Buildings
Building warrants
You need to apply for a Building Warrant to cover the erection, change of use, alteration to or extension of a building, or if you plan to demolish a property. Your construction work cannot begin before the building warrant has been approved. Once approved, your warrant is valid for three years.
All building construction works (with some exceptions) must comply with the standards set out in the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations.
Building warrants and planning permission
Building Standards approval and planning permission are two different permissions required by separate legislation.
Put simply, Building Standards is concerned with the way that the building is constructed in terms of its structural stability, fire resistance, insulation, weather protection and so on. Planning deals with the correct use of land, the appearance of the proposed building and the effect that the development will have on the general environment and neighbouring properties.
Whatever the building project, you should seek advice from both Building Standards and Planning.
Applying for a building warrant
Once you establish that you need a building warrant, complete an application form and forward it, along with the necessary drawings and appropriate fee, to us at the Building Standards Service. Contact details and application forms are at the bottom of this page.
The fee that accompanies your application is based on the cost of the building work. A scale of current fees can be downloaded from the bottom of this page, or obtained from the Building Standards Service.
Where the proposed work involves structural design, e.g. steel frames, beams, roof structures and so on, your application should be accompanied by either structural calculations or a certificate from an approved Certifier of Design.
A leaflet on How to make a Building Warrant Application is available from the Building Standards Service.
Processing your application
For some projects, we may consult with various bodies before completing an application’s assessment: e.g. the Fire Authority, Scottish Water, SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) and the Health & Safety Executive.
The length of time it takes to check an application varies, depending on the size and complexity of the proposals, and any adjustments required to the plans in order to comply with the Building Regulations.
Building Standards Service
We are responsible for administering and enforcing the statutory functions governing building standards, building regulations, and dangerous buildings and structures, including open and vacant properties. Our main concerns are:
the health, safety and amenity of people in the built environment
the conservation of fuel and power
facilities to and within buildings for people with disabilities
furthering sustainable development
We aim to meet these concerns by promoting compliance with the Building (Scotland) Act and other legislation relating to buildings and construction work.
What we do
We can provide information and advice on building and conveyancing matters. Arrange an appointment to discuss any aspect of the service, using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Site inspections
We inspect building work in progress to ensure that structures as built meet the minimum building standards.
You must tell us the date when building operations start, when drainage is ready for inspection and testing, and when work is complete. This allows us to carry out the necessary inspections to ensure that the work is done in accordance with the Building Regulations and the approved building warrant.
Completion certificates
Before a building or part of a building is brought into use, you need to obtain a Completion Certificate for the work. A satisfactory final inspection must be carried out before a Completion Certificate is accepted. We will arrange for this inspection once a Completion Certificate has been received from the building owner or authorised agent.
Enforcement
The Building (Scotland) Act gives East Renfrewshire Council powers to take action where work is carried out without a building warrant, or contrary to building warrant conditions. It is an offence to carry out building work without the necessary building warrant, unless the works are exempt.
A leaflet giving examples of domestic building works that do not require a building warrant is available from the Building Standards Service.
Dangerous buildings
If a building becomes dangerous, the Building Standards Surveyor can order its immediate evacuation and any necessary action to protect the public and adjacent property. Where the situation is less critical, we issue written notices to the owner(s) of the building. If satisfactory action is not taken, the Council carries out the work and recovers costs from the building owner.
Building control property enquiries
We are often asked about any relevant building warrants or completion certificates that relate to the sale of properties, and in particular house sales. Apart from the legal implications, failure to obtain these documents can have serious practical consequences and can delay the sale of the property.
A leaflet is available from Building Standards for building works that have been carried out without statutory consent. Use the details at the bottom of this page if you want to contact us with a property enquiry.
Licensing
We provide technical expertise to the Licensing Board and Licensing Committees as part of the licensing process. This work frequently requires us to liaise with other parties including the Police, Fire Authority, Legal Services and Environmental Health.
Premises and temporary venues used by the general public must meet strict safety standards, especially relating to means of escape. Legislation associated with this service is varied and includes the Safety of Sports Grounds Act, Licensing (Scotland) Act and the Civic Government (Scotland) Act.
We assess and inspect a large variety of buildings and events, including public houses, restaurants, off-sales, hotels, temporary stands, marquees for events, places of marriage, sun-bed premises and houses in multiple occupation.
Disability issues
We provide regulatory advice and guidance to the East Renfrewshire Access Panel about the accessibility of buildings in the area.
Our service pledges
We will provide a response to your building warrant application where possible within 15 working days
We will issue a warrant within 6 working days where possible, on receipt of all the necessary information after the plans have been assessed
We will approve a Completion Certificate and issue confirmation where possible within 3 working days, for all works carried out in accordance with the Building Regulations, after a satisfactory final inspection has been carried out
We will respond to requests for drain tests within 24 hours, Monday to Friday
We will provide a response to your Completion Certificate submission for a final inspection within 10 working days
We will respond immediately to reports of dangerous buildings
We will have staff available to deal with your enquiry
We will explain how and why a decision was reached
Contact
If you have an enquiry about any of our services, please contact:
Building Standards Service
Environment Department
East Renfrewshire Council
Eastwood Park
Rouken Glen Road
Giffnock
G46 6UG
Telephone: 0141 577 3001
Office hours: Monday to Thursday, 8.45am to 4.45pm; Friday, 8.45am to 3.55pm
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How do I report a dangerous building or structure?
- A: Contact our Building Standards service on (0141) 577 3001 if you think a building or structure is dangerous. Building Standards staff will inspect and assess the reported building. If it is judged to be dangerous, the owner will have to take the necessary action to remove the danger, by securing, repairing or demolishing the affected building or structure. If the owner is unwilling or not known, Building Standards may carry out the works to make the building safe and charge the owner. Outwith normal hours, you should report the dangerous building to the police who will in turn contact the Building Standards Service out-of-hours emergency number.
Publications Directory
Application for Building Warrant (PDF 164.2kb)