Compliance vs quality
Compliance means meeting a minimum legal standard. Quality means well-designed, well-built, durable, and as expected. Building Control verifies the first; nobody is contractually obliged to verify the second on your behalf.
Where homeowners get caught out
Settling for 'it is signed off' as if that meant 'it is good'. A signed-off boiler still leaks if it was sloppy work. A signed-off roof can drip from day one.
The missing role
An independent advisor — historically the Clerk of Works, today services like BuildJourney — is the only party whose remit is to watch the build on your behalf, beyond minimum compliance.
Frequently asked
Warranties are commercial product checks. They overlap with quality but are not the same as continuous oversight.