South Cambridgeshire Local Authority, yay/nay?

[Gema]

Hi, 

 

we are trying to decide whether to use Local Authority for building regulations or a private company. We are in South Cambridgeshire and would like to know if someone has had experience interacting with them (https://www.3csharedservices.org/) and they found them responsive or have some feedback.

 

Alternatively, if we were to use a private company for this, any recommendations for this side of the country? We have Act Surveyors, Delta, and Gateway building control on our short list.

 

Our reason to go with Local Authority would be that we've read that private BCAs are a bit hit and miss, so it seemed better to go with local authority. Until you read some of the posts here that have so many issues with constraint resources in some areas... At the end of the day, we'd like a BCA that's responsive, relatively fast to respond/iterate, and as clear as possible in their feedback.

[Dreadnaught]

I have used "3CSharedServices" for the building control for my (solo) self build in Cambridge city. I am currently at first fix and the next inspection is for completion (still some distance ahead).

 

I have been happy with them all the way through. 

 

Happy to provide more information if you like.

 

Dreadnaught

[Gus Potter]

9 hours ago, Gema said:

we are trying to decide whether to use Local Authority for building regulations or a private company. We are in South Cambridgeshire and would like to know if someone has had experience interacting with them (https://www.3csharedservices.org/) and they found them responsive or have some feedback.

 

Alternatively, if we were to use a private company for this, any recommendations for this side of the country? We have Act Surveyors, Delta, and Gateway building control on our short list.

 

Our reason to go with Local Authority would be that we've read that private BCAs are a bit hit and miss, so it seemed better to go with local authority. Until you read some of the posts here that have so many issues with constraint resources in some areas... At the end of the day, we'd like a BCA that's responsive, relatively fast to respond/iterate, and as clear as possible in their feedback.

Now to stir things up. 

 

Say you have a private regulated pension. The provider goes bust.. the UK gov often pick up the tab. 

 

But Private BC's need to hold cover for apparently 15 -30 years.. but if the company goes bust then what? 

 

To put this into context. As an SE I hold £2.0 million cover as a sole trader and it's expensive, but rightly so. If, god forgive I do make a mistake and someone gets hurt then the very least I can do is to have adequate insurance that could go to help someone that I have hurt. It's common knowledge that nearly all SE's stop practicing if you have designed something that has killed someone. Personally I would also hang up my boots.. the guilt could be very hard mentally to deal with. 

 

But private BC in England.. it's every man for them self! The piper calls the tune.. It's chancers charter! 

 

Private BC's are writing very much more liability that is supposed to be on 15 - 30 years for cover time! If bet if you look at their T & C's they have not factored in run off insurance cover. I think that this length of cover (if including run off)  is not really going to make private BC's competetive? But what happens when private BC goes bust.

 

I'm battling with a warranty provider at the moment.. deny, delay, defend,they do everything to avoid engaging in a Claim, same will happen with private BC. 

 

The thing lots of folk on BH don't get is that if your house is non compliant and someone like me turns up to value it.. it's blighted if  not compliant. 

 

In summary private BC may be fine to get you over the line.. but in ten years time you may struggle to seek recourse.

 

It's frankly an English gimmic. In Scotland we have a much more robust system that protects the public, not the best but much more in the round. 

 

OH I feel outrage from some of the English members of BH..! But deep down I know lots of you know you are chancing your arm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Gus Potter