Assigned certifier: who to appoint and what to agree

Appoint your assigned certifier before construction starts if you are using statutory certification. Agree when they will inspect, what records they will keep and what the fee includes.

They coordinate inspections and certify compliance with the Building Regulations. Once foundations, drainage or insulation have been covered, you cannot reliably recreate the inspections you missed.

Does your house need an assigned certifier?

Under S.I. 365/2015, an owner of a new single dwelling on a single-unit development, or a domestic extension, can submit a Declaration of Intention to Opt Out of Statutory Certification with the commencement notice. That removes the specified statutory certification documents, including the assigned-certifier undertaking and statutory completion certificate. It does not remove the duty to comply with the Building Regulations or the remaining applicable commencement documents.

Decide the route with your professional before submitting the notice. Ask your lender, insurer and solicitor what evidence they require; an opt-out does not establish their acceptance. If you choose statutory certification, agree the inspection and certification work before filing. See commencement notices and certification for the wider process.

What the role is

Where statutory certification applies, include the Notice of Assignment of Person to Inspect and Certify Works, their undertaking and a preliminary inspection plan with your commencement notice. These requirements were introduced in 2014 and have since been amended, including the opt-out above.

You, as building owner, appoint the person who will inspect and certify the works. Their name is recorded against your project on the building control authority’s public register. A future buyer can inspect it to see who certified the house.

Your certifier’s work has three stages:

1. Before work starts: agree an inspection plan for the project and undertake to carry it out.
2. During construction: carry out their inspections, coordinate inspection by others and keep the records needed for certification. Agree which specialist checks and ancillary certificates are required.
3. At completion: with the builder, sign the Certificate of Compliance on Completion, with the plan as implemented and a record of how the finished building differs from the design submitted at the start.

The inspection plan

Submit a preliminary inspection plan at commencement. At completion, the certificate must have the inspection plan as implemented alongside it, recording the inspections actually carried out.

The plan follows the Code of Practice for Inspecting and Certifying Buildings and Works, or a suitable equivalent. Ask your certifier to confirm which one they follow. If it isn’t the Code, ask them to show you why it is equivalent.

A useful plan is specific. It lists the stages at which the certifier will inspect and what they will look at, in the order the work happens. Typical stages on a new house include:

Stage	Why it matters
Site clearance and setting out	Levels, distances from boundaries and the planning drawings
Foundations before pouring	Bearing ground, reinforcement, depth, services under slab
Below-ground drainage before backfill	Falls, pipe bedding, connections, testing
Floor insulation and damp-proof membrane before slab	Continuity of insulation and membranes
Wall construction and cavity details	Cavity trays, wall ties, lintels, thermal bridging details
Roof structure and fixings	Timber sizes, strapping, bracing, trussed rafter detailing
Insulation and airtightness before closing up	Cannot be seen afterwards
First-fix services	Fire stopping, penetrations, ventilation routes
Fire safety and means of escape	Doors, windows, smoke detection
Completion	Final checks, tests and documents

The exact stages are for your certifier to set. Treat the table as a list of questions to ask, not as a specification. Ask how the plan covers the risks and construction method of your particular house; visit count alone does not establish adequacy.

Who can do it

The eligible professions are registered architects, chartered engineers and registered building surveyors. Registration alone is not enough: the person must also be competent to inspect and certify your particular works.

Check the relevant register through the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI), Engineers Ireland or the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI). When you shortlist, check:

• that they are on the relevant statutory or professional register,
• that they carry professional indemnity insurance suitable for certification work,
• that they have certified a house of this size and construction type before,
• that they are not so far away that every inspection costs a day’s travel.

For choosing between an architect and an engineer for the design, see architect or engineer for a self-build. Some owners appoint their designer as certifier; others choose someone separate. Either can work, but be clear on who is responsible for what, because the commencement notice names the designer and the certifier as distinct roles.

What to agree before you appoint

Put these in a written appointment, not a handshake:

• Scope: all stages in the plan, including the final documents, and attendance at the lodgement of the completion certificate.
• Fee and when it is paid: fixed fee or per inspection, with extra visits priced. Agree how payment relates to visits, records and completion work, and what additional work costs.
• Notice: how many days the builder must give before a hold point, and what happens if the builder covers work up without notice.
• Records: photos, reports and the format they will be in. You will want them for the completion documents and for any later claim.
• Reporting defects: the certifier tells you, and the builder, in writing when work does not comply, and what the fix is.
• Insurance: the cover held and the limit.
• Replacement: what happens if they cannot continue, and that they will hand over their records.

If the certifier changes

If you change your assigned certifier or builder after submitting the commencement notice, notify the building control authority within 14 days. Submit the appropriate notices of assignment and forms of undertaking. Article 9(3), as substituted by the Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014, sets this requirement. The same duty applies to the 7 day notice route under Article 20A(2).

Do not let this lapse. The completion certificate must be validated against the register. If the register still shows the first certifier and the second one signed the completion certificate, or the first certifier signed for works they stopped inspecting, the authority may query it. Your new certifier will also need the first one’s records, so ask for them to be handed over when the first leaves.

What the certifier does not do

• They are not your clerk of works. They inspect at the stages in the plan. They do not supervise the site daily, and they do not tell the builder how to do the job.
• They do not guarantee quality. Finishes, snags and cosmetic defects fall under the contract. See snagging a new build.
• They do not provide defects insurance. For that, see structural defects cover.
• They do not hold your money or release stage payments unless you ask them to certify work for payment, which is a separate arrangement. See staged drawdown explained.

Consequences of getting it wrong

Skipping the required notices or certificates is a criminal offence under the Building Control Act 1990 and its regulations. The old fine figures in the Act have been revised, so ask your solicitor for the current amounts. Where statutory certification applies, the completion certificate must be validated and entered on the register before occupation or use. Rejection or missing documents can therefore delay occupation. Drawdown and sale requirements depend on the lender and conveyancing checks; discuss those separately.

Common mistakes

• Choosing the cheapest certifier with an inspection plan of three lines.
• Appointing after the work has started. The preliminary plan and the undertaking are part of the commencement notice.
• Not telling the builder what the plan is. Agree practical notice arrangements in writing; do not assume the builder knows when each inspection is needed.
• Losing the records. Keep the plan, inspection reports and photos with your house file.
• Changing certifier without telling the authority (the 14-day rule is above).

Questions for your shortlist

• Which stages would you inspect on this house, and how many visits would that involve?
• What is the total fee, including records and completion work?
• How long do you keep records, and will I receive copies?
• What insurance do you hold?
• Who covers inspections if you are ill?

Ask for a reference from a self-builder whose house they certified in the last two years. Find out how quickly they responded to inspection requests and how they handled any work covered up before inspection.

Once the appointment is in place, the next steps are the commencement notice and, at the other end, the certificate of compliance on completion. For insurance questions that arise when you project manage, see insurance when you project manage.