Building Safety Levy - London Borough of Sutton

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This help section is designed to help you complete your Building Safety Levy (BSL) submissions to .

For each stage of the process there is a help section below. Please choose the item from the below headings to see help for that part of the process.

There are two different routes through this system depending on whether you already have a Building Control Reference Number for your application. The system will ask you which route applies to you right at the start, and will only show you the screens that are relevant to your route.

You do not need to complete everything in one go. Wherever you see a "Save draft" button, your information is kept for you so you can come back and finish it later.

Should you require further assistance, please contact . Contact details can be found under the "Contact" heading at the top of the page.

The very first question this system asks is whether you already have a Building Control Reference Number for your project, given to you by or another building control body/registered building control approver.

If you answer "No" - you do not yet have a reference number. You will be taken through the "No Reference" route, where you fill in a form describing your project from scratch. This creates a temporary "holding reference" while checks your details.
If you answer "Yes" - you already have a reference number. You will be asked to enter it so the system can check it against the authority's records before showing you what you can do next.

If you are not sure which answer applies to you, choose "No" and follow the No Reference route, or contact for advice before you start.

If you answered "No" to having a reference number, you will be shown the Application Data Capture form. This is one long form broken into clear sections. Everything on this form is used by to understand your project before it is set up as an official application.

Application Base Details - your own reference for the project, the type of application, the site address, a description of the works, and (if you know them) the ward, parish, and grid reference (Easting/Northing).
Section A1/A2 - Planning permission - tick boxes to say whether planning permission is needed and whether a special planning regime (Section 33) applies, then choose one statement that best describes where you are up to with planning permission (for example granted, applied for but not decided, or not yet applied for). Depending what you choose, you can add one or more "Planning References" - for example a permission number, an application number, or a prior approval reference - using the "Add Planning Reference" button.
Submitting and Liable Parties - use "Add Party" to list everyone involved (yourself, agents, clients, and so on). You can add as many parties as you need. Exactly one party in the list must be marked with BSL Liability Status "Named Client" - this is the party who is formally liable for the levy.
Section A3 - Major residential development - choose the statement that best describes whether your building work is, or is part of, a major residential development.
Section A4 - Counts - enter the number of new dwellings being provided, and the number of student accommodation (PBSA) bedspaces if applicable.
Section A5 - Regulator areas - only fill this in if a regulator (rather than a local authority) is acting as your building control authority. Use "Add Row" to list each building/block and which local authority area it sits in.
Section A6 - Previous levy determination notices - only relevant if this is an updated application and a levy determination notice has already been issued for it. Use "Add Row" to list each notice.
Exemption Request - if you believe your development qualifies for an exemption from the levy, choose "Yes" and then select the reason that applies from the list and describe your supporting evidence in the text box.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required. If you try to save or submit without completing a required field, the system will show a warning message telling you what needs fixing.

At the bottom of this form you can also upload supporting documents - see the "Uploading Supporting Documents" section below for how that works.

You do not have to complete the Application Data Capture form in one sitting.

Save draft - saves everything you have entered so far without sending it to . You can come back later and carry on.
Submit for review - sends your completed form to for checking. Once submitted, you will be given a "holding reference" - keep a note of this, as it is how you and the authority will refer to your submission before it becomes a full application.

After submitting, you will see a confirmation screen showing your holding reference and a status of "Submitted for review". will check that the statutory information provided meets the required criteria. If everything is in order, your application will be set up on their system and the levy process will continue from there. If something needs correcting, they will contact you and ask you to amend your submission.

Coming back to amend a submission - if asks you to make changes, return to the start page of this system. Under the heading "Access an existing No Reference application", enter your holding reference and the email address you used, then press "Access existing application" to reopen your submission and continue editing it. If you were sent a direct link by the authority, your holding reference may already be filled in for you - you will just need to confirm your email address.

If you answered "Yes" to having a Building Control Reference Number, you will be asked to type it in (for example, something like B/012345/FUL) and press "Validate reference".

The system checks your reference number against the authority's records straight away.
If it is recognised, you will see a confirmation box showing the validated reference, how many matching records were found, and when it was checked. Press "Continue" to move on to the next step.
If it is not recognised, you will see a warning message. Double check you have typed the reference exactly as given to you (including any slashes or letters), and try again.
If the checking service cannot be reached at all, you will see a message explaining this. Please try again shortly, or contact if the problem continues.

You can press "Back" at any point to change your answer to the earlier question.

Once your reference number is validated, you will be asked for details of the person submitting this data. This is stored as the contact for this submission, so knows who to get in touch with if they have questions.

Full Name, Email Address, Telephone Number and Postal Address are all required.
Company Name is optional, for example if you are submitting on behalf of a business.
BSL Liability Status - choose "Named Client" if you are the party formally liable for the levy on this application, or "Other" if you are submitting on someone else's behalf (for example as an agent).
Direct Correspondence to Company Name? - tick this if letters/notices about this submission should be addressed to your company rather than you personally.
Are you an Agent submitting on behalf of the Named Client? - tick this if you are acting for someone else rather than submitting in your own right.

Press "Continue" once these details are complete, or "Back" to return to the reference validation step.

With your reference validated, you now choose which piece(s) of information you want to submit against your application. You can select more than one at once if you need to.

Levy Application Data (Application Stage) - the full Building Safety Levy statutory information for your application, matching what should have been submitted alongside your building control application.
Register Commencement - tells the authority the date you intend to (or have) started work on site.
Register a Party/Named Client - registers or updates the party who is the Named Client for BSL purposes on this application.
Submit Buildings and Floorspace Data - details of the buildings, units and floorspace involved in the development.
Charging Conditions (Commencement Stage) - only appears once a commencement notice has been registered against your application. Covers the levy charging conditions statement required at commencement.

Tick each option you need, then press "Continue with selected actions". If you selected more than one, you will move through each of the relevant forms one after another - see "Working Through Several Forms and Submitting" below for how that works. Press "Back" if you need to change your submitting party details.

Below is a brief description of each form you may be asked to complete, depending what you selected in the previous step.

Levy Application Data (Application Stage)
- Choose the building control route that applies (for example Full Plans, an Initial Notice, or a Higher-Risk Building application), then work through the same statutory sections described in the No Reference form above: planning permission (A1/A2), major residential development (A3), dwelling/bedspace counts (A4), regulator areas (A5), previous levy determination notices (A6), and an exemption request if applicable.
- Your application number is filled in automatically from your validated reference and cannot be edited.
- If a Named Client has not already been registered for this application, you must also tick and complete "Register a Party/Named Client" alongside this form.
Register Commencement
- Enter the Date of Commencement using the date picker (this ensures the date is in a valid format).
- The party issuing the notice is taken automatically from the Submitting Party details you entered earlier - you do not need to re-enter it.
Register a Party/Named Client
- Use "Add Party" to list each party you want to register. You do not need to re-enter your own details if you are already the submitting party - the submitting party is always included automatically.
- For each party, provide their details and choose their status. A Building Safety Levy application can only have one Named Client at a time.
- If a Named Client is already registered for this application, you will see a warning telling you who it is. If you submit a party marked as Named Client here, it will replace the existing one - you will need to tick a confirmation box to acknowledge this before you can continue.
Submit Buildings and Floorspace Data
- Buildings - use "Add Building" to list each building or block, giving it a name and stating whether it is a single dwelling.
- Units - use "Add Unit" to add units one at a time, or "Add Many" to quickly create several identical units at once (choosing the building, unit type, floorspace, how many to create, and optionally a starting plot number/name). Each unit records its building, plot number, BSL unit type, and floorspace in square metres.
- Previous development condition statement (C1) - choose the statement that applies, and if you choose "not sure", provide an explanation.
- Communal space (C3) - use "Add Row" for any shared resident areas, naming the area, giving its total floor area, and selecting which building(s) it serves. Only buildings with more than one unit can be selected here, since a single dwelling has no other units to share a communal area with. You do not normally need to fill in the "override" figure - it works itself out automatically from the buildings you select.
- Baseline floorspace (C4) - only needed if the building already existed as a relevant residential building before this application. Use "Add Row" to record the baseline details.
Charging Conditions (Commencement Stage)
- Submitted alongside your first commencement notice. Your application reference, commencement date, and named client are shown for reference at the top and are taken automatically from earlier steps.
- B1 - Levy charging conditions statement - choose whether the charging conditions are met, not met, or have already been provided previously (if the latter, explain what was provided and when).
- B2 - Exempt dwellings - enter how many dwellings (if any) fall into each exempt category shown.
- B3 - Applicable planning information - describe the planning information that applies as at commencement, or confirm previously provided information still stands.
- B4 - Evidence register - use "Add Row" to list every piece of supporting evidence you are providing (for example permissions, drawings, or floorspace schedules) and what each one supports.

Most forms in this system have a "Supporting Documents" section near the bottom, for example plans, permission letters, or evidence supporting an exemption claim.

Drag and drop files straight onto the upload box, or click it to browse for files on your computer.
Files you upload are automatically filed against the correct section of your submission - you do not need to choose a category yourself.
While a file is uploading you will see a progress message; wait for this to finish before continuing.
There is a maximum file size for each individual file, and a maximum number of files across your whole submission - both limits are shown above the upload box. If you go over either limit, or upload a file type that is not accepted, a warning message will explain why.
Uploaded files are listed below the upload box, where you can check what has been added.

If you selected more than one action to submit, the system guides you through each one in turn.

A message near the top of each form tells you which step you are on, for example "Step 2 of 3 selected forms", so you always know how much is left.
Previous selected form / Next selected form - move between the forms you have chosen without losing anything you have entered.
Save draft - saves your progress on the form you are currently viewing.
Complete form - marks the form you are currently viewing as finished.
Submit all selected forms - only becomes available once every form you selected has been marked as complete. This sends everything to in one go.

Once you submit, you will see a confirmation message with a temporary reference for your submission - keep a note of this for any future correspondence about it.

Building Safety Levy Data Submission