The public at large believes that housing inspections should be in the hands of local councils – at least, according to this survey.
Conducted by the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) reported that 59% of the public are in favour of Building Inspections by local councils, while 23.4% support private inspections.
According to APSE chief executive, Paul O’Brien, the public clearly supports the role local councils play in keeping residents safe.
O’Brien believes that even though most inspections are being carried out by private companies, the fragmented housing market needs to be looked at again, where the role of local councils can be rehashed – in order to better ensure safety of the communities they serve.
The survey asked 1,634 participants, where support for local Building Inspectors was the highest among Conservative voters – 63.9%. More than 82% of participants, strongly supported the idea of giving local councils more powers to take landlords to task and more than 83% said that they wanted stronger interventions by the Government.
While the results of this survey certainly revealed a strong desire by the participants, at least to have more powers given to local councils to deal with housing issues – it may not necessarily be a perspective universally shared, as project demands can differ greatly which require different levels of support throughout each stage.
Local council building inspectors and those working for private companies must essentially comply with the same criteria for building regulations, ensuring that your project also does the same.
So, if you pop online to search for either a private housing inspector / building control inspector or a local authority housing inspector, you will see that both are in line with the same set of practices, rules, standards, and what have you. Both must sign on to, the build’s technical drawings and make site visits at fixed intervals throughout the project.
Why choose a private housing inspector?
Choosing a private housing inspector will provide you with a very hands-on and highly dedicated service in most cases. They will visit you at every stage of the project, which can be useful for large, complex and challenging builds. You might even handpick a private inspector who has specialist experience, which can indeed be very useful of there are unusual aspects to your project which may require niche experience and knowledge.
Why choose a local authority housing inspector?
Similar to a private housing inspector in many respects, a local council inspector will cover a smaller geographical area, but this can be an advantage depending on your project – they may have more detailed knowhow on the local area and surroundings, along with any geological or ground issues which may need to be considered.
A local council inspector is given power of enforcement by the Government to resolve housing issues, which you won’t find with an independent or private inspector. So, if you run into any problems with the build, they can help you resolve them quickly. The same can’t be said for a private investor, as they will inevitably hand over the matter to a local council inspector in this case, because rules, regulations and standards require them to do so.
You can, however, make it even easier on yourself:
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Data standardisation refers to using consistent methods for collecting data, although this is a very basic and somewhat generic description of what it truly is. If we delve in deeper, data standardisation is the process used for transforming data to fit a constrained and predefined set of values – ultimately, relying on uniformity to improve efficiencies.
Data standardisation refers to using consistent methods for collecting data, although this is a very basic and somewhat generic description of what it truly is. If we delve in deeper, data standardisation is the process used for transforming data to fit a constrained and predefined set of values – ultimately, relying on uniformity to improve efficiencies.
The previous year was a roller coaster for the commercial property sector, with both landlords and tenants facing unique challenges. It looks like 2023 is also going to be a challenging year for landlords – with the higher increased rates and Section 21 changes, for instance – and for tenants as well, who are finding it to keep up with rental demands owing to the inflation and the current cost-of-living crisis.
When an economic shock or recession hits, all properties are impacted. However, commercial properties must bear most of the brunt because a lower demand in the building, sale, and letting of commercial properties means that businesses cannot function as effectively and contribute to the economy as they normally would.
There’s no escaping technology and the impact it has had on our lives, making everything from ordering something online to power up our home appliances from several miles away really easy. Technology has also fundamentally changed how landlords and letting agencies, for example, buy, manage, and operate spaces – making lives easier for tech-savvy homeowners and demanding tenants alike.
In 2021, UK commercial properties contributed on average, 20% of carbon emissions, according to a report published by the Committee on Climate Change. Furthermore, in larger cities, including London, commercial buildings were responsible for more than 70% of the city’s emissions on a whole.
The UK happens to be the most influential property technology or ‘PropTech’ hub in the world, despite Brexit-related problems and uncertainty. As well as the global pandemic, which hit the UK just as hard as some of the worst-hit countries.
The commercial property sector has an important role to play in the UK economy, not only in terms of a direct and indirect output generator, but also in terms of helping retailers, financial services and other businesses boost production.
Technology can transform facilities management (FM), helping you save on costs and drive efficiencies. For many businesses and organisations, their three main expenses are: Employees, Technology, Facilities. However, in the rush to recruit talent and keep up with new technology, organisations can end up overlooking their facilities.
Facilities managers must adapt to changing recommendations, regulations and legislation. There has been Government consultation for the Future Buildings Standard, on proposed changes to fuel and power conservation and ventilation in building regulations.
