Managing the Project
187 sources in the library on managing the project. 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 5.
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Royal Institute of British Architects
RIBA describes the Plan of Work as the definitive model for the design and construction process of buildings, organising briefing, designing, constructing and operating a project into eight stages and setting out the stage outcomes, core tasks and information exchanges required at each stage. The current version is the RIBA Plan of Work 2020, whose Overview is a free download and is based on nearly seven years of feedback from the construction industry, including a full glossary and a comparison with international plan of work equivalents. Nine core project strategies run through the stages: Conservation, Cost, Fire Safety, Health and Safety, Inclusive Design, Planning, Plan for Use, Procurement and Sustainability. RIBA also publishes an A4 printer friendly overview, a Plan of Work 2020 Template and a Toolbox containing a Design Responsibility Matrix, plus dated overlays including DfMA (November 2021), Passivhaus (February 2023), Security (April 2023), Inclusive Design (July 2023), Engagement (January 2024) and Smart Building (February 2024). This is the source for what an architect means by 'RIBA Stage 3' in a fee proposal.
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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
RICS's page for the Home Survey Standard, the mandatory professional standard for RICS members and regulated firms in the UK delivering residential property surveys, which replaced and harmonised the earlier RICS residential survey publications. Confirms the four report products a surveyor may issue under it: RICS Home Survey Level 1, Level 2 (survey only), Level 2 (survey and valuation) and Level 3. Reports are compiled by qualified surveyors after a physical inspection, assessing condition and identifying risks and potential legal issues. A surveyor needs a RICS Home Surveys Licence to produce a Level 1, 2 or 3 report. The transition to the new report formats ran from 1 March to 31 August 2021, and from 1 September 2021 the new reports must be used. This is the source for what each survey level actually is, as opposed to marketing names used by survey firms.
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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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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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United Utilities
A sewerage undertaker setting out its own build-over process, which is the practical authority for the consent a homeowner actually needs (the Water UK Sewerage Sector Guidance covers adoption, not build-over). The page states that United Utilities approval is required for building works within 3 metres of a public sewer or lateral drain. On access, it requires sufficient access points to the affected sewer, meaning manholes and rodding points; states that ideally buildings and extensions should not be sited where they would remove an existing point of access; and requires access points to be easily accessible and visible for use in an emergency. Where ground conditions are poor, the developer must arrange special design and construction plans so the pipe is protected from any risk of damage. On the route through building control, it explains that building control inspectors operating under the United Utilities Protocol agreement can approve build-overs that meet set criteria, and that where a proposal does not fit those criteria the inspector escalates it so United Utilities can deal with the developer directly, which is why a homeowner may find the sewer question handled inside their Building Regulations application rather than as a separate approach to the water company.
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Water UK
The Water UK page indexing the Sewerage Sector Guidance, captured on the Wayback Machine because water.org.uk returns 403 to scripted fetches. Page date published 21 April 2023. The document set comprises the main SSG (approved version 2.2, 29 June 2022, later v2b) plus Appendix B Procedures, Appendix C Design and Construction Guidance, Appendix D Minimum Information, Appendix E Model Sewer Adoption Agreement, Appendix F Levels of Service and Reporting, Appendix G Terms of Reference approved by Ofwat, and a transitional principles document, along with published local practice notes from Anglian Water, Southern Water, Thames Water and Wessex Water on sewage pumping stations and, for Thames Water, on easements. Section 1.1 of the SSG states that it is the guidance which companies holding an instrument of appointment as sewerage undertakers under sections 6 or 7 of the Water Industry Act 1991 recommend Ofwat enables under its Code for Adoption, which came into effect on 13 November 2017, and that it contains a draft Model Sewerage Adoption Agreement. Sections 1.2.1 to 1.2.3 confirm sewerage companies are obliged by the Code to comply once Ofwat approves it, that failure may result in investigation and sanction by Ofwat, that it applies to infrastructure covered by a section 104 Water Industry Act agreement, and that it applies to companies operating wholly or mainly in England. IMPORTANT SCOPE POINT: the SSG governs the ADOPTION of new sewerage assets, not the separate build-over-a-sewer consent a homeowner needs, so do not cite it as the authority for a build over agreement.
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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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Considerate Constructors Scheme
A route most UK renovation articles never mention: what a neighbour affected by building work can actually do. The Scheme records all concerns, comments, compliments or complaints about a registered activity regardless of source. Once a concern is reviewed and found to relate to the Code of Considerate Practice, the Scheme informs the activity designated contact, usually the site manager or company contact, and may highlight the relevant parts of the Code. If the person raising it gives permission, their name and contact details are shared so the contact can work with them directly, particularly where compensation may be involved or where they have already been in contact with the site; if permission is not given, the Public Support team liaises on their behalf and the matter is handled confidentially. Crucially, if the construction activity is NOT registered with the Scheme, the Scheme will still contact the relevant organisation and attempt to mediate between the parties, but cannot progress the concern if that organisation does not respond. Contact is by freephone 0333 049 4600 in the UK, 1800 939 109 in the Republic of Ireland, or publicsupport@considerateconstructors.com.
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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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Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)
SPAB's summary of its research programme on the thermal performance of traditional buildings, undertaken to complement work by Historic Scotland on sandstone construction and English Heritage on brick, and covering vernacular walling types such as wattle and daub panelling, cob, limestone, slate and granite. The key finding: results from the first stage suggest that standard U-value calculations used across the construction industry underestimate the thermal performance of traditional walls, and that in some instances heat loss through vernacular materials can be up to three times lower than expected. The report, written by Dr Caroline Rye, compared measured in-situ U-values of various traditional vernacular walls with theoretical U-values calculated using BuildDesk U 3.4 software. SPAB warns that calculated theoretical U-values suggesting poorer performance may lead owners and professionals to adopt disproportionate energy saving interventions that are unnecessary, invasive and potentially harmful to historic fabric. Cite this before repeating a standard solid wall U-value figure for a period house.
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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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Anglian Water
A true or false self-assessment checklist that decides whether an application is needed at all for work over or within three metres of a public sewer. The eight criteria: the sewer flows by gravity and is not pumped; the sewer is less than 3 metres deep; the sewer is 150mm diameter or less; the structure is not a new build premises; there are no manholes or access points inside the building before any alterations; the foundations are designed so the sewer is suitably protected; the sewer pipe is not pitch fibre or asbestos cement; and the length of sewer passing under the proposed building does not exceed six metres. The last two apply only where the sewer is actually built over, not where the building is merely close. A false answer on the pumped sewer question is fatal: work near a pumped sewer is never allowed, whatever is submitted. Answer true to all eight and no consultation with Anglian Water is required. Otherwise a build over or near application costs £692 including the Build Over Agreement; a consultation service to resolve any 'not sure' answers costs £163, and that £163 is deducted from the £692 if a full application follows. Submitting an application does not guarantee approval, and approval is especially unlikely if the work is not compliant with Building Regulations Part H4; a copy of the completed self-assessment should be given to the Building Control Body.
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Bat Conservation Trust
Timing constraints on work to a building with a bat roost. Work is commonly advised to be scheduled either in April, or between mid September and the end of October, when bats are least likely to be present, though the exact window depends on the roost and species. If the timings recommended by the statutory nature conservation organisation cannot be met, the roost owner may need to engage an ecological consultant and obtain a licence. Bats should be factored in from the earliest stage of planning. The free National Bat Helpline is 0345 1300 228. The section also flags the four recurring requirements: creating bat access, roofing membrane choice, cladding, soffits and fascias, and solar panels.
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Cadent Gas
What is and is not allowed over a gas easement, and what to do after a strike. Normal cultivation including ploughing to a maximum depth of 0.5m is permitted without further reference; anything deeper, including sinking fence and gate posts to a depth greater than 0.5m, requires contacting Cadent first, as does storing material above the pipeline or planting trees and shrubs on the easement. Enquiries go through the LinesearchbeforeUdig online service, which returns results within minutes from a grid reference or postcode and issues asset plans plus the Specification for Safe Working in the vicinity of Cadent assets; where the work is close, a Cadent technician visits site to locate and mark out the pipeline. Emergency procedure after damage: call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999, remove and extinguish potential ignition sources, evacuate all personnel from the area and ensure nobody approaches the asset. Specific higher-risk activities that always need Cadent's own guidance and safe working distances include explosives and blasting, piling, boring, construction, demolition and deep excavation.
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Cadent Gas
A service alteration is the route for relocating a gas meter, increasing the gas supply, or moving pipework to suit a renovation. The published sequence and its clock: apply online or by phone for a quote; the customer then has up to 90 days to return signed acceptance and pay; on receipt of acceptance Cadent contacts the customer to agree a start date; on average it takes 6 to 8 weeks from payment to carry out the works, with a call the week before to confirm readiness. The quote needs the distance of external pipework from the current to the new meter position, and the distance of internal pipework to reconnect the boiler if Cadent is to do that. Connections 0800 074 5788.
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Cadent Gas
States plainly that moving a gas meter yourself is illegal and dangerous, and that the meter and its service pipe are moved together by the gas transporter. For building work such as remodelling or an extension, moving an internal meter and pipe outside is presented as the easier route. Cadent aims to complete work at the property within 6 to 8 weeks of the customer accepting the quote, longer if there are local authority street works restrictions or where the meter is moving from an awkward indoor position. To get a quote the customer must supply the full property address, name and telephone number, the distance of external pipework needed to move the meter from its current to its new position, and the distance of internal pipework needed to reconnect the boiler to the new meter position if Cadent is to reconnect it. Connections Team 0800 074 5788, Monday to Friday.
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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
Sets the boundary between a warranty and statutory rights. Warranties and guarantees are additional to legal rights and are most useful after the first 6 months, when the burden of proving the fault was present at delivery switches to the buyer. Statutory rights on faulty goods run for up to 6 years in England and Wales and 5 years in Scotland. An extended warranty on electrical goods lasting 12 months or more can be cancelled with a full refund within the first 45 days, and after that only a partial refund proportionate to time elapsed, and not at all once a claim has been made.
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Citizens Advice
Maps the complaint route by who arranged the work. Where the householder arranged it, normal consumer protections apply and the installer is chased first; if agreement fails and the installer is registered with MCS or TrustMark, both government recognised quality schemes, the complaint escalates through that scheme. Grounds listed include the measure not performing as promised, causing damp, or costing more than quoted. Where a social or private landlord arranged it, the defect is a repair and the landlord's repairing duty applies, with escalation through the landlord's complaints process. For shared ownership, freeholder or managing agent arranged work, the free source of advice is the Leasehold Advisory Service on 0207 832 2500, Monday to Friday 9am to 4:15pm.
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Citizens Advice
How to choose and pay an energy efficiency installer. Get quotes from at least 3 different installers to compare cost and specification. An MCS registered installer is mandatory to claim the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and also to use the Smart Export Guarantee, the scheme that pays for exported generation. On payment, the key rule stated is never to agree a deposit of more than 25% up front. Also directs to TrustMark for scheme backed work and covers what to check before signing.
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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
What to do when a builder or supplier folds mid job. A sole trader or partnership that stops trading remains personally liable for paid for work, so the claim follows the individual. For a limited company the customer becomes an unsecured creditor and must register the claim with the appointed insolvency practitioner, ranking behind secured creditors and employees. The practical recoveries are Section 75 where a credit card paid any part of a job costing over £100, chargeback for debit card payments, and a claim on a trade association or insurance backed guarantee if the trader belonged to one.
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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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Citizens Advice
What it costs and takes to move a meter during building work. Moving the meter a short distance on the same wall is arranged with the energy supplier; moving it further, or moving the supply itself, has to go through the local electricity or gas network operator, which usually charges at least £400 and can charge over £1,000 depending on the work. Appointments are normally within working hours, meaning roughly 9am to 5pm, in a time slot of 2 to 4 hours. If the supplier misses the appointment or fails to give proper notice, it must pay £40 compensation within 10 working days, and a further £40 if that payment is late.
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Electrical Safety First
Evidence on DIY electrical risk and the boundary of what a householder may do. In a survey of 1,000 electricians, more than 30% had reports of electric shocks caused by incompetent DIY and 15% reported DIY causing an electrical fire. States that higher risk work such as anything in a bathroom or the installation of a new circuit must be carried out, or reviewed and signed off, by a registered competent electrician, and that a lot of domestic electrical work is notifiable so the local authority must be told and the work certified. Recommends periodic inspection at least every 10 years in an owner occupied home and every 5 years in rented accommodation, and a minimum of one smoke alarm per floor with a heat detector in the kitchen, tested weekly.
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Electricity North West
Before breaking ground, check the location of underground services on network plans and then follow safe digging techniques. Underground services are commonly found in roads, footpaths, on sites and across open land; always assume they are present and treat any cable as live. Service cables and pipes are routinely confused, and the specific trap named is that black plastic covered electricity cable looks like plastic water pipe. Network plans are obtained through LinesearchbeforeUdig. The reference safe-digging document is HSE HSG47, Avoiding danger from underground services, which should be read before commencing work on site.
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Electricity North West
The consultation trigger distances for any work near overhead lines: you must consult the line operator if working within 15 metres of overhead lines on steel towers, within nine metres of a wood pole, or beneath an overhead power line. Distances are measured at ground level from a point estimated by eye to be vertically under the outermost conductor at the tower or pole. Treat every overhead line as live; some electricity lines look like communication cables and some poles carry both, so never assume a line is telephone. Never raise poles or other long objects towards a line as a sighting or measuring aid. Where work will encroach, request a site visit: the operator's representative recommends a minimum clearance distance, advises on meeting HSE guidance note GS6, confirms in writing any arrangement to switch the line out, and establishes whether shrouding, sheathing or cable protection is needed. Network plans are requested by email at PlanRequest@enwl.co.uk. GS6 (Avoidance of danger from overhead electric power lines) is the reference guide, ISBN 0717613488, free from the HSE website.
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Energy Ombudsman
The timetable of an energy dispute. The supplier gets 8 weeks to resolve a complaint; the consumer can escalate sooner only if a final decision or deadlock letter arrives. Escalation must happen within 12 months of the deadlock letter. Once registered, if Facilitated Complaints Resolution is not offered or not accepted, the consumer has up to 14 days to supply supporting evidence. A decision normally follows within 6 weeks, longer for complex cases. The Ombudsman decides on the evidence, the law, relevant regulation and accepted good industry practice, and a typical financial award ranges between £50 and £100. Once the consumer accepts, the decision is legally binding on the supplier, which has 28 days to implement the remedies, after which the consumer may pursue the matter in court. The service is free to the consumer. Advises recording complaint dates, call reference numbers and proof of posting.
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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.
- fair RN-SGLY5B
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.
- fair RN-N23LCW
HomeOwners Alliance
Argues for a written contract before a builder starts and lists what it must fix: scope in and out, the price, how and when payments are made, start and completion dates, who obtains and pays for planning permission and building control approval, and confirmation the right insurances are in place before work begins. Recommends the RIBA Domestic Building Contract, 2018 edition, which HomeOwners Alliance endorses, written in plain English for non commercial work including renovations, extensions, maintenance and new build. Its features include guidance notes, flexible payment options, control of completion timing, provisions for delay and cost events, contractor design with a fit for purpose liability option, optional contractor programme and client selected suppliers or subcontractors, a change mechanism with specified timescales, and an option for sectional start and completion.