Building standards

Monitoring performance

Local authority building standards verifiers

Local authorities are currently appointed as verifiers by Scottish Ministers for a set period.  We monitor the performance of local authority verifiers who are responsible for administering the building standards system.

Verifiers are responsible for:

• implementing the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 and building regulations
• undertaking independent checks of buildings at design and construction stages
• grant building warrants (if they are satisfied the building work meets the building regulations)
• Accept completion certificates (if satisfied the building work meets the building regulations).

We monitor their building standards service using the building standards operating framework for verifiers (April 2024) and their performance using the building standards performance framework for verifiers (April 2024).  

The performance framework is based around three perspectives:

• professional expertise and technical processes
• quality customer experience
• operational and financial efficiency

Previous versions of both framework documents are accessible below.

• building standards operating framework for verifiers (2021)
• building standards performance framework for verifiers (2021)
• building standards operating framework for verifiers (2017)
• building standards performance framework for verifiers (2017)

The Building Standards National Annual Verification Performance Report provides aggregated information on the national level of performance of local authority building standards.

• building standards national annual verification performance report for 2022 to 2023
• building standards national annual verification performance report for 2021 to 2022

Contact your local authority building standards department.

We published revised guidance on verification during construction for non-domestic and domestic buildings. 

Recent letters to local authority verifiers are listed below. Other letters to local authority verifiers can be found in our website archive.

Auditing building certifiers

We have been appointed by ministers to audit the certification schemes and providers. We use Part VII of the Building (Procedures) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and the certification handbook to make sure scheme providers meet the required standards of service. We publish building certifiers audit reports after every investigation.

Auditing Energy Performance Certified organisations

Approved providers of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are subject to our auditing process and must abide by our EPC-approved organisations' operational framework. We carry out these investigations at least once every three years. Organisations have to share information about the scheme and its aims with the public.