What is a regularisation certificate?

If you, or the previous owners, carried out building work without applying for building control approval, or if you decide to sell your property, you may want to apply for retrospective acceptance of the work in the form of a regularisation certificate. 

When work needs to be 'regularised', you’re responsible for providing us with as much information as possible. This helps determine whether the works undertaken complies with the relevant regulations. 

You don't have to apply, but if you do and we can issue a regularisation certificate, this demonstrates that the work complies with the building regulations. 

You can apply for a regularisation certificate if the work was carried out without building control approval and was completed after 1985. If the work started before this date, we cannot help. Instead, you can seek the guidance and opinion of a chartered building surveyor.

What you’ll need before you apply

When you submit your application, you should provide as much information as possible to show the work complies with building regulations.

This could include:

  • site plans
  • calculations
  • invoices
  • photographs

You can still apply if you don’t have any information about the work. 

How to apply for a regularisation certificate

Using one of the online portals below is the quickest way for us to process your application. 

Complete the online form on the Planning Portal

Alternatively you can send in your building control application via submitaplan or download Building Control application forms and submit to building.control@sutton.gov.uk.

Regularisation certificate application costs

Our Regularisation application costs are online, alternatively you can request a quote if your works are non-standard.

How to make a payment

You can make payment once you've completed your online building control application via the Planning Portal. However if you have any additional payments to make, or have submitted via an alternative route you can also pay by;

  • fees can be paid online (select Building Control payment option).
  • fees can also be paid via the Sutton contact centre on 020 8770 5000
  • cheques should be made payable to 'London Borough of Sutton' and sent to Building Control, Civic Offices, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, SM1 1EA

After you’ve applied

Once you’ve applied for your regularisation certificate, you’ll receive an email and a reference number confirming your application.

Before a certificate can be issued, you must book a site inspection so we can inspect the work.

Where we cannot ascertain compliance with all areas of the work, we are authorised to request to uncover particular works, whether complete or incomplete, for our inspection. Where possible, Sutton Building Control service will work with you and any appointed third party you’ve selected.

Sutton Building Control service is legally bound to ensure that all works associated with the project meet the requirements of the Building Regulations. We’ll use the information to determine whether overall compliance has been achieved. Where we have concerns about non-compliance, we’ll tell you. You’ll be responsible for justifying or correcting the works and allowing site inspection.

If you decide not to proceed, you’ll not receive a refund of any part of the charge you have paid.