Community and Enterprise Resources

Building Standards National Customer Charter for Verification Services 2024

Building Standards Customer Charter

The Building Standards Charter provides information about the standards of service that all verifiers should meet. This gives customers the reassurance that a consistent, high-quality service will be delivered no matter which verifier provides the service.

It is divided into two parts:

National Charter

Local Charter

Part 1: National Charter

Our aims:

To grant building warrants and accept completion certificates.

To secure the health, safety, welfare, and convenience of persons in and about buildings and others who may be affected by buildings or matters connected with buildings.

Furthering the conservation of fuel and power.

Furthering the achievement of sustainable development.

Our vison/values:

To provide a professional and informative service to all our customers.

Our commitments:

Nationally all verifiers will:

1.	Seek to minimise the time it takes for customers to obtain a building warrant or to obtain an amendment to building warrant.

2.	Ensure continuous improvement around the robustness of our verification assessments to ensure compliance.

3.	Meet and seek to exceed customer expectations.

4.	Carry out local customer satisfaction surveys, such as surveys and focus groups,

5.	Address feedback obtained through local and national customer satisfaction research (including a National Customer Satisfaction Survey) to improve the customer experience.

6.	Provide information on local formal complaints procedures, the LABSS Dispute Resolution Process, and the BSD Customer Performance Reporting Service, and refer customers as appropriate.

7.	Provide accurate financial data that is evidence-based.

8.	Engage and participate in partnership working at local and national level to identify and embed service improvements at national level.

9.	Work collaboratively with the Scottish Building Standards Hub.

10.	Adhere to a national annual performance report outline our objectives, targets, and performance.

11.	Fully adhere to the commitments outlined in this Charter (including information on customer dissatisfaction in relation to building warrant processing timescales, processes, and technical interpretation.

12.	Use a consistent format for our continuous improvement plans.

Our Targets: Key Performance Outcomes

KPO1 Minimise time taken to issue a first report or issue a building warrant or amendment to building warrant.

1.1	95% of first reports (for building warrants and amendments) issued within 20 days –all first reports (including BWs and amendments issued without a first report).

1.2	90% of building warrants and amendments issued within 10 days from receipt of all satisfactory information – all building warrants and amendments (not including BWs and amendments issued without a first report).

KPO2 Increase quality of compliance assessment during the construction processes.

2.1	Targets to be developed as part of future review of KPO2.

KPO3 Commit to the building standards customer charter.

3.1	National customer charter is published prominently on the website and incorporates version control detailing reviews (reviewed at least quarterly).

3.2	95% of BSD requests for information on a BSD ‘Verifier Performance Reporting Service for Customers’ case responded to by verifier within 5 days.

KPO4 Understand and respond to the customer experience.

4.1	Minimum overall average satisfaction rating of 7.5 out of 10.

KPO5 Maintain financial governance.

5.1	Building standards verification fee income to cover indicative verification service costs (staff costs plus 30%).

KPO6 Commit to eBuilding Standards.

6.1	Details of eBuilding Standards to be published prominently on the verifier’s website.

6.2	75% of each key building warrant related process being done electronically – Plan checking - Building warrant or amendments (and plans) being issued - Verification during construction - Completion certificates being accepted.

KPO7 Commit to objectives outlined in the annual performance report.

7.1	Annual performance report published prominently on website with version control (reviewed at least quarterly).

7.2	Annual performance report to include performance data in line with KPOs and associated targets (annually covering previous year for example April 2023 – March 2024).

More information:

National information on the verification performance framework can be found at the Scottish Government Website.

Part 2: Local Charter

Purpose of our Local Charter

We are committed to giving our customers high-quality service. The aim of our local charter is to inform you about the service we provide. We review our service to ensure we continue to meet our customers’ needs.

Services provided:

An online service for the submission of building warrant and related applications and information through the Scottish Government eDevelopment portal.

Process Building Warrant applications.

Verification construction work relating to building warrants in accordance with the issued Construction Compliance Notification Plan.

Verification of Completion Certificate submissions.

A regularisation service in relation to works undertaken without statutory consent or the necessary Completion Certificate.

Provide a 24-hour emergency call out service to investigate reported Dangerous Buildings.

Enforcement work relating to unauthorised or dangerous buildings.

An advisory service to the council’s Licensing Section in relation to licensed premises.

Respond to requests for inspection in relation to Safety at Sports Grounds applications.

Provide a search request service for copies of Building Warrant documents.

Provide guidance on ‘inclusive design’ and accessibility in the built environment.

Performance outcomes

In most cases, we aim to provide you with a full response, or issue the building warrant, as applicable, within 20 working days from receipt of your valid application. In some complex cases, applications for a building warrant will result in a “customer agreement” between you and building standards where the performance outcomes including the target first response period will be specifically agreed.

Dissatisfaction with response times performance

Other than those applications covered by a customer agreement, if you have not received a full response, or a building warrant, as applicable, within 35 working days from receipt of your valid application you have the right to request resolution to the matter. This may be done, in the first instance, by contacting our office by phone on 0303 123 1015 or email at buildingstandards@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

If you remain unsatisfied with the outcome you may also contact the Building Standards Division at: buildingstandards@gov.scot

What you can do to help:

Ask a professional (such as an architect or engineer) to prepare plans for your application.

Make sure you come to your appointments on time and let us know if you are going to be late.

Give us all the information we need when we ask for it.

Make sure that you carefully read all the information and guidance we give you and follow our advice.

Tell us about any changes that might affect the services we provide to you (for example, if you change your proposals or agent).

Use a reference or application number, if you have one, when you contact us.

Customer feedback – let us know what you think

We want to know what you think of our service. Your views will help us to see what is important to you, and we can use this information to provide a better service to everyone.

Please send your comments, views, and suggestions to us at: building.standards@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

You can also fill in the online form on the South Lanarkshire Council website

How to use our service

We provide our Building Standards Service through two area teams and an HQ team which are based at our offices in Hamilton. You can get in touch with us in person, by phone, by email, by letter or by going to the South Lanarkshire Council website

Forms you can submit online via the Scottish Government eDevelopment Portal are:

Application for a building warrant

Application for amendment of building warrant

Notice of intention to use an approved certifier of construction

Completion certificate

Application for temporary occupation or use

Application to extend period of validity of building warrant

Completion certificate where no building warrant obtained submission

Alternatively, you can send your building warrant application and other correspondence to our address note below.

Building Standards Service Contact Details

The Building Standards Service is open from 8.45am to 4.45pm Monday to Thursday, and from 8.45am to 4.15pm on Fridays. During these hours a duty surveyor will answer any general questions about the Building Standards process between 9.00am and 1.00pm.

If you need to ask a more specific question about a particular application, please phone us first to arrange an appointment with the case surveyor. Please do not visit our offices about specific applications without an appointment, because the Building Standards surveyor who deals with your application might not be available.

For general enquiries, please call 0303 123 1015

Where to find us:

Planning and Regulatory Services

South Lanarkshire Council

Floor 6, Council Offices

Almada Street

Hamilton ML3 0AA

email: buildingstandards@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

If you need this information in another language or format, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone 0303 123 1015 or email equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

Map of South Lanarkshire

Reproduction by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2019. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100020730 2019.