Revealed: the financial fault lines in building control
Summary
The article examines financial fragility among private building control firms registered as registered building control approvers (RBCAs), highlighting recent collapses and signs of wider sector stress. It reports that liabilities are rising faster than assets across the group, despite Building Safety Regulator requirements for financial viability, and suggests the current system is under pressure when firms fail.
Why it matters
Residential surveyors working on projects that rely on private building control may face delays, handovers, or increased scrutiny if an RBCA becomes insolvent. The issue is especially relevant where work transfers to local authorities or the Building Safety Regulator, affecting programme, compliance and client expectations.
Key points
- Several registered building control approvers have collapsed in the past two years.
- Construction News found liabilities across 88 RBCAs rose faster than assets in the latest financial year.
- The Building Safety Regulator requires private building control firms to demonstrate financial viability.
- When an RBCA fails, non-higher-risk work transfers to the local authority and higher-risk work to the BSR.
- The article cites backlogs, static fees and cashflow pressure as contributing factors.
This is an RPSA summary of a publicly available article. The full content remains with the original publisher.
