Pre-construction information for a re-roof: the client’s checklist
Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
Check your re-roof against the rules ↓
What counts as pre-construction information?
Regulation 2 defines it as information in the client’s possession, or reasonably obtainable by or on behalf of the client, that is relevant to the construction work and is of an appropriate level of detail and proportionate to the risks involved. It includes information about the project, the planning and management of the project, and health and safety hazards, including design and construction hazards and how they will be addressed, plus information in any existing health and safety file.
Two phrases do the work. “Reasonably obtainable” means the duty is not limited to what is already on file: if an asbestos survey or a structural record can reasonably be obtained for the roof, it falls within the definition. “Proportionate” means a patch repair needs a short, targeted pack, not a data room.
Who must receive it, and when?
Regulation 4(4) requires the client to provide it as soon as is practicable to every designer and contractor appointed, or being considered for appointment, to the project. HSE puts it more plainly: to every designer and contractor either bidding for the work or already appointed. So the information goes out with the invitation to tender, not after the award. The tender pack guide shows where it sits alongside the specification.
| Step | Who | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Provide | The client | Regulation 4(4): to every designer and contractor appointed or being considered |
| Assist and circulate | The principal designer, where appointed | Regulation 11(6): assists the client, and passes it on promptly and in a convenient form so far as within its control |
| Take account | Designers | HSE: designers take account of the information provided by the client |
| Feed the plan | Principal designer to principal contractor | Regulation 12(3): includes pre-construction information obtained from the client |
HSE lists the duty among those that apply on every project, whatever the size. The CDM 2015 guide covers the client’s other duties and the F10 threshold.
What should the roof checklist contain?
The Regulations leave the content to the project. This checklist is built from the definition and HSE’s roof and asbestos guidance; the later rows are practical prompts rather than items named in the law.
| Item | What to gather and why it matters |
|---|---|
| Asbestos | The register and any refurbishment or demolition survey covering the roof. HSE says a management survey should include external areas including roofs, soffits, gutters and windows, and that a refurbishment survey must locate hidden asbestos before structural work begins. Asbestos information must be shared with anyone liable to disturb it, such as contractors. See asbestos in old roofing felt and asbestos cement roofs. |
| Structure and loading, including RAAC | Drawings, structural reports, the deck type, load limits and the result of any RAAC check. HSE says owners should establish whether a building contains RAAC and, if it is confirmed or suspected, seek a competent structural engineer. See the RAAC guide and the deck types guide. |
| Fragile areas and rooflights | Positions and condition of every rooflight and fragile sheet. HSE says fragile rooflights are a particular hazard: some are difficult to see in certain light conditions and others may be hidden by paint. See the fragile roofs guide. |
| Access routes | How people and materials reach the roof: internal routes, hatches, ground space for scaffold or hoists, and restricted areas. |
| Services and plant | Rooftop plant, pipework, cables, flues and extract terminals, anchor points, and who can isolate each. |
| Earlier records | Original drawings, repair and leak history, survey reports, warranty papers and the health and safety file from past projects. A schedule of condition is one way to record the starting point. |
| Use and occupancy | Operating hours, sensitive areas below the roof, escape routes, and people and vehicles around the building. |
| Site rules | Security, parking, deliveries, hot work permits, insurer conditions, contacts and emergency arrangements. See the hot works guide. |
What if the information does not exist?
The definition reaches beyond what is already on file. If no current asbestos information exists for the roof, or nobody knows what the deck is, that gap is itself something bidders need to be told, and the client should consider obtaining the missing survey rather than leaving contractors to price around it. HSE says a refurbishment or demolition survey involves destructive inspection and potential asbestos disturbance, so the area must be vacated during the survey. Allow for that before the programme is set.
State the limits plainly in the pack, for example “no survey of rooflights” or “drawings not verified on site”. A stated gap lets a designer or contractor allow for it. A missing item that nobody mentions does not.
What if a landlord and a tenant each hold part of the records?
Where more than one client is involved in a project, one or more of them may agree in writing to be treated as the only client. The Regulations then make an exception for information: the duty to provide pre-construction information is owed by all clients to the extent that it relates to information in the possession of the client. For example, where a landlord holds the asbestos register and the original drawings and a tenant holds the recent leak records, each holds part of the pack. The sensible step is to settle in writing who gathers what before the tender goes out. The guide to who pays for a commercial roof covers the lease side.
How does the information feed the rest of the job?
The principal designer passes what it holds, including the client’s information, to the principal contractor, who uses it to draw up the construction phase plan; the construction phase plan guide shows what that plan must cover. The principal designer also prepares a health and safety file of information likely to be needed in any later project, and passes it to the client at the end of the project. Information in an existing file is itself part of the definition, so a well-kept file shortens the next checklist.
For example, for a 3,000 square metre distribution unit with a row of rooflights, rooftop extract fans and a 1970s deck, the pack might hold the asbestos register extract and a roof-specific refurbishment survey; the original structural drawings and an engineer’s note on the deck; a plan marking every rooflight; a schedule of plant with isolation points; the leak and repair log; the access routes and operating hours; and the site rules. This example is hypothetical. Whether to repair or replace the roof is a separate decision, set out in the repair or replace guide.
If you want to talk a roof project through, you can send an enquiry through the form on this site.
Sources
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulations 2, 4, 11 and 12, legislation.gov.uk, checked 22 October 2026
- HSE: Commercial clients and Designers, checked 22 October 2026
- The duty to manage asbestos in buildings: arrange an asbestos survey (updated 1 March 2021), Managing risk from RAAC (updated 27 March 2026) and Roof work (updated 5 June 2026), Health and Safety Executive, checked 22 October 2026
Common questions
Does a small roof repair need pre-construction information?
HSE lists providing it among the commercial client’s duties for all projects, whatever their size. The definition scales the detail to the risk, so a small repair can use a short pack, with asbestos status, fragile areas and access as the usual starting points.
Does a contractor who only tenders need it?
Yes. Regulation 4(4) extends the duty to contractors being considered for appointment, and HSE describes it as going to those bidding for the work. Bidders cannot price risks they have not been told about.
Is it the same as the health and safety file?
No. The pre-construction information goes out at the start and informs design, pricing and the plan. The health and safety file is prepared by the principal designer and holds information likely to be needed in any later project. Information in an existing file forms part of the pre-construction information for the next project.
Does the client or the principal designer prepare it?
The duty to provide it rests with the client. Where a principal designer is appointed, regulation 11 requires that person to assist the client and to pass the information on promptly and in a convenient form.
Related guides
Check your re-roof against the rules
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