When to use this guide
- Reviewing materials, workmanship or a proposed product substitution
- Planning quality checks and inspections before concealment
- Checking whether product evidence matches the actual intended use
What to check
Use these prompts with the responsible project team. Ticking a box does not certify compliance.
You can tick these prompts while reviewing the project.
Keep these records
- Specification, product/assembly evidence and acceptance records
- Inspection and workmanship records
- Substitution, traceability and handover information
Common mistakes
- Relying on a generic product approval without checking the intended use and assembly.
- Assuming the date on the Approved Document proves there have been no changes to the law.
When to get specialist help
Refer uncertain product suitability, fire performance or workmanship acceptance to the competent responsible team. No checklist can certify a product’s suitability for every building.
Scope and edition
Landing updated 29 November 2018 with an amendment; check current Regulation 7 itself and other applicable amendments rather than treating the older guide as the whole law. Regulation 7 is not a lettered Part of Schedule 1. A guide publication date does not establish that every current materials restriction is reproduced in it.
Suitable materials and workmanlike execution for building work.
Use the official source to check the current text, amendments not yet incorporated, commencement and project-specific transition. A published future edition is not automatically the rule applying to your work.
Official sources
- GOV.UK — Approved Document 7Official England guidance; check the applicable volume, edition and transition.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/material-and-workmanship-approved-document-7
Source links lead to external official websites. We provide original explanatory notes and do not reproduce paid standards.
About this library
Independent, plain-English reference notes by Saeed Azarshab. The library covers the 42 subjects listed here; it is not every law affecting construction, an official government publication or a project-specific compliance decision. Building Regulations, Approved Documents, workplace safety duties and planning permissions have different roles.
Editorial source review: . Check the current official text, commencement dates, outstanding amendments and transitional arrangements before relying on a requirement. Publication date is not necessarily the date a rule applies. A relevant competent professional or authority must resolve project-specific questions.
Sources and lawful reuse
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated. These are original practical summaries, with links to the official material. No government endorsement is implied. We do not host copies of proprietary BS, ISO or Eurocode standards, third-party diagrams or publisher layouts. Check each source’s rights notice before reuse.
Search works in your browser when JavaScript is enabled and also through the normal search form without JavaScript. Checklist progress uses this device’s browser storage only. No account or new tracking service is required. English is the reference language; translated search aliases are aids, not official translations.