Quick links to our technical guidance

Approved Documents

The Approved Documents are produced by the Secretary of State to provide guidance on complying with the minimum standards of the Building Regulations.

The Building Act 1984

The Building Act is the primary legislation under which the Building Regulations and other secondary legislation is made.

The Act is available for viewing and printing from the Office of Public Sector Information.

The Building Regulations 2010

Guide To Extending Your Home

This guide will take you through the Building Control process. It is not a substitute for professional advice but it aims to show how your project will be affected by the Building Regulations.

The Party Wall etc Act 1996

You must tell your neighbours if you want to carry out any building work near or on your shared property boundary, or 'party wall', in England and Wales.

Party walls stand on the land of 2 or more owners and either:

  • form part of a building
  • don't form part of a building, such as a garden wall (not wooden fences)

Walls on one owner's land used by other owners (2 or more) to separate their buildings are also party walls.

Party Structures

You can also have a 'party structure'. This could be a floor or other structure that separates buildings or parts of buildings with different owners, eg flats.

Party wall agreements are different from planning permission or building regulations approval.

LABC Technical Guidance

To assist you with the technical aspects of your building projects, LABC (Local Authority Building Control) have produced a series of videos. For more information, you may wish to visit www.labc.co.uk

Homeowner Video Guides