Complaints procedure

Introduction

With all building work, the owner and occupier of the property or land in question are ultimately responsible for complying with the relevant planning rules and building regulations. The role of building control is to act as an independent third-party check, and Registered Building Control Approvers (RBCA’s) are required to take such steps as are reasonable to enable them to be satisfied, within the limits of professional skill and care, that the applicable aspects of the Building Regulations are complied with.

AI Ltd is committed to providing a good quality service. We want to:

Make it easy for you to raise your complaint.
Listen to your complaint.
Consider how you would like us to resolve your complaint.
Make sure you are satisfied with how your complaint was handled.
Ensure that when reviewing your complaint that we also review and improve our own procedures and prevent re-occurrence.

When the complaint relates to faults with the build quality, the first stage is for you to contact the builder/contractor and/or to liaise with the Approved Inspectors Ltd Registered Building Inspector (RBI) appointed for your project directly, to try and reach a successful resolution. They should be allowed to resolve the issues you are having with your property before it is escalated under this Complaints Policy.

Where the RBI does not respond to your complaint satisfactorily, please proceed to Stage 2 below and submit a formal complaint.

If the complaint does not relate to the actions of the builder, contractor, or RBI, please proceed to Stage 2 to submit a formal complaint.

Please note that if the complaint is related to financial or contractual matters, this is outside of the complaint remit of Approved Inspectors Ltd. We recommend that you contact one of the third-party bodies detailed in Stage 3. We would also recommend that you take independent legal advice as you may need to make a claim through the courts to retrieve any monies owed to you.

This Policy is to establish a consistent protocol by which all representations to AI Ltd receive prompt action and achieve a swift resolution.

What is the role of Approved Inspectors Ltd?

Our role as a Registered Building Control Approver (RBCA) is to provide guidance and assistance in relation to compliance with the Building Regulations and to carry out reasonable checks to ensure that building works undertaken comply with these Regulations. We do not provide a guarantee of compliance with the Building Regulations. We certify that as far as can be ascertained the works meet the functional requirements of the Building Regulations.

In order to discharge this duty and allow us to issue a Final Certificate, we conduct a detailed assessment of any architectural drawings issued and carry out risk-based site inspections during construction. We are not employed to act as a Clerk of Works and will not monitor every stage of the construction process. The responsibility for compliance remains with the dutyholders.

Where a complaint is outside of this remit, there may not be any action that we can take and therefore the matter may need to be taken up with the appointed builder/contractor.

Our role as a Registered Building Control Approver does NOT include:

Quality control of the works carried out on the property.
‘Clerk of works’ service monitoring every stage of the construction process.
Services relating to the finish and aesthetics of the works completed.
A service offering contractual protection between the person carrying out the work and the parties engaged in the design/ construction work.
A guarantee of compliance with the Building Regulations.

For complaints relating to any of the above, Approved Inspectors Ltd would not be able to investigate under our Complaints Policy; however, please contact the appointed Registered Building Inspector and they may be able to provide additional guidance on who to contact to try and resolve your issue.

The remainder of this document explains what to do if you have a complaint about the service you receive from AI Ltd. It also tells you how quickly we will deal with your complaint and who to contact if you are not satisfied with our response.

How to complain and where to direct your complaint

If you are not satisfied with any aspect of our service, then we would like you in the first instance to contact the RBI allocated to your project who will investigate your concerns and will try and resolve or rectify any issues with you directly.

If you are not fully satisfied with the response and would like to take the matter further, then please contact us in writing (email is acceptable) fully detailing your complaint and confirming what outcome you expect. Please address your complaint to:

Mr Chris Vaughan, Managing Director
Email: chris.vaughan@approvedinspectorsltd.co.uk
Post: Head Office, Offices 5 & 6, Hampson Green, Hampson Lane, Lancaster, LA2 0HY
Telephone: 01524 33023

How will we deal with your complaint?

Stage 1 – Informal Procedure (5 Working Days)

Contact the RBI you have been dealing with and explain the reason for your dissatisfaction. We will aim to review your file and contact you to discuss within 5 working days. If following the file review and a discussion regarding the complaint the outcome is considered acceptable, this will be recorded on your file and no further action will be necessary. If this informal process fails, the matter will be taken to Stage 2.

Stage 2 – Formal Investigation (10 Working Days)

A formal complaint should be submitted in writing as outlined above. We will contact the complainant to fully understand the complaint, interview the relevant employees and review the application file. On completion, we will provide a written response to the complainant confirming the result of the investigation. If the complainant accepts the findings, the matter will be closed. If they do not accept the findings, the matter will be taken to Stage 3.

Stage 3 – Appeal

If you feel that you have fully exhausted this complaints procedure, then you may refer your complaint to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The BSR can be contacted directly in one of the following ways:

Telephone: 0300 790 6787
Online service via this link.

You can also find details about the Building Safety Regulator Investigation Procedure Statement on the HSE website.

Updated 26 April 2024

DESCRIPTION OF WORK
Please provide a description of the work to be undertaken. If applicable please provide dimensions, elevation/location, cost of work and copies of plans. Advise what the work is to create e.g., a new kitchen. If internal works please advise where it is located under the current plans. When uploading documents acceptable formats are .jpg .jpeg .png .pdf (maximum upload size 16MB each).

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DESIGN STAGE ASSESSMENT
Please advise if you require a Design Stage Assessment as part of your application. Although Building Regulations Plans are not required for small, incomplex domestic works, we strongly advise detailed Building Regulation drawings are produced for all projects as they help reduce ambiguity between the Client and Principal Contractor, whilst allowing AI Ltd to accurately assess proposals for Building Regulations compliance. If you do not have building regulations plans for assessment we will offer general guidance that will be relevant to your proposal of works but may not be specific to your project. Please be aware that failure to appoint a Principal Designer will result in the role of the Principal Designer being automatically assumed by the Principal Contractor. For further details of dutyholder responsibilities please refer to Part 2A of The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/911/regulation/6/made).

Yes I require a Design Stage AssessmentNo I do not require a Design Stage Assessment

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Please include any additional information we need to be aware of in the box below.

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DESCRIPTION OF WORK
Please provide a description of the work to be undertaken. If applicable please provide number of plots, dimensions, elevation/location and cost of work.

OPTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
It is the responsibility of the person carrying out the work to inform ourselves of any optional requirements that have been imposed on the development once planning permission has been granted. Therefore, please confirm if any optional requirements apply to the development. Details of any optional requirements can be found in your planning conditions from your Local Authority. Any amendments to these details after submission of the Initial Notice may incur an additional charge.

CONNECTIVITY PLAN
We are required to submit a Connectivity Plan with the Initial Notice. Please complete the Connectivity Plan template (available in the Resources section of our website) and upload below along with a written confirmation from your network provider.

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PLANS & OTHER DOCUMENTATION
Please upload any plans (building regulation plans if possible) and other relevant documentation here. When uploading documents acceptable formats are .jpg .jpeg .png .pdf (maximum upload size 16MB each).