own account of what it sees and how it decides, last updated 24 July 2023, which is a stronger citation than an insurer's marketing page. Confirms that buildings insurance typically responds to accidental damage, weather such as storms, flooding, ground movement such as subsidence, and underground pipes made from pitch fibre. Lists the recurring complaint types: repairs done but the problem not fixed; the insurer insisting on repair where the consumer wants replacement; the insurer deciding the sum insured on buildings or contents is not enough to cover the claim, which it names as underinsurance; the insurer saying the customer carelessly or deliberately failed to give the true rebuild cost of the home or replacement cost of contents and cancelling the policy on that basis; a replacement offered that is not the same as what was lost; and a cash settlement too small to have the repairs done. Links its separate approaches to accidental damage, building warranties, damage to underground pipes, flood damage, gradual damage, home emergency insurance and multiple-occupancy buildings insurance.
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Financial Ombudsman Service
The three step complaint route and its clocks, used for buildings insurance, subsidence and home improvement finance disputes. Step one is to complain to the financial business itself, saying what happened and how it should be put right. Step two: for most complaints the business has up to 8 weeks to consider it, cut to 15 days for complaints about fraud and scams, payment services such as bank transfers and direct debits, and electronic money. Step three: the complaint must be brought to the Ombudsman within 6 months of the date on the final response, or at any time once the business has run out of time without replying. The service is free and no lawyer or claims management company is needed; a family member or friend can help instead.
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Financial Ombudsman Service
Sets out what happens when an insurer says a homeowner gave wrong information, which is the mechanism behind most declined renovation-related claims, last updated 10 July 2026. Defines misrepresentation as information given carelessly, deliberately or recklessly that was incomplete or misleading, and non-disclosure as leaving out relevant information that was asked about. Lists the insurer's possible remedies: charge more for the policy, retrospectively apply a restriction so an ongoing or future claim is declined, settle a claim proportionately, or avoid the policy so the claim is declined outright. States the legal test the ombudsman applies is the insurer's obligations under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, asking whether the questions were clear and specific, whether the consumer took reasonable care to answer correctly, whether the answer was incorrect or incomplete, and whether the insurer would have acted differently with the correct information. Confirms the complaint route: complain to the firm first, and if it does not send a final response letter within eight weeks, or the response is unsatisfactory, bring the complaint to the ombudsman, whose service is free.
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Financial Ombudsman Service
Explains the average clause, the mechanism that reduces a payout when a home is insured for less than its rebuild cost, last updated 10 July 2026. States that where a policy contains an average clause the insurer may use it so that the policyholder bears a proportion of any loss or damage if the item was insured for less than its replacement value, and that the insurer applies its own formula. Identifies the two grounds on which the ombudsman upholds such complaints: the insurer tried to apply an average clause that is not actually in the policy, and the insurer applied the average clause without ever having asked the consumer to estimate the full value of the buildings or contents. Also covers complaints where the insurer failed to ask the right question, giving the example of an application asking how much cover do you need when what the insurer wanted was the total value of everything in the home, and where the insurer did not make clear that pre-filled parts of an online form had to be checked for accuracy. Confirms the complaint route requires a formal complaint to the firm first, with the ombudsman available if no final response arrives within eight weeks.
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Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman / Dispute Resolution Ombudsman
The eligibility rules for taking a TrustMark registered business to the Ombudsman, in force since 1 September 2020. A complaint is accepted once the business has issued a final response, or once 12 weeks have passed since the first complaint without a satisfactory answer, and after any Scheme Provider ADR has been used. The business must have been TrustMark registered when the work was done and must remain registered through the ADR process. The claim must be for less than £10,000, excluding the purchase price of the goods or services, and must not be before a court, tribunal or other binding ADR. Complaints are refused where the trader is in administration or liquidation or has ceased trading, where the complainant is not a private individual, where a Scheme Provider resolution has already been accepted in full and final settlement, or where the referral is made more than 12 months after the final response letter. The service is free to the consumer and the decision, once accepted by the consumer, binds the business. Dispute Resolution Ombudsman is a full member of the Ombudsman Association and CTSI approved under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015.
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HomeOwners Alliance
Basement conversion costs and constraints. Converting an existing dry cellar with no structural change £900 to £1,400 per m2. Excavation and underpinning £1,500 to £2,000 per m2, so a 40 m2 basement runs about £100,000 to £160,000. Adding a lightwell or extending beyond the footprint pushes rates to £2,500 to £3,000 per m2 and, at the top end, £5,000 to £7,500 per m2. Add about 20% for fees. Individual costs quoted: structural engineer £1,500 to £3,000, householder planning application £206 or £462 where a new unit of accommodation is proposed, party wall surveyor at least £750 for the owner and at least £700 per neighbour. Party wall notice is triggered by excavating within 3 metres of a neighbour's building and below the level of their foundations, or within 6 metres where a 45 degree line from the bottom of their foundations is intersected. Recommends a 2.4m finished ceiling height and warns at least 2m headroom is needed over the stairs.
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HomeOwners Alliance
Bathroom refurbishment budgets. The average new bathroom costs £6,000. Self managing the project typically lands between £3,000 and £6,000, with the advice to put the bulk of the budget into tiling and plumbing and sacrifice finishing detail. A cheap bathroom suite can be found for as little as £200, but accessories, shower fittings, taps, tiles and grouting can double the price. Fitting the bathroom yourself can save up to 60% of the cost, but gas and electrical work must go to a professional, and an electric shower must be installed by a registered electrician. A simple home sauna starts at around £5,000.
- fair RN-38M5ZO
HomeOwners Alliance
Which registers to check a trade against and what each actually guarantees. Covers Gas Safe for gas work, competent person schemes for electrics, FENSA and CERTASS for glazing, the Federation of Master Builders, and RIBA Chartered Practices, which must meet RIBA's stated standards of professional practice in quality, customer service and insurance and whose membership can be checked directly. Notes that roofing firms aligned with the NFRC can self certify their work as an all in one service to homeowners, with all domestic work carrying a 10 year warranty, searchable by postcode or name on the NFRC site. Also covers checking insurance, references and Companies House before committing.
- fair RN-M13M0Z
HomeOwners Alliance
Planning application fees across the UK in 2026. England: householder application £258, which also covers full planning permission for significant alterations to an existing house, £578 for a full application to build a house, and £509 for a full application for two or more dwellings, with more per house above 10. Wales: householder £230, and £460 for two or more dwellings, flats, or per dwelling on schemes under 50 dwellings. Scotland: householder £300, new house £600. Northern Ireland: house extension £327, single new house £975. Notes that the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 introduced an automatic annual uplift by the previous September's CPI, capped at 10%, and that a government consultation which closed on 24 September 2024 proposed raising the England householder fee from £258 to £528. The Planning Portal adds a £70 including VAT service charge, waived where the planning fee is below £60. Other costs listed include a lawful development certificate £129, drawings £1,000 or more, and a planning consultant £1,000 to £3,000.