The aim of the PCS assessment is to assess each individual dwelling as built to determine the final score and Code level for the dwelling.
If a DS assessment has been undertaken, this can be used as the starting point for the PCS assessment. The PCS assessment is carried out to confirm that dwellings are either built to the DS specifications or, if there are variations from the DS, that they are documented, reassessed, and a new score and Code level calculated for each dwelling that is affected. The assessor organisation should carry out an appropriate level of checking to be satisfied that commitments made have been achieved.
If there has been no prior DS assessment, then the full assessment shall be completed against the as-built dwelling(s).
Licensed organisations are required to set up robust and auditable post construction stage assessment procedures. These are to include:
- An appropriate number of site visits for each development site (at least once per site). The appropriate number of site visits is dependent on the particular situation. It is the assessor’s responsibility to determine the necessary number of site visits required to satisfy themselves that the assessment properly reflects the dwelling
- Every different specification for each issue shall be reviewed and evidence recorded to confirm that it complies with the requirements for PCS assessment
- Where dwellings of identical construction type are planned to be released in phases, the assessment evidence must show that the same specifications have been incorporated into dwellings completed following the initial release. If there are variances to the specification in subsequent releases, the assessor shall reassess the dwellings based on the new specifications.
The number of PCS assessment reports is likely to be based on the phased completion of dwellings within a development. The number of PCS assessment reports submitted to cover a particular development is entirely at the discretion of the assessor (and developer).
For a large or phased development, there are some issues that will not be complete when a post construction stage assessment for the first dwelling(s) is submitted to the service provider. For example, these could include some ecology credits or community-based facilities. It is possible to certify the first dwellings without certain issues being complete. The details of these exceptions are contained within the relevant issues, but are also highlighted in table 2.1 below. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list; its purpose is to provide guidance to assessors on the type of exceptions that are acceptable.
(reproduced under crown copyright from Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guide, November 2010, Department for Communities and Local Government)
