What the charter is
The National Customer Charter for Building Standards explains the minimum level of service you can expect from building standards teams across Scotland. It describes the standards that all local authority building standards verifiers (organisations that check and approve building warrant applications) should meet. It helps make sure customers receive a high-quality and consistent service across Scotland.
The charter explains:
- the aims of the building standards service
- the commitments local authority verifiers make to customers
- national performance targets
- where to find information about verifier performance.
Our aims
To grant building warrants and accept completion certificates:
- to secure the health, safety, welfare and convenience of persons in and about buildings and others who may be affected by buildings or matters connected with buildings
- furthering the conservation of fuel and power
- furthering the achievement of sustainable development.
Our vision and values
To provide a professional and informative service to all our customers.
Our commitments
Nationally, all local authority verifiers will:
- seek to minimise the time it takes for customers to obtain a building warrant or an amendment to building warrant
- ensure continuous improvement around the robustness of verification assessments to ensure compliance
- meet and seek to exceed customer expectations
- carry out local customer satisfaction research such as surveys and focus groups
- address feedback obtained through local and national customer satisfaction research (including National Customer Satisfaction Survey) to improve customer experience
- provide accurate financial data that is evidence based
- engage and participate in partnership working at local and national level to identify and embed service improvements at a national level
- adhere to a national annual performance report outlining our objectives, targets and performance
- fully adhere to the commitments outlined in this charter (including information on customer dissatisfaction) in relation to building warrant processing timescales, processes and technical interpretation
- ese a consistent format for our continuous improvement plans.
Our targets
KPO1 Targets
- 95% of first reports (for building warrants and amendments) issued within 20 days - all first reports (including BWs and amendments issued without a first report)
- 90% of building warrants and amendments issued within 10 days from receipt of all satisfactory information - all building warrants and amendments (not including BWs and amendments issued without a first report)
KPO2 Targets
- Targets to be developed as part of future review of KPO2
KPO3 Targets
- National customer charter is published prominently on the website and incorporates version control detailing reviews (reviewed at least quarterly)
- 95% of BSD requests for information on a BSD 'Verifier Performance Reporting Service for Customers' case responded to by verifier within 5 days
KPO4 Targets
- Minimum overall average satisfaction rating of 7.5 out of 10
KPO5 Targets
- Building standards verification fee income to cover indicative verification service costs (staff costs plus 30%)
KPO6 Targets
- Details of eBuilding Standards to be published prominently on the verifier's website
- 75% of each key building warrant related process being done electronically; Plan checking; Building warrant or amendments (and plans) being issued; Verification during construction and Completion certificates being accepted
KPO7 Targets
- Annual performance report published prominently on website with version control (reviewed at least quarterly)
- Annual performance report to include performance data in line with KPOs and associated targets (annually covering previous year e.g. April 2016 - March 2017)
More information
Read more about national information on verifier performance (Scottish Government website).