A Career in Building Control   

Anyone constructing or altering buildings in the UK must comply with national Building Regulations, which are designed to ensure the health, safety, welfare and convenience of users of buildings. Building Control Professionals are responsible for the technical appraisal of buildings for compliance with such Building Regulations and Acts of Parliament. A career in Building Control, offers a varied, challenging and demanding job in a key sector of the construction industry.

The work of Building Control is both complex and varied. It involves technical skills and expertise in assessing building schemes from conception through to completion and occupation. A significant part of the work involves helping and guiding designers and developers. Building Control Professionals will therefore find themselves networking with other construction professionals including:

• Architects
• Builders
• Developers
• Surveyors
• Engineers
• Fire Officers
• Solicitors

The involvement of these disciplines enables an integrated approach, which will help to ensure that buildings are safe and suitable for their intended use.

The work includes:

• Examination of plans for new buildings, alterations and extensions
• Inspection of buildings and building operations.
• Inspection and testing of drainage works and materials.
• The taking of samples of materials and assessing the suitability of new techniques and innovations.
• Maintaining accurate records.

These duties extend over the whole range of buildings from small, domestic residential property to large scale, multi-million pound commercial and industrial developments. A Building Control Practitioner might be supervising a prestigious office development designed by an internationally renowned architect one day and undertaking completion inspections on mixed, housing development schemes the next. No two days will be the same with interesting designs to keep one busy.

Other responsibilities within Local Authority Building Control may also include:

• Dangerous structures.
• Safety at Sports Grounds and other open-air events.
• Cinema and theatre inspections.
• Entertainment licences.
• Demolition requirements.

The London District Surveyors Association (LDSA) acts as the central representative body for Local Authority Building Control in London. The LDSA actively promotes Building Control as a career and works closely with the University of Westminster through visiting lecturers and assessors from the Building Control profession in the development of a Building Control Surveying Degree as the first stage to gaining professional qualifications with the RICS or ABE.

The Association will be pleased to put you in contact with member authorities regarding Building Control vacancies in London. You can also visit the individual boroughs websites to look for current vacancies by selecting appropriate authorities from the boroughs area of this website.