Under the Building Safety Act 2022, building control professionals who carry out any building control work in England or Wales must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which is an office of the Health & safety Executive (HSE).
A temporary 13-week extension period for experienced building inspectors in England to complete their competency assessment came to an end on 6th July 2024.
As of 30th July 2024, there were 4,049 building professionals registered as building inspectors (RBIs) in England and Wales.
Registration by classes:
- Class 1 (trainee) – 1,971
- Class 2 (registered building inspector) – 1,614
- Class 3 (specialist building inspector) – 464
- Class 4 (building inspector-technical manager) – 516
Ged Cooper, BSR head of building control professional standards, said: “We are encouraged by this steady increase in numbers and are pleased to see a consistent level of success in Class 2 and Class 3 and it’s heartening that a high proportion are also Class 4 technical managers. We expect to see this positive progress continue.
“BSR is focused on being a fair and pragmatic regulator. Granting an extension for building inspectors to complete their competency assessments shows our commitment to a supportive regulatory environment and a level playing field in building control.
“Building control bodies must take regulatory advice from RBIs of Class 2 or Class 3 to perform their functions effectively. We’ve started investigations and inspections of these bodies and will require assurance with evidence to demonstrate that they have sufficient resources to deliver their regulatory duties and responsibility.”
He added: “The profession is entering a new transformative era, with unified, consistent standards making it a positive career choice. Enhanced professional standards will lead to stronger compliance with building regulations. Improved practices will set high standards as the norm, not the exception.
“Looking at the landscape ahead, the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of building control activities are set to significantly improve.”
