Register your business as a building control approver
All private sector businesses that want to do building control work under the Building Act 1984 (as amended) must apply to register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
Applies to England
To apply, call us on 0300 790 6787.
We’ll ask for your email address and send you an application form, spreadsheet and ShareFile link with instructions on how to complete and upload your application.
Your standard call-rates will apply.
When to register
Businesses that carry out building control work should register with BSR. After 6 April 2024 businesses must be registered with us to operate as a registered building control approver (RBCA).
Businesses that have not registered by 6 April 2024 will not be able to do new building control work after this date.
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Who should register
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A senior employee who can represent the business toshould BSR,submit forthe exampleapplication. For example, an owner, director, partner or senior manager. This person will be the main contact for BSR.
What we will ask you for
During your application we’ll ask you to provide:
- information about your business, such as name, address, email and phone
contacts - the building control functions your business will do, and whether it offers additional services other than building control
- information about the person who we should contact to discuss your application, such as name, email and
phonephone,contacts, - the number of registered building inspectors and building inspectors waiting to be registered which your business employs or contracts with
We’ll ask if your business is, or was, an approved inspector registered with CICAIR, whether it is subject to any ongoing action, such as sanctions, and whether you have any current higher-risk building projects in progress.
We’ll ask you to upload a diagram of the organisational structure of your business, including where it is part of a wider group structure.
We’ll ask you for the names of current owners and directors, and:
- any other companies they are directors of or hold an interest in that may cause a conflict of interest
whetherif they have any unspent criminal convictionsaslistedinourcodeofconduct(hse.gov.uk)andprofessionalconductrules(PCRs)(hse.gov.uk)
We’ll ask if the business or any of its managers or building inspectors have been subject to HSE enforcement action in the last 5 years.
We’ll ask you to confirm that your business has written operating procedures covering your planned building control work.
We’ll ask you to confirm that your business has policies for:
- recruitment and development
- whistleblowing
- conflicts of interest
- money laundering
- health, safety and wellbeing
- data protection
- staff conduct
- equality, diversity and inclusion
- managing contractors
- handling complaints
- internal audit
- insurance
You’ll need to pay £4,494 to register your business, plus £124 per hour for our staff undertaking assessment of your application. You will also have to pay an annual maintenance charge of £3,439, due from the first anniversary after registration.
You can find out more about BSR’s charging scheme (hse.gov.uk)
Registration is for 5 years.years, unless varied, suspended or cancelled by BSR.
We’ll ask you to confirm that you will:
- comply with our professional conduct rules
(PCRs)(hse.gov.uk)(hse.gov.uk)(OSRs) - update
theaswithinsoon28afterdays of itchangesasisreasonablechanging - consent to some details of your registration being published
Before -you start
If you are unsure about any of these requirements, read the guidance on this page about the regulation of RBCAs under the Building Safety Act 2022, and our professional conduct and operational standards rules.
After you submit the application
We’ll review the application and if required, ask you to provide further information. You may be asked to provide copies of documentation, and you could be invited to an interview.
If all the questions are not answered on the application form, or sufficient information has not been provided, then the application will be rejected.
Getting a decision
We’ll tell you if the application is approved, approved subject to conditions, or rejected.
In cases where the application is subject to conditions or rejected, we’ll tell you why.
You can request a review of the application and, if still subject to conditions or rejected, you can appeal to a First-tier Tribunal. To request a review, contact us.
Public register
Details of each RBCA will appear on the formpublic register. The register allows people to confirm which businesses are registered as RBCAs, and the work they are registered to do.
The register shows:
- name and address of the RBCA
- the type of building control work the RBCA is registered to do
- the start and end date of registration
- details of any conditions of registration
Removal from the register
An RBCA can be removed from the register if:
- the business stops carrying out regulated building control work and asks to be taken off the register
- the registration is not renewed
- the RBCA’s registration is suspended or cancelled by us
If an RBCA is removed from the register, we will continue to keep the information in line with our data retention policy.
To ask for your details to be publishedtaken off the register, call us on 0300 790 6787.
Making changes to your registration
You must notify us within 28 days of any changes relevant to the RBCA registration, which includes:
- a change of management structure
- a change of director or partner
- a change of ownership
- a change to the main contact for the RBCA
- any professional sanctions from other bodies
- any unspent criminal convictions for either the owners, directors, partners or senior managers of the business
- if the RBCA ceases to trade for any reason, for example insolvency
Before
To make a change to an RBCA’s registration details, call us on 0300 790 6787.
Your standard call rates will apply. We are open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, except Wednesdays when we are open from 10am to 5pm, and public holidays when we are closed.
We’ll ask for your email address and send you starta form and a ShareFile link with instructions on how to complete and upload your changes.
To make a change to an RBCA’s registration details, call us on 0300 790 6787.
Your standard call rates will apply. We are open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, except Wednesdays when we are open from 10am to 5pm, and public holidays when we are closed.
We’ll ask for your email address and send you starta form and a ShareFile link with instructions on how to complete and upload your changes.
IfYou do not need to re-register the RBCA after making a change unless its registration is due to expire.
You cannot transfer an RBCA registration to another business.
Read more about the changes you aremust unsuretell us about anyin the rules of theseregistration requirements,section readof the guidanceprofessional about:conduct rules (hse.gov.uk).
Regulation of RBCAs
RBCAs must comply with the:
If an RBCA contravenes the roleoperational standards rules, we can serve notice of improvement and responsibilitiesserious contravention. If the RBCA continues to contravene the rules, we can cancel its registration.
If an RBCA contravenes the professional conduct rules, we can issue sanctions.
Registered building inspectors
When carrying out building control work, an RBCA must consider the advice of a registered building inspector.
RBCAs undermust:
- employ registered building inspectors of the
BuildingcorrectSafetyclassActand2022category for the type of building control work the RBCA does ouremployPCRsenoughandregisteredOSRsbuilding inspectors for the building control work the RBCA is doing- have arrangements to manage the quality of work done by registered building inspectors under supervision
Last updated 13 November 2023 + show all updates
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Changed the wording around convictions you must tell us about, to include only unspent criminal convictions.
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This guidance now incorporates the roles and responsibilities of RBCAs.
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First published.
Update history
2025-03-26 11:58
Welsh translation added.
2025-03-25 07:56
Charge of £124 changed to £130.
2025-02-05 09:37
Outdated information about when to register and transitional arrangements for registered building control approvers has been removed.
2024-09-20 10:46
Guidance added about how RBCAs should submit operational standards data
2024-01-31 08:00
Updated to include guidance for RBCAs in Wales
2023-11-13 14:08
Changed the wording around convictions you must tell us about, to include only unspent criminal convictions.
2023-11-07 10:00
This guidance now incorporates the roles and responsibilities of RBCAs.
2023-10-10 09:00
First published.