Completion certificates

Once work on site is complete or occupation takes place, you must notify us within five days so that we can carry out a final inspection. If you don't contact us at this point, but approach us at a later date, we may be unable to issue your completion certificate.

We will make a final inspection before we certify the works fully comply with the regulations. It is best to do this whilst the builder is on site. If your inspection is satisfactory and we have received full payment of your building control fee and been notified of any relevant competent person scheme work, such as new electrics or a gas boiler, we will issue a completion certificate.

Your completion certificate is important as it shows future purchasers, banks, building societies and solicitors that, as far as can be ascertained, your project complied with the Building Regulations - so keep it in a safe place.

Please note if works are not inspected at the time of completion, this makes it more difficult for our inspectors to sign off the works.

Copies of completion certificates and/or Decision Notices

Decision notices are issued for applications for full plans only. 

At the end of the project, we will issue a completion certificate after a satisfactory final inspection (for all application types). You'll need this certificate if you sell the property. Your solicitor, bank or building society may need it too.

If you need a copy of a completion certificate or decision notice, please email buildingcontrol@guildford.gov.uk with the application reference number, full address of the site location and description of works. You need to pay £48 for each copy of a completion certificate or decision notice.  We'll respond to your request within 5 working days.

If the work completed before 1991, we'll give you the completion letter. 

Payment can be made by debit/credit card over the telephone or in person at our main reception. 

Phone number: 01483 505050

Request to complete projects not inspected in over 5 years/completing older applications

Legislation states that there is no time limit once work has started. However, we set our fees with the expectation that work will be carried out by a competent professional and completed within three years of your application being submitted.

We understand that some projects may have some short-term delays, however if you stop work on your project for a period of more than five years, when you resume, we reserve the right to charge an admin fee. This fee will be our admin fee at the time you start work again. Our current fee is £266 inc VAT.  

For applications now complete, but not inspected between 5 -13 years, our inspectors will need to review the application prior to any additional visit being undertaken. They will decide if a further visit is necessary or if they will be unable to issue a completion certificate. In either case, the admin fee will be charged to review the file and issue a letter/carry out an inspection accordingly.

Also, where a time lapse of more than 13 years has passed since our last inspection (since 2013) and the project is now complete, our inspectors will not issue a completion certificate. In this case our inspectors may issue a letter confirming the inspection stages that were undertaken and will confirm they can no longer issue a completion certificate. The admin fee will apply for this.

Payment can be made by debit/credit card over the telephone or in person at our main reception. 

Phone number: 01483 505050