The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has extended the deadline for building control professionals to complete an assessment to demonstrate their competence to perform their duties until 6 July.
However, building control professionals in England are still required to register with the regulator on or before 6 April.
Director of building safety for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Philip White, wrote on 14 March to the Building Control industry outlining new transitional arrangements for the registration of Building Control inspectors in England.
In Wales, the devolved administration has extended the deadline until 1 October 2024.
Last month, Local Authority Building Control (LABC) chief executive, Lorna Stimpson, raised concerns about the potential collapse of the Building Control function in local authorities due to a lack of registered professionals available after the original deadline of 6 April.
White said in his letter: “I understand those concerns and have been working with colleagues in BSR and across government to consider what we can do to support the profession. To that end, the decision has been taken to implement a competence assessment extension period for those meeting set criteria.”
“This revised deadline must be met and there is work to do in making that happen.”
New powers for inspectors
Registered building inspectors are a new role created under the Building Safety Act 2022. They will be empowered to issue compliance notices and stop notices for higher-risk buildings during any stage of the design and construction process.
White added that Building Control professionals who had not yet completed a competence assessment can take advantage of the deadline extension provided they meet the following criteria:
- They are an existing Building Control professional;
- They are registered as a Class 1 Registered Building Inspector (RBI) by 6 April 2024;
- They are enrolled in, and in the process of having their competency assessed through, one of the BSR-approved competency assessment schemes by 6 April 2024. These are: cbuilde.com, www.thebscf.org, www.ttd-education.org; and
- A scheme provider has not told them that they have not passed their competency assessment for a second time.
“During this period, the scope of their registration will be temporarily extended, and they can continue to undertake Building Control work for the class of RBI for which they are undertaking a competency assessment,” said White.
‘The revised deadline must be met’
CIOB’s director of policy, external affairs and research, Eddie Tuttle, said: “This revised deadline must be met and there is work to do in making that happen.”
The BSR estimates there are around 4,500 Building Control professionals in the UK, though some estimates have the number closer to 5,000.
According to the latest BSR figures, 3,261 professionals have started their applications to register.
In February, CM reported that fewer than 40% of Building Control surveyors had begun BSR registration less than two months away from the initial deadline.
