Regulations

There are various Regulations affecting DIY work in the UK.

Many of the following regulations apply specifically to England and Wales.

• Planning Law affects certain building projects including new houses and some extensions.

• Building Regulations control how many types of building (including plumbing, heating, ventilation, electrical etc) work are carried out, including the requirement to notify the Local Authority's Building Control Department of certain types of work. Guidance on meeting these regulations is set out in a series of Approved Documents (ADs).

The Department for Communities and Local Government website carries information about Planning, Building and Environmental regulations.

The Planning Portal website carries guidance about how regulations affect the public, references to the legislation affecting building work and the Approved Documents.

• The Party Wall Act relates to any work affecting a wall shared between adjacent properties and construction on or close to a boundary line.

• The Building Regulations frequently refer to, and sometimes include material from, British Standards. (These increasingly are merging with European standards.) British Standards are not freely (and legally) available but must be purchased from the British Standards Institution. Most are available for purchase online as PDF files (electronically "watermarked" with the name of the purchaser). One notable exception is BS7671, the regulations covering Electrical installations, published by the IET (formerly IEE: Institute of Electrical Engineers). This is only available as a paper document.
  
  Some public and University libraries carry copies of British Standards or have subscriptions to allow users access to electronic versions online. Researchers with Athens accounts can also access online standards.

Statutory Instruments

• The The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 regulate work (including general building work) affecting Gas Installations and Appliances. One aspect of these regulations which comes up frequently in the context of DIY work is whether DIY gas work is legal. This is covered in detail elsewhere but in a nutshell if work is carried out for profit or reward or in the course of business then the person doing it must be CORGI registered. If it is purely DIY work done for oneself then the person doing it must be "competent": a term which is not defined by the regulations.

• The The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 covers much plumbing work with the intention of preventing contamination or waste of water supplies.

• The Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) (Amendment) Regulations 1996 concern water suppliers' responsibilities to their customers.

• Various other laws and regulations may apply in specific circumstances such as relating to the use of water from streams or rivers, disposal of wastes, causing nuisance etc.