Building regulations and the Future Homes Standard: what’s changing for new homes

Updated: 26 June 2022

New regulations from 15 June 2022

You need to start building new homes which use less energy and produce lower carbon emissions.

Depending on your circumstances, you must build under the new building regulations which came into force in England on 15 June 2022. 

This means you must meet higher standards under the following ‘Parts’ which reduce carbon emissions by at least 31% (compared to the old regulations):

• Part L - energy and carbon emissions
• Part F - ventilation
• Part O - overheating 
• Part S - electric vehicle charging points

This is the first step towards the Future Homes Standard in 2025, which will reduce emissions by 75 to 80% (compared to current standards).

These changes only apply to England with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland introducing their own changes. 

When you can build under the old regulations

You can still build under the old regulations if you gave a building notice, initial notice or deposited full plans with a local authority before 15 June 2022.

However, this only applies if you then ‘commence’ building by 15 June 2023.

These 'transitional arrangements' only apply to the individual plots where you  ‘commence’ building.

This means you cannot build across a whole site under the old regulations if you’ve only ‘commenced’ building on just a single plot. The definition of ‘commence’ remains the same and still includes drainage and foundation work.

Adapt your design thinking

You can meet the new regulations through a combination of design improvements and use of ‘alternative and renewable’ all-electric and low-carbon technologies.

You will need to consider how to:

• improve fabric, airtightness and thermal bridging performance
• prevent overheating 
• improve ventilation
• switch to alternative and renewable systems
• include electric vehicle (EV) charging points and cable routes

If you cannot use ‘alternative and renewable’ systems, you will need to show you can still meet the new energy and carbon emissions standards.

Record design decisions and take photos

Show how new homes meet the new regulations by doing both of the following:

• 
  recording your design decisions throughout
• providing photos for every stage of your build

All this must then be handed to SAP assessors and building control to produce the new BREL compliance reports which confirm how homes meet the new regulations.

Find out more: 

• Provide information for SAP assessors and building control 
• Provide on-site photo evidence of your build

Provide information for homeowners

You must also provide details for homeowners about how ventilation systems are controlled and maintained within their new homes.

Find out how to provide homeowners with information about their new homes.

Keep up to date

Use the Future Homes Hub to keep up to date with changes to the building regulations and the introduction of the Future Homes Standard.

Check what you need to do to meet the new regulations through our detailed guides.

Find out more

Find other new regulations in the official Approved Documents on GOV.UK:

• Conservation of fuel and power: Approved Document L - ‘Part L’
• Overheating: Approved Document O - ‘Part O’
• Ventilation: Approved Document F - ‘Part F’

You can only build under the existing regulations if you do both of the following:

• give a building or initial notice to or deposit full plans with a local authority before 15 June 2022
• 'commence' building before 15 June 2023

These 'transitional arrangements' only apply to the individual plots where you’ve already commenced building.

This means you cannot build across a whole site under the existing regulations if you’ve only started on just a single plot. 

However, the definition of ‘commence’ remains the same and still includes drainage and foundation work.

We welcome your feedback on this page.  Please report any problems, and let us know if there are particular areas where further guidance would be useful.