Checklist · Compliance · 8 min read
The UK builder compliance checklist
Most builders doing good work lose jobs on paperwork, not workmanship. This checklist covers the documents and processes a professional UK contractor should be able to produce within minutes of a customer, insurer or assessor asking for them.
Work through it honestly. Anything you cannot produce today is a gap worth closing before it becomes a dispute.
Contracts and quotations
- A written contract issued and signed before work starts on every job
- Itemised quotations with clear inclusions, exclusions and provisional sums
- A written variations process so extras are agreed and priced in writing
- Agreed start and completion dates, with a process for delays
- Cancellation rights issued where consumer contract regulations apply
Insurance and financial standing
- Current public liability insurance, with the certificate to hand
- Employers' liability insurance where you have employees
- Contract works or contractors' all-risks cover where appropriate
- Professional indemnity cover if you design or specify
- Named subcontractors carrying their own valid cover
Records and evidence
- Dated site photographs of works before they are covered up
- Delivery notes, product data sheets and material certificates retained
- Building control notifications and sign-offs stored with the job file
- Gas, electrical and other competent-person certificates collected
- A single organised file per project rather than photos scattered across phones
Health, safety and site management
- Risk assessments and method statements for the works undertaken
- Construction phase plan where CDM 2015 applies
- Waste carried by a licensed carrier with transfer notes kept
- Competency and training records for operatives on site
- Site rules communicated to subcontractors and visitors
Payments and stage releases
- A written payment schedule tied to defined stages rather than dates alone
- Evidence pack produced at each stage before payment is requested
- Deposits proportionate and explained in writing
- Invoices that reference the stage and the evidence supplied
- A clear position on retention and final payment
Customer care and completion
- A written complaints procedure given to customers at the start
- A snagging and defects process with agreed response times
- A handover pack containing certificates, warranties and manuals
- Warranty terms confirmed in writing
- A review or feedback request after completion
Find your gaps in two minutes
The free Builder Standard Assessment scores you out of 100 across contracts, payments, records, customer care and insurance, then shows exactly where you are losing marks. If documents or processes are missing, the £295 Professional Standards Audit helps you compile them.
This guidance is general information, not legal advice. Builder Standard is an independent platform and is not a government body, statutory regulator or government-endorsed scheme, and it cannot register or certify contractors for any government scheme.
Questions
Common questions
Is this checklist a legal requirement?
No. It is independent good-practice guidance from Builder Standard. Some items, such as insurance, CDM duties and competent-person certification, carry legal obligations depending on the work you do, but this checklist itself is not a statutory standard and Builder Standard is not a regulator.
How do I know where my gaps are?
The free Builder Standard Assessment scores you out of 100 across the same themes in about two minutes and shows a category breakdown of strengths and gaps.
What if I am missing documents?
A £295 Professional Standards Audit reviews your paperwork in detail and helps you compile the documentation and processes that are missing, rather than just listing what is wrong.
Keep reading
Related guides and checklists
Contracts
Written contracts and variations that hold up
Most domestic disputes are really contract disputes. What to include, how to handle extras and why text-message agreements cost money.
Records
Site evidence and photo records checklist
What to photograph, when to capture it, and how to store it so the record is still usable three years later.
Payments
Stage payments without the arguments
Structure releases around defined stages and evidence, not calendar dates, and most payment friction disappears.