The purpose of the study is to provide a review on the constraint factors in complying with building control regulation related to house renovation. Adapting the qualitative approach, an extensive review was made on the existing literature related to the constraint factors to comply with building control regulation and guidelines with regards to house renovation. The study found that the constraint factors can be classified into four main categories based on the perspective of four key stakeholders' groups in renovation works; law and policy maker, local authority, the professionals, and homeowners. The complexity of existing building legislation and guideline has been identified as the most fundamental issue that contributes to non-compliant renovation works in Malaysia. The paper concludes with the recommendation that the current legislations and guidelines pertaining to house renovation in the country need to be reviewed considering the interest of stakeholders. This study is deemed to be one of many researches that contribute to the existing gap in literature on building control with regards to existing buildings.

Purpose Malaysia’s building regulation is mainly based on the Uniform Building By-Laws (UBBL) 1984 which provides guidelines on the procedures for building plans approval and other means of development control. However, the application of these by-laws varies between local authorities, as they are gazetted by different state governments. The formulation of UBBL 1984 which was originally formulated to address the need for a standardized set of building regulations for the country is now perceived as inconsistent and complex. Therefore, this research attempts to examine the discrepancies between state by-laws, particularly Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and national UBBL 1984. Design/methodology/approach Critical review of the content of the UBBL (Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur) 1985 and national UBBL 1984 was carried out to pinpoint discrepancies between the two by-laws. Findings Differences between national UBBL and Kuala Lumpur By-laws fall into four main categories particularly terminology, prescriptive requirements, presence of terms and by-laws. Three editorial spelling and typing errors were also found in the national UBBL 1984. It is argued that the errors and differences lead to confusion and pose unnecessary regulatory burden to the construction industry which ultimately discourage people to disobey the rules. The identified discrepancies between these by-laws showed an urgent need to review the current building by-laws considering today’s technologies, norms and citizen needs. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of many fruitful contributions that examine discrepancies between by-laws that govern building control matters in Malaysia. Although centred on legislation in Malaysia, the findings are relevant for governments around the world working towards improving public service delivery.