Glossary of terms

Building regulations are a set of design rules and standards that all new buildings must meet. They include fire safety, structures, sound, ventilation, electrical safety, materials and workmanship. The Building Control Inspector is responsible for regular reviews during the build before the final Building Regulation Certificate is issued.

Passed in April 2022 following the Grenfell fire, the Act makes sweeping changes to law around the design and construction of all buildings, and particularly those over 18 meters or 7 stories (sometimes also referred to as Higher-Risk Buildings or HRBs).

The Building Safety Case Report is produced by the Accountable Person (Southern Housing). It demonstrates how to manage the risk of fire and the structural safety of a building. The Building Safety Regulator can request sight of it at any time following the registration of the building.

Snagging inspections are carried out on individual properties to check workmanship just before practical completion. A schedule of remaining works is presented to the contractor to make good.

A final check that the original snagging list of defects have been rectified and that nothing has been further damaged during the repairs.

The Accountable Person is the person or organisation that is responsible for the building’s safety. This person or organisation must take all reasonable steps to:

• Prevent a building safety risk happening. A building safety risk is defined as “spread of fire and/or structural failure”.
• Reduce the seriousness of an incident if one happens.
• Register existing buildings with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR); 
• Register all new buildings before occupation.
• Prepare a building safety case report for the building.
• Apply for a building assessment certificate when directed to by the BSR.

Southern Housing is the named AP for all our buildings over 18M or 7 storeys.

Witness testing is typically conducted by qualified mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineers. They act as a neutral third party to ensure the M&E systems meet the specified design criteria, industry standards, and regulatory requirements.

Our main contractor

Also referred to as 'we' or 'our'.

A process and document that assesses the potential fire risks in a building or property. It identifies hazards, assesses the likelihood of a fire, and provides recommendations for improving fire safety. 

Oversees and administers the build contract on behalf of Southern Housing. 

An insurance policy issued by the warranty provider (NHBC, Premier, LABC, etc). It usually lasts for 10 years and protects homeowners and mortgage lenders from structural defects caused by design issues, faulty materials, or poor workmanship.

This is confirmation that the warranty provider (NHBC etc) has inspected the building and is satisfied the building has been constructed to industry standards and therefore lenders are willing to lend against the property.

This is a government agency that oversees building safety and helps ensure new regulations are followed, especially for high-rise buildings.

These form part of a planning consent which set out a number of conditions to be followed. They need to be discharged / approved by the local authority during construction, for example the materials used on the external façade. 

This is when the building is finished and ready for occupation, unless the building is subject to building safety registration.

This is when the Construction team are happy the properties are ready for occupation and hand over the keys to the Sales team who then serve notice to buyers to complete.