Building Standards - Coronavirus (Covid 19) advice

We are continuing to work hard to keep applications progressing and maintaining continuity for all our customers.

Our staff continue to work mainly from home and our office remains closed to personal callers.

This guidance may change because of developments in government advice and Midlothian Council guidance. We appreciate your understanding at this time.

These are the changes to our service:

Building warrant applications – electronic applications

We will not arrange face-to-face meetings, but the case surveyor will keep communicating with you by email and mobile phone.
Use the eBuilding Standards Portal to submit all new building warrant applications and paperwork (revised submissions etc.).
Also make payments via the eBuilding Standards Portal.

We will not arrange face-to-face meetings, but the case surveyor will keep communicating with you by email and mobile phone.
We do accept new paper applications, but processing them will take longer. Please consider switching to an electronic application, as this helps us process your application much more efficiently.
Post to us any additional information (revised submissions etc.) about an existing paper application, but processing will take longer. The case surveyor will advise you whether an alternative (e.g. scanning documents and emailing them to us) would be acceptable.
Payments relating to your paper application using cheques or BACS may have delays.

Notifications should be given to Midlothian Building Standards for every key Inspection Stage listed on your CCNP, before the work progresses on to the next stage.
Email your case surveyor when work on site is ready for inspection at the Key Stages detailed on your CCNP. The case surveyor will then decide to progress with:
- Remote video inspections using video calling on mobile devices (Find detailed guidance on remote video inspections) or
- Physical (on-site) inspections, or
- Alternative evidence.

We will undertake site inspections of immediately dangerous buildings (see below).
Do not submit any documents (including photographs) unless they have been specifically requested by the case surveyor. We do however strongly recommend that you keep a full photographic record of all stages of the work detailed on your CCNP for your own records.

We will consider completion certificate submissions and the assessment of construction work in line with latest Scottish Government guidance. This currently asks verifiers to adopt a pragmatic and flexible approach.
For electronic building warrants, once all the work is completed, all the supporting documents listed on your CCNP are to be submitted via the eBuilding Standards Portal.
For paper building warrants, once all the work is completed, post to us all the supporting documents listed on your CCNP.
Once the supporting documents have been checked, the case surveyor will get in touch to schedule the Completion inspection.

We have full access to our archive to provide our Copy Documents and Letters of Comfort services in the usual way.
Contact us for advice: building.standards@midlothian.gov.uk