Council building control completion certificates: fees, timescales & pitfalls
If you built an extension, converted a loft or garage or took out a structural wall, the council's building control team (or a private approved inspector) should have issued a completion certificate. When a buyer's solicitor asks for it and you can't find it, dealing directly with a council can be slow, expensive and risky for indemnity insurance.
Why council building control searches catch sellers out
- High, non-refundable council fees: Most councils charge between £25 and £150+ just to search their archive or issue a letter, and many keep the fee even when no record exists.
- Slow turnaround times: Councils typically take between 5 and 28 working days to reply to a building control request — long enough to stall an exchange of contracts.
- Strict privacy & consent rules: Building control files are not public. Councils generally deal only with the current owner or their solicitor, and several refuse to release a certificate from a previous owner's time without that previous owner's written consent.
- 15-year retention cut-offs: Many councils now state that they only keep building control records for 15 years.
- The council often isn't the body that holds it: Windows, boilers, electrics and solar panels are usually self-certified through a competent person scheme (FENSA, CERTASS, Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA or MCS) rather than the council — and some extensions were signed off by a private approved inspector instead.
Danger: contacting the council directly can void indemnity insurance. Building Regulations indemnity policies are almost always conditional on the local authority not having been alerted to the missing certificate. Checking the council's online public register and the competent person schemes first avoids tipping the council off. Read our indemnity guide.
Examples of council fees and rules
| Council | Council fee | Council turnaround | Catch to watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waverley Borough Council | £48 per copy; £64 for an in-depth search (non-refundable) | 5 working days after payment | Plans and certificates are not public; non-refundable search fee without a reference |
| Maidstone Borough Council | £70 council fee per copy | Around 10 working days | Does not cover scheme-registered or private-inspector work; 15-year retention limit |
| Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames | £90 per copy including the research fee | Up to 15 days for a reply | Previous owner's written consent required for older applications; 15-year retention |
| Liverpool City Council | From £25+, quoted after application (charged even to check if one exists) | Up to 28 working days | Owner or solicitor only; council charges the search fee even if no certificate was issued |
| Islington Council | £143 per reply letter (£387 for 48-hour urgent service) | 10 days (standard) or 2 days (urgent) | Council fee is non-refundable even if nothing is found; 15-year retention limit |
| BCP Council | £66 non-refundable search fee per address | 10 working days | Owner or solicitor only; previous owner's consent required for older applications; non-refundable |
We cover every council in England and Wales. Enter your postcode and we check your council's online register alongside all 8 competent person schemes within 1 working day.
Let us check your council and all 8 schemes first
For £79, we check your council's online public register and every competent person scheme within 1 working day, and include up to 2 official replacement copies — backed by our no record, no fee guarantee. Tick public register check only in Step 2 if you want us to keep indemnity insurance protected by never contacting the council directly.
My Certs is an independent service, not part of or endorsed by any council. This is general information, not legal advice.