About Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS)

Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS) is a not-for-profit membership organisation which represent Scotland's 32 local authority building standards services - the only appointed verifiers for their geographical area.

The Building Standards System

1.3 Purpose of the building standards system

1.3.1. The purpose of the building standards system is to protect the public interest. It is not intended to provide protection to a client in a contract with a builder. The building standards system sets out the standards to be met when building work or a conversion takes place, to the extent necessary to meet the building regulations.

1.3.2. The system is pre-emptive, designed to check that the proposed building work meets the standards. Inspections during construction and on completion are to protect the public interest in terms of compliance with the building regulations and to discourage avoidance of the legislation. The inspections do not provide a system to control work onsite. That is a matter for the contracts and arrangements put in place between the client and builder.

1.3.3. The roles established to operate the system are set out throughout the document. The role of checking compliance rests with verifiers and, in prescribed ways, approved certifiers. Enforcement is by local authorities. Updating is by the Building Standards Division (BSD) of the Directorate for Local Government and Communities of the Scottish Government, advised by departmental working groups.

Scotland's 32 local authorities administer the Building Standards System

Local Authority Building Standards

Speak to your local Building Standards Team

LA Contacts

Futures Board

Describes the development work within building standards to identify improvements in both service and delivery.

Building Standards Futures Board

The Board’s remit is to strategically advise and direct a broad programme of work aimed at improving the performance, expertise, resilience and sustainability of the Scottish building standards framework and services across Scotland.

Building Standards Delivery Model

The current delivery model has the 32 Scottish local authorities appointed as verifiers, covering their own geographical area. The need for a potentially improved and reshaped verification delivery model has been identified, including a review of the need for central hubs of expertise.

Verification Workforce Strategy

Facing an ageing workforce as well as lack of re-investment in staff and innovation of the service the principles of the workforce strategy will focus on identifying what is required to underpin a verification service for the future.

Compliance Plan

Large complex projects often change during the construction journey. Recent building failures have highlighted the need to ensure that designs, receiving a building warrant, are constructed in accordance with that design (especially the safety critical features). A compliance plan approach for complex and high value public buildings is being explored.

Certification Strategy

Re-appointment of current Certification bodies is ongoing and due to be completed by March 2020. A strategy for the future development of certification is being prepared to identify priorities and a range of short, medium and long term actions.

Digital Transformation

An eBuilding standards national portal was introduced in 2016. The portal enables the electronic submission of applications for building warrants and other forms, such as completion certificates. This project will explore how digital technology can support and enhance building standards.

Technical strategy

Technical guidance is used to meet building regulations and assist with compliance with the mandatory functional standards. A review on how the Technical Handbooks are developed and communicated is being undertaken. The technical strategy will direct how Scottish Government updates and provides guidance in the future. The technical strategy may encompass more digital options to improve compliance.

Verification standards

A review of the Operating and Performance Frameworks to assist verifiers in assessing their service against requirements is being undertaken. Verification standards will focus on the quality with which verification work is undertaken linking with the skills and experience of verifiers and applicants.

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Career in Building Standards

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LABSS Governance and structure

The LABSS management structure confirms the roles and responsibilities of the organisation. For a full list of current office bearers refer to the LABSS Executive and Management Board page below.

The Executive is elected by the LABSS Council Members and is responsible for:

overseeing the development of LABSS and providing strategic direction,
safeguarding its financial security, and
ensuring its operational effectiveness

Should you require to contact information please contact the Business Support and Communications Director on labss@labss.org

The current LABSS executive team and board

The Executive is elected by the LABSS Council Members and is responsible for: overseeing the development of LABSS and providing strategic direction, safeguarding its financial security and ensuring its operational effectiveness.

Current consortia members

Members from each of the seven consortia provide both management and technical expertise. The group plays a wide role in gathering and sharing common working practices.

LABSS Stakeholders

Local authority verifiers have dealings with many stakeholders while carrying out their verification and enforcement duties. This list will take you to the relevant websites/documents where further information/guidance can be obtained:

Working Groups

Local authority verifiers have dealings with many associated regulatory groups while carrying out their verification and enforcement duties. This page will take you to the relevant websites where further information/guidance can be obtained:

LABSS Partners

LABSS works closely with their England and Wales colleagues in LABC through joint working groups, liaison meetings and technical groups particularly in respect of UK-wide Registered Details all facilitated through a joint Framework Agreement.

LABSS also enjoys a good working relationship with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service where a Memorandum of Understanding has been in place for a number of years.

MOU SFRS

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service - This sets out the framework of co-operation and collaboration between the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and the Local Authority Building Standards Scotland (LABSS). The scope covers relevant functions of each organisation, areas of co-operation, exchange of information, training initiatives and joint promotion and publicity.

LABSS Code of Conduct

LABSS relies on and expects members to treat each other with respect and act fairly in all commercial matters. The LABSS Code of Conduct is embodied in its Constitution and Rules under Sections 2 and 4 and was created to set a standard of conduct, performance and a basis for mutual cooperation between members. The LABSS Constitution allows LABSS to require its members to comply with the Code of Conduct.

Guidance for Members of the Public

Local Authority Guidance

With around 500 professional surveyors, inspectors and support staff local authorities provide a locally delivered, independent, transparent, accountable and impartial service with common aims and procedures. Our local authority members aim to protect the public interest by ensuring that all new buildings and those being altered, extended, or converted comply with the building regulations and technical standards.

Our members work in partnership with building owners, homeowners, architects, plan drawers, engineers, developers, building contractors and other professionals to ensure buildings are designed and constructed to be safe, accessible, energy-efficient and sustainable.

Our members approve plans for building warrant and agree on a site inspection process before the construction works starts. They inspect work on-site and seek to ensure that buildings meet reasonable standards to enable the acceptance of completion certificates.

In addition, our members provide the enforcement role for the industry in cases where construction works fail to meet the building regulations and we ensure dangerous and defective buildings are made safe by working in partnership with the emergency services.

Our Members are accountable to our customers through common goals and practices contained in a Key Performance Framework.

Verification

Describes the role of the Local Authority Verifiers in delivering the Building Standards assessment, approval and completion of building projects under the building warrant process enshrined in the Building Scotland Act 2003.

STAS

A customer focused national approval system for house builders and developers. STAS offers approvals of standard building designs prepared by designers and developers of domestic and non-domestic projects in support of building warrant applications in Scotland, and producing real savings in time in the approval process. All local authorities accept a STAS certificate as evidence of compliance of the building standards. No further checks, other than local site conditions, are made for a design which has been approved nationally. This results in faster responses and faster approvals of building projects.

Advice on Building Projects

BSD provides comprehensive advice to you when you engage on a building project as evidenced by the references within this website. LABSS aids and adds to this advice through close working directly with your local building standards surveyor and by the publication of Information Papers designed to clarify the extent of any minimum standard you must meet.

Other services

Other services delivered by Building Standards Verifiers are:

Cross-departmental liaison on Fire risk assessment and health and safety matters relating new build and alterations and extensions to licensed premises and other non-domestic projects in consultation with the SFRS,

Cross-departmental liaison on Housing standards under the new Housing (Scotland) Act and the associated Scheme of Assistance and Stock Management & Standards Working Group for all housing throughout the council area, and

Providing advice on disabled access matters to the local Access Panel.

Refer to your local Building Standards service for further information.

Safety at Sports Grounds

Licensing

Emergency planning

Property enquiries

Street Naming and Numbering

Working Groups

Verifier Role

The principal role of the verifier is to consider and make decisions on building warrant and other associated applications and to consider applications for Completion Certificate through the process of reasonable inquiry. Scottish Ministers have appointed local authorities as sole verifiers for their own geographical area.

Verifiers should be impartial and their working practices, transparent, competent and consistent in their activity and accountable for their actions. In order to meet this requirement each verifier is required to comply with the requirement of a performance framework introduced in October 2012. The intention of the Performance Framework is to improve the quality of the verification service delivery as well as take forward the compliance with building regulations agenda to ensure consistency and predictability of verification activitiies.

Verification

Verification of the compliance of building works with Scottish Building Regulations is undertaken by the 32 Scottish local authorities in their role as Verifiers.

Enforcement

The Scottish Government considered it necessary to have an ongoing, independent body to enforce building legislation, with local knowledge and resources. Enforcement is the responsibility of the local authorities

Performance Framework

Verifiers are subject to regular monitoring and periodic inspection under a performance framework introduced in May 2012. It seeks to address a wide range of actions and behaviours which, between them, demonstrate a strong customer‐focused service. It will allow the assessment of building standards performance outcomes over a range of key national objectives. It has been developed to improve the quality, compliance, consistency and predictability of verification activities carried out by Scottish local authorities.

Enforcement

Section 25 Building regulation compliance notices to enable Government, through local authority notices, to require the existing buildings to be brought up to current regulations.
Section 26 Continuing requirements notices to ensure continuing compliance despite uncontrolled changes.
Section 27 Building enforcement notices for work not covered by a building warrant, work not in accordance with a warrant or a limited life building has not been demolished by the expiry of the period for which a warrant has been granted.
Section 28 Defective building notices for buildings that have defects that require to be dealt with to prevent significant deterioration.
Section 29 Dangerous building action, either immediate or urgent, to prevent access to and/or demolish the dangerous areas to secure the protection of the public.
Section 30 Dangerous building notices serve on the owner of a dangerous building that requires urgent action.

Where an owner does not comply with an enforcement notice, the local authority may then carry out the necessary work to make the building/work comply and can recover the costs from the owner.

Enforcement Role of Local Authorities