Glossary
Terms explained briefly, from A to Z.
A
- Agency workerA worker supplied by a temporary work agency to work under the supervision of a hirer, with day-one rights and equal treatment after 12 weeks.
- Article 4 directionA council order that removes specified permitted development rights in an area, so that works normally allowed need a planning application.
B
- Boiler Upgrade SchemeA government grant in England and Wales towards replacing fossil fuel heating with a heat pump or biomass boiler, claimed by the installer.
- BS 7671The British Standard for electrical installations, used as the benchmark for designing, installing and inspecting wiring in the UK.
- Building ControlThe service, run by councils or approved private inspectors, that checks building work complies with the Building Regulations.
- Building RegulationsThe national standards for how building work is designed and carried out, covering structure, fire safety, energy, ventilation, drainage and electrics.
- Building warrantPermission from the local authority building standards service in Scotland to carry out building work that falls under the building regulations.
C
- Clean Air ZoneAn area in an English city where vehicles that do not meet emission standards pay a daily charge, with classes deciding which vehicles are affected.
- CMR ConventionThe international convention governing contracts for the carriage of goods by road across borders, including the carrier's liability.
- Competent person schemeA government-authorised scheme that lets registered installers self-certify that certain building work meets the Building Regulations.
- Conservation areaAn area of special architectural or historic interest designated by the council, where extra planning controls protect its character.
- Consumer unitThe board containing the main switch, circuit breakers and RCDs that distributes electricity to a home's circuits; often called the fuse box.
- Cyber EssentialsA government-backed certification scheme showing that an organisation has five basic technical cyber security controls in place.
D
- Data processing agreementThe written contract UK GDPR requires whenever a controller uses a processor to handle personal data on its behalf.
- Disabled Facilities GrantA council grant towards adaptations that help a disabled person live at home, such as a stairlift, ramp or level access shower.
- DNOThe company that owns and runs the local electricity network in your area, as distinct from the supplier that sends your bills.
E
- ECO4A scheme requiring larger energy suppliers to fund insulation and heating upgrades for low-income and vulnerable households in Great Britain.
- EICRA report on the condition of an existing electrical installation after inspection and testing by a qualified person.
- EPCA certificate rating a property's energy efficiency from A to G, required when selling, renting out or building a home.
F
- F-gas certificationThe qualifications and company certification required to work on equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases, such as air conditioning and many heat pumps.
- Felling licencePermission, from the Forestry Commission in England, needed to fell larger volumes of growing trees outside gardens.
- FENSACompetent person schemes whose registered installers can self-certify replacement windows and doors in England.
- Flow temperatureThe temperature of the water a boiler or heat pump sends to the radiators or underfloor heating.
G
- G98 and G99The engineering recommendations and forms used to notify or apply to a network operator when connecting generation or storage equipment.
- Gas Safe RegisterThe official register of businesses and engineers legally allowed to carry out gas work in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Guernsey.
- Gas safety recordThe record of a landlord's annual gas safety check, often still called a CP12 after the form's old name.
- Goods vehicle operator's licenceThe licence, issued by the Traffic Commissioners, needed to operate goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes for a trade or business in Great Britain.
H
- Heat network zoningAn emerging policy in England to designate areas where heat networks are expected to be the lowest-cost low-carbon heating, with some buildings required to connect.
- High hedgeUnder Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, a line of two or more mostly evergreen trees or shrubs over 2 metres tall that acts as a barrier.
- Home Energy Scotland Grant and LoanScottish Government support for homeowners in Scotland, combining grants and optional interest-free loans for heat pumps and insulation.
- Household waste duty of careThe legal duty on occupiers of homes to take reasonable steps to ensure their waste is only passed to an authorised person.
L
- Lawful development certificateA certificate from the council confirming that an existing or proposed use or development is lawful for planning purposes.
- Listed buildingA building of special architectural or historic interest included on the statutory list, where most alterations need listed building consent.
- LOLERThe Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, which require lifting equipment such as forklifts and hoists to be safe, used safely and thoroughly examined.
- Low Emission Zone (Scotland)Zones in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow city centres where non-compliant vehicles are fined rather than charged a daily fee.
M
N
P
- Parking bay suspensionA temporary council order keeping marked parking bays clear, often used for removal vans, skips, scaffolding or deliveries.
- Part PThe part of the Building Regulations in England covering electrical safety in homes, including which electrical work must be notified.
- Party wallA wall standing on the land of two or more owners, such as the wall between terraced houses, subject to the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 in England and Wales.
- Permitted developmentBuilding work that is granted planning permission by national rules, so no planning application is needed, provided set conditions are met.
- Planning permissionConsent from the local planning authority for development, covering what a building looks like, where it goes and how it affects its surroundings.
- ProbateThe legal right to deal with a deceased person's property, money and possessions in England and Wales.
- Property factorA person or company that manages and maintains the common parts of buildings or land on behalf of owners in Scotland.
R
S
- SCOPA measure of how efficiently a heat pump turns electricity into heat over a whole heating season, rather than at a single test point.
- Smart charge point regulationsRules requiring electric vehicle charge points sold in Great Britain for home or workplace use to have smart functions and meet security requirements.
- Smart Export GuaranteeThe scheme under which licensed electricity suppliers pay small generators in Great Britain for low-carbon electricity they export to the grid.
T
- Tenement Management SchemeThe default rules in Scots law for how owners in a tenement decide on and pay for maintenance of shared parts such as the roof.
- Transfer of Residence reliefRelief from customs charges on personal belongings and household goods when you move your normal residence to the UK.
- Tree Preservation OrderAn order made by the local planning authority that protects specified trees from cutting down, topping, lopping or uprooting without consent.
U
W
- Warm Homes: Local GrantA government-funded scheme delivered by councils in England for energy upgrades and low-carbon heating in low-income, privately owned homes.
- Waste carrier registrationRegistration that businesses collecting other people's waste must hold; householders must check it before handing over their rubbish.
- World Heritage SiteA place inscribed by UNESCO for its outstanding universal value, such as the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh or Saltaire in Bradford.