A Summary of Upcoming Changes to the Building Control Profession

Building control as a profession is changing. The introduction of the Building Safety Act 2022 means that building control professionals (BCPs) and private building control bodies (BCBs) will need to register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to perform building control work in England. Registration will open in October 2023, and the section of the Building Safety Act that pertains to registration will come into effect in April 2024.

The BSR will establish and maintain a register of building inspectors with provisions for different classes of building inspectors according to qualifications or experience. The four registration classes for individual building inspectors are as follows:

• Class 1 Building Inspector (Associate/Assistant)
• Class 2 Building Inspector (Standard)
• Class 3 Building Inspector (Complex/High Risk Buildings)
• Class 4 Building Inspector (Manager)

It is important to note that individuals can register as more than one class and classes are not necessarily linear, they are just classifiers for roles found within the building control industry. Organisations will be required to ensure that anyone performing building control duties is registered under the appropriate class.

Building Inspector Competency Framework

A Building Inspector Competency Framework will be introduced with three main areas of assessment: Technical, Delivery and Management. BCPs, whether they work for an Approved Inspector or the local authority, will need to prove they meet the necessary competencies.

The below diagram demonstrates the nine competence subject areas BCPs will need to show:

The competence levels are as follows:

1. Awareness: a basic knowledge of the subject and how it relates to their role
2. Appreciation: a general background knowledge of the subject area, combined with an appreciation of intent. May require the specialist input of others to assess compliance
3. Understanding: sufficient knowledge of the complexities involved in order to make independent decisions and assessments regarding compliance of typical building work, including utilising input from other specialists
4. Comprehensive: sufficiently detailed knowledge and skills to make decisions on complex issues relating to design and construction and the ability to commission and interrogate specialist assistance where necessary

The framework is currently a draft so things may still change, but it is certain that going forwards, there will be tighter rules and higher requirements for BCPs to adhere to.

How YDBC is responding to the changes

As a member of C80 Group, YDBC is able to invest in our employees by supporting their professional development. Our surveyors are either already Chartered or working towards Chartership and we take steps to ensure CPD requirements are met. We feel this stands us in good stead for the upcoming changes to the building control profession.

When you choose us to provide building control for your projects, you can rest assured that you are receiving a high quality service from surveyors who are committed to retaining up to date knowledge of the building regulations and safety. If required, all our surveyors will be completing the additional training and examinations.