How are building societies regulated?

The main legislation governing the sector is the Building Societies Act 1986 (amended in 1997) which requires building societies to have as their main business making residential mortgage loans funded by the savings of members, and describes how they are to be regulated in order to ensure that members' money is safe. Each society has a set of rules that governs the relationship between the society and its members. Along with banks, building societies also voluntarily follow the Banking Code, which sets minimum standards of good banking practice and customer service.