How 'unfinished' can a building be, but still get a 'completion certificate'?!

[sunflower]

Forgive my ignorance, google hasn't been super helpful so far...

 

What does a 'building completion certificate' have to have? Is it possible to see an example of one somewhere?

 

As I understand it, completion certificates are crucial for showing Mortgage companies that your build is 'finished' (so you can receive final stage payments, then move to new better mortgage rates)

 

Our problem is that although most of the house will be finished in 12 months, it will take us a couple more years to achieve the fully finished, fancy-pants spec we'd like on kitchens, bathrooms, flooring etc. We can borrow enough on the mortgage to fund the bulk of the build, but will have to earn-and-spend for the finer details, or rely on remortgaging later on (during this time we won't need to live in the house, so from our point of view it won't 'need' a kitchen for example)

 

What i'd like to understand, is how 'unfinished' a building can be, but still be classed as 'complete'! Does that makes sense?!

 

Grateful for any advice, thank you

[Conor]

Different banks have different requirements. Ours, was architects completion certificate and building control signoff. But ultimately, it'll come down to the banks valuation surveyor's opinion. We recently went back to our bank for additional money but the valuer rated the house as "zero" due to unfinished landscaping and a few other things. 

[Mr Punter]

For Building Regs, you can get a completion certificate once you are at shell stage and complied with all the regs.  Floor and wall finishes don't matter, but electrics need to be complete and signed off, as does gas and drainage, heating and ventilation.  All insulation in place, doors and windows fitted, airtightness signed off, entrance access in place.  You will need your as built SAP.

 

External works not an issue for Building Regs, but probably over 90% of the spend will need to happen.

 

Don't risk running short of money in the current lending climate or you could go skint.

[Haylingbilly]

I suspect each building control officer is going to look at this slightly differently. Decorating, landscaping and flooring would be no problem (though you will need to demonstrate disabled access). If you have multiple bathrooms then I would imagine you only need to fit one out. But I do think you will need to show a working kitchen and bathroom so you can show an electrical completions certificate, water efficiency calculation and adequate ventilation. You may get away with almost all second fix carpentry though if you need fire doors I think they will need to be installed as will stairs and any balustrades. I would do a list of what you intend to do and discuss it with your building control office....  

[Temp]

We got completion in England with..

• No kitchen fitted
• Two bathrooms without 2nd fix (no bath, shower, loo or basin).
• Lots of missing wall lights (just a chocbox wrapped in tape). 
• One wood burner not installed.

This is what I remember our BCO wanted to do on our final inspection:

• Checked outstanding issues from previous visits had been done.
• Checked the electrics were signed off.
• Witnessed our builder pressure testing the drains (required me to cap off some pipes waste pipes with plastic bags and tape). 
• Inspected all glass that needed to be toughened (eg infill panels on stairs, low height windows etc). The BCO said he was looking for the "kite mark". He couldn't find it on some because they were faint. I had to find them for him while he carried on. if there is ever a next time I would find out where the marks are in advance. 
• Tested all coated glass in windows with a resistance tester? That showed we had some panes the wrong way around but it didn't bother the BCO.
• Checked the height of all window sills and the clear opening width.

Failures allowed:

• He noticed lack of air brick in the room where the wood burner was going. I pointed to a MVHR vent in the ceiling and said we had an air vent system. He thought about it for a moment or too and moved on.
• He discovered two upstairs window sills were too low by 1-2cm but signed us off on the understanding I would fit window restrictors to prevent people falling out.

This was in 2007 so they may want more stuff now? Air tightness tests?

[kandgmitchell]

Speak to the BCO dealing with the job and get a list of what they expect to see for a completion certificate. As mentioned above different BCO's have differing ideas as to "completion". It's going to be easier than second guessing them.

[Pocster]

Or …

You can have a bco like mine whom ignores you for a decade . He just wants bits of paper for tick box excercise…

[1guto1]

How did you get on with this? @sunflower

This is exactly the position we're in, also if we have a completion certificate can the rest of the builds VAT still be 0% rated?

[Nick Laslett]

On 03/11/2023 at 16:56, Temp said:

Tested all coated glass in windows with a resistance tester? That showed we had some panes the wrong way around

@Temp, please could you give more details on the resistance tester for the windows. I had a disagreement with my window fitter which way round the panes should go. I clarified with the suppliers, but am still a bit paranoid, any more details would be appreciated. 

[Temp]

Sorry I don't have any info on the tester. I assume the coating is metal based so it's slightly conductive. It should be on the indoor side.

 

Some of our windows have a dozen small panes/lights and the BCO tested every one of them. If one didn't pass he opened the window and tested the outside. That's how we knew a few were in the wrong way around.