You should always use a Gas Safe registered engineer to carry out gas work safely and legally in your home.

Anyone carrying out work on gas appliances must be registered. If they are not registered they are breaking the law.

What gas work must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer?

The type of gas work that must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer includes:

• Installing, repairing or servicing a gas boiler
• Installing or repairing a gas fire, gas cooker or hob
• Any other work on a heat producing appliance if it is connected to either a natural gas or liquid petroleum gas (LPG) supply

Before you allow work to start

When your engineer arrives, ask to see their Gas Safe Register ID card before letting them start work.

For managed building projects involving gas work, make sure your builder knows he is responsible for using only Gas Safe Registered tradespeople and is able to produce the required paperwork on completion.

How to find Gas Safe registered engineers on MyBuilder

Post a job and specify in your job description what type of gas work is involved.

Ask all interested engineers or businesses for their Gas Safe Register Number. Always check that a gas engineer or business is on the Gas Safe Register before hiring.

Engineers are qualified to carry out a specific range of gas work. Check what gas work they are qualified to do before you hire them.

Many electrical jobs in the home must be approved by your Local Authority’s Building Control department unless they are carried out by a qualified tradesperson who is registered with a Competent Person Scheme.

If electrical work in your home isn’t carried out to a suitably high standard:

• The electrical work might not be safe, possibly endangering your family and home
• Your Local Authority’s Building Control department may insist that you correct it
• You may have difficulty selling your home if you don’t have the correct electrical safety certificates.

What electrical work must be notified to Building Control?

Not all electrical work needs to be notified to your Local Authority’s Building Control. The table below lists the most common locations in the home and whether or not electrical works taking place within these locations require Building Regulations.

If you are in doubt about what electrical work needs to be notified, contact your Local Authority’s Building Control department.

How do I notify my electrical work?

The Government recognises two ways of notifying electrical work.

• Direct notification through Local Authority Building Control – the homeowner must contact Building Control directly. A Building Control Officer inspects the installation and issues a certificate.
• Self-certification through a tradesperson who is qualified and registered with a competent persons scheme. These tradespeople are qualified to carry out electrical work in accordance with safety rules and issue you with a certificate of compliance on completion. They will also deal with Building Control on your behalf.

Each year, thousands of people look to add living space and re-sale value by improving and extending their homes. Many seek planning permission from their local authority not knowing that an often lengthy planning process could be bypassed altogether thanks to permitted development rights – rights that were permanently loosened in June 2019.

Permitted Development (PD) rights allow you to extend up to a given percentage in volume of an existing house and carry out certain improvements without the need for planning permission. PD rules apply separately to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The criteria for work carried out under PD is strict, so it is advisable to check with your local authority planning office or have a qualified surveyor confirm that planning permission is not required.

So, what types of work can you carry out under Permitted Development?

You can build an extension

• Extend your property by 8m to the rear with a single storey extension or 6m with a double extension, double the size that was previously allowed. Height and rear boundary restrictions apply.
• The extension must not cover more than half of the garden or go forward of the building line of the original building.
• It must be built in the same or similar material to the existing property
• Side extensions are permitted but subject to height and width restrictions.
• Conservatories fall under the same rules.

You can convert your loft

• The loft can be converted to living accommodation.
• The roof can be extended by up to 40m-cubed for terraces or 50m-cubed for semi-detached and detached properties.
• Dormers and roof windows can be added but must not extend beyond the plane of the roof slope at the front of the house.
• Side-facing windows must be obscure-glazed.

You can build a porch

• The external footprint must occupy no more than 3m-squared and be no higher than 3m above ground level.
• No part of the porch should fall within two metres of the boundary of the original property and the highway.

You can build a shed or greenhouse

• No more than half the area of land around the original property can be covered.
• Outbuildings must be single storey with maximum height restrictions.
• Verandas, balconies or raised platforms are not permitted under PD.

You can add windows and doors

• The insertion of new windows, doors, skylights or roof lights is permitted (although building control may need to be notified).
• A new bay window is treated as an extension.

Your Permitted Development rights

Permitted Development rights only apply to private houses. Flats are excluded, as are listed buildings. Properties in specially designated areas such as Conservation Areas or green belt are also subject to further restrictions.

You can use PD rights as often as you like but your allowances for extension work can be used only once. If you are buying a property, it is your responsibility to find out what PD rights have been used, modified or withdrawn.

While it should be possible in most cases to determine if your project qualifies as Permitted Development, there will be instances where further clarification is needed. Rather than submit a planning application, you may apply for a Lawful Development Certificate (LDC). This is a formal application for your local authority to decide if a project requires planning consent or not.

Your local authority planning department may have removed some of your permitted development rights by issuing an Article 4 direction. This means that you will need to submit a planning application. Before any work begins, you should contact your local planning office and discuss your project.

Visit the Planning Portal for more information about Permitted Development and planning permission.

The Building Regulations are minimum standards for design, construction and alterations to buildings in Portugal. Any project you undertake must adhere to them.

What are Building Regulations?

Building Regulations are designed to ensure buildings are safe, structurally sound, and water and energy efficient. They must also be constructed in a way that allows access for people with disabilities.

They are generally, grouped in the following technical categories. These are:

• Structural safety
• Fire safety
• Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture
• Toxic substances
• Resistance to sound
• Ventilation
• Sanitation, hot water and water efficiency
• Drainage and waste disposal
• Heating and appliances
• Protection from falling, collision and impact
• Conservation of fuel and power
• Access to and use of buildings
• Glazing safety
• Electrical safety
• Security

What’s the difference between Building Regulations and planning permission?

Planning permission decisions are focused on whether development should go ahead or not – taking into account the appearance of buildings and the impact the development will have on the wider environment.

Building Regulations, on the other hand, relate to how a building should be constructed.

What is Building Control?

Portuguese Building Control services work to make sure all buildings are designed and constructed in line with Building Regulations.

Your local council should have a Building Control department, where Building Control officers (also known as building inspectors) are usually based.

Some Building Control officers are Approved Inspectors working in the private sector instead.

How do I get Building Regulations approval?

If you’re undertaking any building or alteration work within your home, you should check whether it needs to be signed off as being compliant with Building Regulations.

Sign-off by Building Control

Some projects that need to comply with Building Regulations must be signed off by Building Control officers. These include:

• Extensions
• Loft conversions
• Garage conversions
• Underpinning
• Cavity wall insulation

If you use a local authority Building Control office, there are three types of application:

• Full plans where drawings and other related information are submitted and a formal decision is given.
• Building notice where minimal information is submitted and no formal decision is given. Work is inspected while in progress and approved on completion.
• Regularisation – where retrospective approval is sought for work carried out without Building Regulations approval.

Once work is underway, the Building Control Service will need to make routine site inspections at various stages. Notice should be given to allow Building Control adequate time to inspect the work.

If suitable notice isn’t given, Building Control may ask for work to be opened up for inspection. Talk to your local Building Control Service for more information about the inspection process.

If you use an Approved Inspector from the private sector, you should jointly notify your local authority that an Approved Inspector is carrying out the building control function.

Sign-off by a Competent Person

There is also a group of projects that need to comply with Building Regulations, but can be self-certified and signed off by the installer themself – if that tradesperson is registered with a relevant Competent Person Scheme.

Competent Person Schemes were introduced by the government to allow individuals and businesses to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations.

Tradespeople who are registered with a Competent Person Scheme are vetted to ensure they are qualified to carry out specific types of work in accordance with the Building Regulations.

Examples of projects that fall into this category include:

• Installation of a new or replacement heating system or boiler
• Installation of a new or replacement oil tank
• Installation of a bathroom if new plumbing is installed or existing plumbing is altered
• Installation of a fixed air conditioning system
• Installation of a new or replacement fuse box (or consumer unit) or any new electrical circuit connected to the fuse box
• Alterations to electrical installations around a bath or shower
• Replacement of window and door units
• Replacement of roof coverings on pitched and flat roofs

Registered tradespeople will notify Building Control on your behalf and issue you with a certificate of completion.

If you don’t use a registered tradesperson, then you will have to notify Building Control and pay a fee to have the work inspected.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has more information about the types of work covered by Competent Person Schemes, and the details of each initiative.

What sort of projects don’t need Building Regulations approval at all?

You don’t need Building Regulations approval for certain exempt projects. These include:

• Most repairs, replacements and maintenance work
• Additional power points or lighting points or any other alterations to existing electrical circuits (except around baths and showers)
• Like-for-like replacements of baths, toilets, basins or sinks

Who is responsible for meeting the requirements of the Building Regulations?

Whoever carries out the building work should be responsible for ensuring that the work is compliant with the Building Regulations.

However, responsibility ultimately lies with the building owner, who may be served a notice if work doesn’t comply with the Building Regulations.

What happens if I don’t comply with Building Regulations?

If your local authority considers that the building work doesn’t comply with Building Regulations, they won’t issue you with a completion certificate.

Unless work is rectified, any contraventions will appear in local land searches if you sell your property.

And you may also be subject to enforcement notices and fines.

What is planning permission?

Planning permission is formally-granted permission for the erection or alteration of buildings or other structural development.

Although the Portuguese Government controls national planning policy, local authorities are responsible for deciding whether to grant planning permission on a case-by-case basis.

In order to be granted planning permission, the occupier of a building also needs to be the owner. As the owner of a building or other development, it is your responsibility to seek planning permission – and to make sure it is granted before any work takes place.

What sort of projects need planning permission?

You’re likely to need planning permission if you want to build a new structure, make a major change to an existing structure, or change the use of a building.

If you’re still unsure, it’s always best to check with your local planning authority (LPA) before work begins.

What sort of projects don’t need planning permission?

Certain minor changes to your property may be covered by permitted development (PD) status. Permitted development rights allow you to extend an existing house by a certain percentage, and carry out certain improvements, without the need for planning permission.

Projects that usually have permitted development rights include:

• The erection, extension or alteration of an industrial building or warehouse
• The erection of certain adverts and signs
• Demolition work – though you must first get approval for it from your local planning authority.

It’s also possible you won’t need planning permission if your project will have no impact either on your neighbours or on the environment. However, it’s still important you check with your local authority before any work begins.

How do I apply for planning permission?

Assembling your planning application can be quite a lengthy process, so make sure you give yourself enough time. Allow 8-12 weeks to sort this out – you’ll be making important decisions that you’ll have to live with for some time.

How long does it usually take to get planning permission?

Planning applications are usually decided within twelve weeks of submission. In Portugal, a time limit can be set if cases are particularly large or complicated.

In total, from the initial design work to the decision on your planning application, the time frame could be six months or longer.

What are the main reasons I might be denied planning permission?

When council planning officials are deciding whether to grant planning permission, certain key factors are taken into account. These include:

• Whether the neighbours raise any objections
• Whether the proposed design is of good quality and in-keeping with surrounding properties
• What impact your proposed development will have on your neighbours and the environment – for example through loss of light or loss of privacy.

Remember that planning officials will take future owners of the property – and future neighbours – into account too.

They will also consider how your proposal fits in with their own local development plans. To decide this, local planners will usually look at a few key factors.

If my application for planning permission fails, what do I do next?

If your application is refused, you should first try to find a compromise with the local planning authority, by adjusting your plans to take any feedback or recommendations from them into account.

If you still can’t reach an agreement, you can launch an appeal.

What happens if I go ahead with a project without planning permission?

If you carry out work without getting planning permission, planning officers can serve you with an enforcement notice ordering you to reverse all the changes you’ve made.

It could also cause you serious problems if you ever try to sell your home: You’ll need to prove to your buyer’s solicitor that any work has been carried out in accordance with relevant planning laws.

The trouble with planning permission

It’s subjective. You are mostly at the mercy of the planners. If they don’t agree with your proposal, it will be refused – even if you feel that you’ve met the criteria set out in their design guidelines and can demonstrate that there are similar developments within your immediate area.

It’s piecemeal. Most local planning departments are over-burdened and don’t have the time to provide you with adequate pre-planning advice. High turnover of staff (we have a national shortage of qualified planners) creates major problems, especially if your planning officer leaves mid-way through the application process.

It’s emotional. Keeping neighbours up to date in person is a great way of minimising written objections to your application. There is nothing neighbours hate more than first hearing about your development plans from the council. This is often more down to concerns about noisy builders than the aesthetic merits of your proposal.