Building & Landscape Services UK-wide

Which building and landscape services regulations apply to your business

Building and landscape services businesses — commercial cleaning, window cleaning, pest control, landscaping and grounds maintenance — carry workplace- safety duties and face extra environmental and chemicals obligations wherever they use biocidal products, professional pesticides, handle green waste or work near invasive non-native species.

Guide summary

Follow health and safety law for your building or landscape business, including controlling chemicals, working at height, and using powered equipment. If you do pest control, landscaping, or handle green waste, you have extra duties for pesticide competence, waste disposal, and stopping the spread of invasive plants. Finish with the compliance checklist. If you hold keys or respond to alarms, check if you need an SIA licence.

  • Set up a safe operation under the Health and Safety at Work Act
  • Control chemicals using COSHH rules for cleaning and biocides
  • Follow safety rules for working at height and powered equipment
  • Get biocidal product authorisation if you do pest control
  • Prove pesticide competence if you use professional pesticides
  • Register as a waste carrier if you remove green waste
  • Do not spread invasive non-native species (law requires this)
  • Complete the building and landscape services compliance checklist
  • Check if you need an SIA licence for key holding or alarm response
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Building and landscape services — commercial and industrial cleaning, window cleaning, pest control, landscaping, tree surgery and grounds maintenance — combine physical work at height, exposure to chemicals and biological hazards, and powered machinery. Your duties begin with keeping people safe under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and meeting your obligations as an employer.

On top of those foundations, the nature of your work determines which extra duties apply. Pest-control operators face biocidal-product authorisation and pesticide-competence requirements. Landscapers and grounds-maintenance contractors carry green-waste duty-of-care obligations and must not cause listed invasive non-native species to spread.

What you need to do

  1. 1

    Set up a safe operation and employ people

    Whatever service you provide, start with the universal spine. Follow "Set up and run a safe building and landscape services operation" for your health and safety duties. This includes COSHH controls on cleaning chemicals and biocides, working at height, and hand-arm vibration from powered equipment. It also covers fire safety, insurance, equality and data protection.

  2. 2

    Meet your pest control, landscaping and waste duties

    If you carry out pest control, use professional pesticides, remove green waste or work near invasive non-native species, you take on further duties. Follow "Meet your pest control, landscaping and waste duties" for biocidal-product authorisation, pesticide competence, waste carrier registration and invasive-species law.

  3. 3

    Confirm you have covered everything

    Finish with the "Building and landscape services: compliance checklist" to confirm your obligations are met.

If you also hold keys or respond to alarms

Some cleaning and facilities businesses hold clients' keys and attend their premises when an alarm activates. Key holding is a licensable activity under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, regulated by the Security Industry Authority (SIA). This is separate from the workplace and environmental duties above. If you offer it, check whether you and your staff need SIA licences. See SIA licence types and requirements.

Official sources

Authoritative starting points for building and landscape services businesses.