The short answer
Often, yes. Somerset Building Control accepts a regularisation application for roof work dating from after 11 November 1985, which is a way to get Building Regulations sign-off for work done without it. First check whether the job needed approval at all, and whether a completion certificate is already on file.
A buyer's solicitor asks for a certificate for a roof redone years ago, and nobody has one. There is a route for that, and it starts with a few checks.
What regularisation is for
Regularisation is an application made after the event. It deals with building work that needed Building Regulations approval, went ahead without it and now wants signing off. A house sale is the usual trigger, when the buyer's solicitor asks for evidence that a roof, a loft room or a chimney was done properly.
Which work can be regularised?
Somerset Building Control draws the line at 11 November 1985: its regularisation route is for work carried out after that date. Anything earlier falls outside it. So pin down when the roof was done. An old invoice, a previous owner or the date of a loft conversion may settle it.
Who do I apply to?
Somerset Building Control acts for Somerset Council across the former district areas of the county, Taunton among them. Its number is 0300 303 7790.
Houses in Devon, North Somerset or Dorset answer to a different council, so ask that council which building control body covers the address. Ask the council for your address. For a Taunton address, our page on building control in Taunton says more, and the homepage shows the roof work we take on.
Did the work need approval in the first place?
Many old roof jobs never needed sign-off, and an application is only worth making if this one did.
What is the re-roofing test?
The Planning Portal sets it out. If under 25 per cent of the building envelope is affected, and under 50 per cent of the roof, building control is not normally involved. The envelope is every external surface of the house added together, so the roof is a slice of it. Somerset Building Control has published no percentage for re-roofing, so we work from the Planning Portal figures.
When is approval needed regardless?
A new covering that is 15 per cent or more heavier than the old one also needs approval, as does one whose fire performance differs from the original. Planning Portal advice on weight is to consult a structural engineer or a surveyor first.
Some jobs have their own rules. Removing a chimney breast is always a Building Regulations matter, and a new conservatory roof has to comply too. Our answer on who notifies building control for a re-roof sets out the roles in more detail.
If the work stayed under the thresholds and used a similar covering, there may be nothing to regularise, and your solicitor can say what evidence the buyer needs.
Look for the paperwork before you apply
Before paying for a fresh application, make sure the certificate does not already exist.
Can I get a copy of an old completion certificate?
Somerset Building Control can supply copy completion certificates, and it holds its records for 15 years. If the work was inspected and signed off within that period, a copy may be all you need. If the sign-off is older, the council's file may have gone, so ask Somerset Building Control what it still holds.
What if a private firm signed it off?
Private building control existed long before 6 April 2024, the date when the register of approvers began. If a private body signed your roof off, its certificate should be in the sale papers or with the original contractor. Ask who the approver was.
Can a roofer add anything?
Yes. We survey the roof and photograph the covering, battens, underlay and fixings wherever they can be seen, then describe what is there. That gives you evidence to put in front of the building control body.
For buyers, our guide to roof checks when buying a house lists what to ask before exchange. Sellers can use the same list to see what a buyer is likely to raise.
When the roof itself is in doubt
Sometimes the missing certificate points to something else. Work without sign-off may also be work without checking, and the answer only comes from inspecting the roof itself.
What might a survey find?
The covering could be heavier than the old one, the battens undersized, the ventilation missed or the flashings at the chimney and walls thin. None of these is a given. Each is the kind of detail a building control officer would ask about, and each is easier to deal with before a sale than during one.
Should I put things right before applying?
Ask the building control body what it needs. Some defects may have to be corrected as part of the sign-off, and doing that work in the right order saves repeat visits. Any remedial work gets a single written price once we have surveyed it, before you commit.
How long does it take?
On a Full Plans application, Somerset Building Control quotes about 10 working days for a first response, with a decision normally within 5 weeks. Those figures belong to that route, not to regularisation, so ask what to expect for yours.
If a lender or buyer is waiting, say so when you first call. It may change the order in which things happen.
More on regularisation
What if my roof work was done before 1985?
Somerset Building Control states that the regularisation route covers work carried out after 11 November 1985, so older work falls outside it. A roofer's survey photos and a description of the covering can still help a buyer or solicitor. Ring Somerset Building Control on 0300 303 7790 about your address.
Is regularisation the same as a completion certificate?
They are related but not identical. A completion certificate shows the work was inspected and signed off at the time, and Somerset Building Control keeps its records for 15 years. Regularisation is an application made later when no sign-off exists. Ask for a copy certificate first, then consider regularisation.
The full picture: Roofers in Taunton ยท More short answers