Despite all material desires, man’s basic needs remain food, clothes, and shelter. A well-built home offers shelter over one’s head when sleeping, eating, and engaging in other activities.
Houses also provide security and a place to unwind before starting the following day’s job. In general, everyone needs a suitable place to live, which is why there is such a high demand for housing in the United Kingdom.
However, the process of developing a new house is quite demanding. As a property developer, you must complete various checklists, gather documentation, and gain authorisation to create a perfect home that complies with safety rules and government regulations. Examples include biodiversity net gain plan, site insurance, government regulatory compliance, etc. Here are to-dos to guarantee that your next construction project complies with government regulations.
Adhere To Government Building Regulations
The United Kingdom compiled a set of building regulations to ensure that newly constructed homes are safe and well-designed. These requirements are comprehensive and include electrical, structural, and fire safety provisions, among others. You should also know the ventilation and drain needs.
Health and safety and access to facilities for people of all abilities are the primary goals of England and Wales’s Building Regulations and Scotland’s Building Standards if you’re building in the two countries.
The rules do not only apply to new construction; they also apply to commercial and social housing developments. Minor projects, such as replacing windows and doors, are also covered. To ensure a high quality of service, select inspectors and surveyors with extensive expertise in the technical audit work throughout the construction of the plot.
Get Structural Warranty
Your new-build checklist should also include a structural guarantee for your new constructions. With myriad options, having a comprehensive and well-recognised structural warranty on your side will help you stand out from the crowd.
It would be best to consider how effectively the structural warranty would work while selecting. If so, are mortgage companies aware of it? What exactly does it include? It’s also important to know if this warranty provider can provide you with a quick and efficient service. In the long run, you’ll be glad you did your homework.
Your guarantee should contain primary and supplementary coverage, such as polluted land, removal of debris, and protection for inhabitants’ well-being. If you fail to adhere to any construction laws, it will help safeguard your reputation.
Get Biodiversity Net Gain Report
Biodiversity net gain is simply a strategy for property development to make lands greener than before new usage. The Environment Act 2021 established a new framework for environmental governance in the United Kingdom. This act explains that property developers must meet a 10% biodiversity net gain criterion for planning clearance under the Act’s Part 6.
Getting a rapid biodiversity assessment from reputable companies like Biodiversity Net Gain Plan is advisable to ensure you meet this requirement. They’re an excellent service that will discharge your planning conditions and provide your net gain report without delay.
Ensure Housing Safety
The first stage in building a new home is evaluating the local health and safety laws. The development site can be dangerous; therefore, your health and safety procedures must be up to standard. It is your responsibility to safeguard everyone who may be prone to danger by your acts or inactions, including your workers, site visitors, and anyone in general. Fortunately, there is a lot of information to ensure safety in new housing projects.
Health and safety are crucial on new-build building sites because of the wide range of crafts involved. In the Building regulations, you’ll find a list of some of the most common behaviours. It’s also important to remember that the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1993 places responsibility on both the customer and the contractor. So it is essential to go through the safety laws before proceeding with the housing.
Include Property Site Insurance
New housing requires site insurance, just like construction sites. Insurance safeguards the property during a disaster and provides a sense of security during construction.
The potential damage on new-build building sites may be highly considerable; you should not leave it to chance. Selecting the right insurance company for your website is essential and another way to meet the government target for new housing.
If the worst happens, your development site coverage for theft, vandalism, and fire might come in handy. Check the document and the policy terms to be sure you understand what is covered by the insurance you select.
Provide Essential Documents
Developing a property from scratch to completion requires a lot of paperwork. You should securely store documents such as technical audits, insurance policies, and contracts so you can easily retrieve them in demand.
To ensure you do not misplace any property document, stack all of them in a single folder. Furthermore, ensure to present the essential papers to the appropriate parties.
Get Energy Performance Certificate
Another critical thing developers can do to meet government targets for new housing is to obtain the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The EPC testing is an essential checklist for new housing to assess the property’s energy efficiency.
The England and Wales Approved Document L and Scotland’s Technical Handbook both mandate EPC testing as part of new building regulations. A comprehensive assessment of a home’s energy efficiency is provided to everyone living in it or considering purchasing it. Selling new houses is not possible without having the EPC.
As a developer, you must test the new house’s air pressure to ensure it is as clean as possible and safe to live in. To provide a quality service, engage a team of surveyors and inspectors to do the EPC testing for you.
In Summary
As a property developer, you have a lot of work to make your homes safe and secure. For example, you get a biodiversity net gain plan, EPC testing, warranty, insurance, etc. Now you know what to do to meet the government’s targets for new housing and focus on providing the best services possible.
If you’re working on new housing, you’re more likely to come into contact with first-time purchasers, so doing anything you can to assist them can boost your reputation. Please stay in touch with them, resolve any difficulties as soon as possible, and provide outstanding post-sale service to provide continuous future contracts.
Photo credit
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