Background and what has changed
The Government has published amendments to the Building Regulations, which will apply
to all applications for building control consent from 1 October 2023.

In addition, the Government has formed a new regulatory body within the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) called the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The BSR will oversee
many aspects of building safety, including Building Regulations and Building Control.

If you, or someone on your behalf, have submitted a building control application,
you have new legal responsibilities from 1 October 2023 as a Client, Designer or
Contractor. You must follow these legal procedures so that your building control
application can be considered.

If you do not follow the procedures prescribed for your role, it will result in your application
being rejected or reverted to local council control, which will require the same information.

Registered Building Control Approvers
Approved inspectors are independently monitored and regulated by the Construction
Industry Council Approved Inspector Register (CICAIR) under the Building Act 1984. Under
the new building control system all Approved Inspectors will need to become Registered
Building Control Approvers (RBCA) which requires registration with the BSR.

The registration process will begin in October 2023 with all Approved Inspectors expecting
to have applied for registration before 6 April 2024 when this becomes a requirement.

Registered Building Inspectors
Building control is to become a regulated profession, meaning that the job title ‘Building
Inspector’ will be protected in law. There is a requirement for certain qualifications or
experience to be held by individuals working within the profession and for them to register
with the regulator (BSR) as Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs). This will become a
requirement from April 2024 and applies to individuals within Local Authorities and those
working for Approved Inspectors.

All RBIs will have their competence third party validated against the Building Inspector
Competency Framework for the class of registration they are applying for. This will help
ensure high performance and consistency across all sectors.

Link to some helpful information for Dutyholders on the numerous recent changes to the Building Regulations and other associated legislation.