Our Complaints Procedure Overview & Whistle blowing policy.
Building Control Surveyors - Registered Building Control Approvers
is a company that delivers a consistent quality service provision in accordance with the Building Control Performance Standards and within the meaning of Regulation 8, of the The Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations 2010 – Functions of an Approved Inspector, and in accordance with the HSE Operational Standards Rules, Codes of Conduct applicable.
Complaints will be treated positively and used as an opportunity to improve the level of service provided when appropriate. The complaints procedure forms part of the company’s quality management process.
Building Control Surveyors Ltd operates a simple three step approach for ease of handling complaints. This policy is reviewed annually by a Director to ensure that whatever improvements to our service can be made, they are identified and acted upon as quickly as possible, thereby building upon our reputation of providing one of the most efficient and professional building control and fire safety consultancy services in the UK.
The Procedure
Step One
Clients or any person who wishes to complain about any aspect of our service that they have received from Building Control Surveyors Ltd are requested to initially contact us by email (support@bcsurv.com) OR by phone (tel 01992 710 763). You will be required to provide us with information on all dutyholders involved in the project or on any particulars involving our staff. We will then :
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Immediately contact you by telephone, or
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ON ACTIVE LIVE PROJECTS 1 : Only if it is deemed appropriate by our senior managers, and it is within the scope of our current Building Control Approvers Function, particularly on current live and active projects, by visiting the client / complainant within three working days.
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ON ACTIVE LIVE PROJECTS 2 : Where our localised surveyors visiting project sites are unavailable to deal with your issue, then a Director from the company will write to the complainant within two working days and inform them of the date and time when a personal response by phone from a surveyor can be expected. In any event, this response will be within fourteen days.
In most cases, contacting our technical team at Warlies Park House will swiftly address the complaint raised. If however, the client is dissatisfied with the outcome of this “Step One” response, they may progress their complaint to the second stage of this procedure.
Step Two
You must submit in writing the full particulars of your compliant, which must be clear and concise, and accompanied by supporting evidence which justifies every aspect or allegation contained within your complaint. Your compliant should cite clearly how our duties, responsibilities or obligations have failed in your view.
If your complaint is based upon a building regulation technical matter, then an independently prepared technical report from appropriately qualified persons such as a Chartered Architect or Chartered Building Engineer should be submitted, unless you of course you can competently and clearly cite full details of your issues being raised under this complaint focusing on only building regulation or service delivery matters only.
A Director of the company will then investigate the complaint and will:
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Contact the complainant within five days to discuss the complaint
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Liaise with our Surveyors or review our data held related to your project
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Write to the complainant within seven days with the findings of the investigation and our determinations.
Step Three
Where a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the above two steps, they have the right to appeal the outcome of our findings by passing their complaint to the Construction Industry Council at 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT (up to the 27th March 2024), and thereafter this function will be continued by the HSE Building Safety Regulator.
The final address and portal for HSE complaints at stage 3 will be communicated to complainant's when this becomes operational.
In the meantime :
This third step cannot be invoked unless we have sent you in writing confirmation that we have exhausted our internal complaints procedure.
UPDATE FROM CICAIR
22 May 2023 (STEP THREE PROCESS) - Notice regarding complaints and disciplinary matters CICAIR Ltd (“CICAIR”) is presently the body designated by the Secretary of State in England and the Welsh Minister in Wales, to maintain and operate the Construction Industry Council Approved Inspectors Register (“the Register”). However, following royal assent of the Building Safety Act 2022, the Health and Safety Executive is in the process of setting up a new regulatory body, the Building Safety Regulator (“BSR”). A similar process is being undertaken by Welsh Ministers in Wales. BSR and Welsh Ministers will have three main functions: 1. Overseeing the safety and standards of all buildings; 2. Regulation of the building control profession; and 3. Leading implementation of the new regulatory framework for ‘higher-risk’ buildings. As part of the second function mentioned above, BSR will establish and maintain a register of building inspectors and a separate register of building control approvers (“the BSR Registers”) in England and discussions are also underway for the BSR to undertake this function on behalf of Welsh Ministers in Wales, as a means of regulating the standards of building control professionals and increasing accountability across the sector. This will subsume CICAIR’s current role in maintaining and operating the Approved Inspectors Register with effect from April 2024. As part of its role, the new regulator will have powers to investigate allegations of misconduct against those on its registers. Whilst CICAIR is currently continuing to consider, and act upon complaints made about and concerns relating to Approved Inspectors, it is currently dealing with an unprecedented amount of enquires and investigations. The present workload is leading to delays in the amount of time it is taking to consider and investigate matters. While the approach to ongoing investigations and complaints lodged with CICAIR before the new regulatory regime comes into force in April 2024 has not yet been formalised, the new regulator, BSR, the Department Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Welsh Government are working together to ensure the public interest is protected and those working in private sector building control will be held to account for their conduct. As soon as information becomes available on changes to the current position, we will update our website accordingly.
A copy of our whistleblowing policy