The Building Act 1984 is the law controlling building in England and sets the enforcement powers.
The Building Regulations 2010 go into more detail about building work. Most building work carried out in England must comply with the Building Regulations. There is a legal definition of ‘building work’ which includes:
Those responsible for carrying out building work have a duty to meet the requirements of the Building Regulations. Generally, the Building Regulations set out the required standards for the building work.
As an example, a home must be insulated, but the Building Regulations do not give details of how this can be achieved. The approved documents give help for some common problems.
There are 15 technical requirements in Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations. Each technical requirement corresponds to a letter – for example, Part L is Conservation of fuel and power. These set out some of the legal requirements of the Building Regulations – these are rules that must be followed.
Anyone planning the building work can choose how best to meet the rules, and there is guidance to help them in the approved documents. Everyone involved in carrying out building work must follow the rules. That includes: the building owner, agents, designers, builders and installers.
The technical requirements and approved documents most relevant to insulation are Part B Fire, Part F Ventilation, Part L Conservation of fuel and power and Part O Overheating.
Approved document B is published in two volumes. Volume 1 deals solely with dwellings, including blocks of flats, while Volume 2 deals with all other types of building covered by the Building Regulations.
You can find the most recent editions of Approved Document B together with any amendments here
This approved document is split into two sections:
C1 Site preparation and resistance to contaminants
C2 Resistance to moisture
You can find the most recent edition of Approved Document C together with any amendments here
Approved Document F, gives guidance on how to comply with Part F of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations. Volume 1 relates to dwellings and Volume 2 relates to buildings other than dwellings.
You can find the most recent editions of Approved Document F together with any amendments here
Approved Document L gives guidance on how to comply with Part L of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations and the energy efficiency requirements. Volume 1 relates to dwellings and Volume 2 relates to buildings other than dwellings.
You can find the most recent editions of Approved Document L together with any amendments here.
Approved Document O relates only to new residential buildings. It aims to protect the health and welfare of occupants of the building by reducing the occurrence of high indoor temperatures.
You can find the most recent edition of Approved Document O together with any amendments here.
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