Building site inspections
An officer will only come out on a site visit if a valid building regulations application has been submitted. If you contact us before 10am we can usually call the same day.
You can request an inspection online or by phone.
Alternatively, you can phone 01344 354100.
Your builder or agent can request inspections on your behalf however it is the home owner's responsibility to make sure all inspections are carried out.
Safety of our customers and staff during coronavirus
When physical on-site inspections are undertaken please note that:
- any construction staff are asked to wait in their vehicles during our surveyor’s inspection
- any occupants in the building at the time should remain in the building - if our surveyor needs to discuss any elements of the project, they will approach you
- you should remain in your vehicle or property at all times during the inspection unless requested to view the work with the surveyor, at which point you should observe the current 2 meter distancing requirement - a minimum of 2m distance must always be maintained between surveyors and customers
- your surveyor may contact you ahead of the inspection to check the site is clear and may refuse to enter the site if it is not
- our surveyors are not permitted to conduct physical site inspections for elements of construction which would require our surveyors to enter a building, touch surfaces or climb ladders
- clear access should be provided to the element to be inspected - our surveyors are not permitted to pass through elements of a building or enclosed space to gain access, such as to a garage or a covered way
- the access route should be clear of obstructions such as skips or tools which may force our surveyors to come in to contact with objects
When any of the above criteria cannot be met, we may use alternative methods to assess compliance such as requesting photographic evidence, reports or using video conferencing.
Repeat failure to observe social distancing on-site will result in a forfeit of your inspection booking.
Should this happen, works on site will be required to stop on that day and your surveyor will return the following day to reinspect. The site should remain vacated of all occupants and site personnel until your surveyor has contacted you to confirm the inspection has taken place and it is safe to return to site.
Breaching of the 2 meter social distancing requirement will not be tolerated.
Your surveyor has absolute discretion for their safety on site and failure to make sure your work is inspected may result in our office being unable to issue a Completion Certificate
Sending us photos
If you are requested to send photos, please send them to building.control@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
Our mailbox is limited to 30Mb so you may need to send multiple emails. Sending photographic evidence does not imply approval and you should seek approval from your building control surveyor after submitting the photographs.
Remote inspection checklists
When a virtual or remote inspection of site is undertaken, you will be requested to complete an inspection checklist to confirm that certain minimum construction standards have been adhered to on site. Your surveyor will advise you which of the forms listed below should be completed for your inspection.
Complete Drains checklist
Complete Floors above ground checklist
Complete Steelwork checklist
Complete Pre-plaster checklist
Complete Roof checklist
Complete Completion checklist
Stages of work
When you have submitted a full plans application or building notice and you are ready to start work you must notify us at various stages of the work. This will depend on what work is being carried out and will be explained in the guidance notes you will receive with the acknowledgement letter.
These are the usual stages of work that we inspect:
- commencement of work
- foundation excavations
- foundation concrete
- damp proof courses
- oversite preparation
- damp proof membranes
- drains before covering
- intermediate floor structures
- roofs
- major structural members such as beams and columns
- occupation
- completion
In addition to these we will usually ask for pressure tests of all drainage, and tests of fire detection and alarm systems
Contact information
Building control